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Shreya Sharma and Pankaj Kapur |
Q: Which character are you playing in Vishal’s next movie, The Blue Umbrella?
The movie is actually about the relationship of a shopkeeper and a small girl. I am playing the shopkeeper whose journey begins with the greed for things, his sufferings because of this greed, and then realising the cause of the sufferings. There are very strong emotions in my character. It is filmed in a very innocent way. It’s a very real-life character.
Q: You have already worked with Vishal in Maqbool. How different was it working in The Blue Umbrella with him?
The way of working, making the artistes work and the thinking process remains the same in every film. What matters most is the target audience, to whom you want to narrate the character. Vishal offered me a very good role in Maqbool and the film did well at the box-office. This time also, he had something good for me in The Blue Umbrella and I was more than happy to do that.
Q: How is your equation with Vishal Bhardwaj? You had given your best to him in the past.
I share a wonderful equation with him. We trust each other and trust is the basic element of any successful relationship. We have a similar way of looking at things. While doing his first film, it became clear to me what he wants from me as an actor and how I should deliver what he wants. An actor does a variety of roles and tries to do better with every passing character, but you know, no one can rise to the level of perfection ever. As an actor, even I make mistakes and wherever you feel that you are not up to the mark, you need some one to point out your faults. And Vishal does exactly that for me. He makes me realise my flaws and faults. We created a great bonding during Maqbool, which came as a great help during the making of The Blue Umbrella. This bonding made us converse through our eyes on the sets.
Q: How was it working with the unit, especially with the child artistes?
Oh! The unit was great to work with and with children it seemed more of a picnic. One thing very strange about children is that they reciprocate whatever you do. I have done a lot of theatre with children, so I know how to work with them. We actually organised a workshop to get friendly with the child artistes.
Q: Can you recall the memorable moments from the sets?
We used to play cricket with the children. And believe me, it was out of the world.
Q: Are you choosy about your roles in films?
Of course, I am choosy. Unless a script excites me I don’t like working on it. The script should be character-driven and character should be an integral part of the story. There are many good scripts which actually don’t reach us and if I say ‘no’ to the remaining good scripts then that would be a loss to the industry.
Q: You and your son, Shahid, are extreme opposites when it comes to the roles you play?
It’s nothing like that. Shahid is capable of doing roles like the ones I have done, maybe even do better than what I have. Unfortunately,, he has been getting roles for his looks and presence and not for his acting skills.
Q: Do you see your son playing the characters that you have done?
I would love to see him in the roles played by me because I know he can do it.
Q: You are doing Naya Office-Office and Karamchand again. Are you going to continue doing TV?
I am very attached to the television industry as I started my career with TV and got recognition here. Continuing TV depends on the kind of roles I get. If the common man can easily relate with the characters I would surely be doing that.
Q: What difference do you find between the television and the film industry?
As a medium, TV is repetitive. Whenever I work in TV, I fear I would land up doing the same stuff every time. Whereas in films, I get a lot of work to do which gets me connected with the common man. Moreover, film is descriptive after which nothing is left to be told.
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