My \ Dad is a phenomenal actor-shahid/lipika varma

"My Dad is a phenomenal actor" Shahid  Monday 18 August 2014 | 1:54 PM | By Lipika Verma "My Dad is a phenomenal  actor" Shahid You did ‘Haider ‘film without charging a single penny? Actually, the film is being produced by UTV Vishhal sir and me. We had to do the film for free because if we had to charge money then we would have had to compromise with the making. We also wanted to show our conviction for the film. We really believe in it. Sometimes when you do something different then you need to take such steps. We completed the film in just 54 days. Why did you agree to turn “Bald?” Not going bald for the film would not have been right. “I wanted to do this film...wanted to do a different character like this. If I had cheated then the audiences would have realized it.  You agreed instantly? Finally someone has cast me correctly. I had been waiting for a long time for an appropriate casting. I have been insane for a long time and now I have got that role.[ smiles]. How was it working with Director Vishal Bhardawaj? Vishal Sir is amongst the very few directors who thought of casting me in Kaminey. I never thought that I would be able to perform that character so well. He cast me and made it clear that ‘You’ll do something that you have never done before’. How comfortable are you doing different roles? The journey of an actor starts when you step out of your comfort zone. When I read a script for the first time and I understand how I will play the character, I usually say ‘no’. I take it up if I don’t know how I will play the character, because that is what’s going to be challenging. If I understand the character then I am in the comfort zone. I feel the audiences are very smart now. If you show similar kinds of films over and again they will then get used to it, they are not dumb. Do you do films for Box office success? You do some films for box office numbers while others you do because you believe in them and are passionate about certain types of film.” Do you think “Hamlet” is revisited? Haider’s story is a family revenge drama. A son is looking out for his father. Eventually it is an adaptation of Hamlet. This story is beyond boundaries and times. If anyone has the ability to adapt and interpret this story then it is Vishal Sir. This has been proven in the past. This film of Vishal’s will be different from his earlier two films. It’s like different flavors’ of ice cream. If you are opening an ice cream shop you need to have strawberry, vanilla and other flavors. Similarly an actor has to have different shades in his acting. You might be a star but you cannot call yourself an actor. If you want to be an actor and a star then you have to do different roles. Do you feel you have come close to your dad’s [Pankaj Kapoor] acting calibre? There can be no comparisons with dad. He is a phenomenal actor. But the very thought of people comparing me with him makes me feel happy. Vishal compared me with dad in one scene – I read this in his interview – and I felt as though I was on the top of the world. "My Dad is a phenomenal actor" Shahid  Monday 18 August 2014 | 1:54 PM | By Lipika Verma "My Dad is a phenomenal  actor" Shahid You did ‘Haider ‘film without charging a single penny? Actually, the film is being produced by UTV Vishhal sir and me. We had to do the film for free because if we had to charge money then we would have had to compromise with the making. We also wanted to show our conviction for the film. We really believe in it. Sometimes when you do something different then you need to take such steps. We completed the film in just 54 days. Why did you agree to turn “Bald?” Not going bald for the film would not have been right. “I wanted to do this film...wanted to do a different character like this. If I had cheated then the audiences would have realized it.  You agreed instantly? Finally someone has cast me correctly. I had been waiting for a long time for an appropriate casting. I have been insane for a long time and now I have got that role.[ smiles]. How was it working with Director Vishal Bhardawaj? Vishal Sir is amongst the very few directors who thought of casting me in Kaminey. I never thought that I would be able to perform that character so well. He cast me and made it clear that ‘You’ll do something that you have never done before’. How comfortable are you doing different roles? The journey of an actor starts when you step out of your comfort zone. When I read a script for the first time and I understand how I will play the character, I usually say ‘no’. I take it up if I don’t know how I will play the character, because that is what’s going to be challenging. If I understand the character then I am in the comfort zone. I feel the audiences are very smart now. If you show similar kinds of films over and again they will then get used to it, they are not dumb. Do you do films for Box office success? You do some films for box office numbers while others you do because you believe in them and are passionate about certain types of film.” Do you think “Hamlet” is revisited? Haider’s story is a family revenge drama. A son is looking out for his father. Eventually it is an adaptation of Hamlet. This story is beyond boundaries and times. If anyone has the ability to adapt and interpret this story then it is Vishal Sir. This has been proven in the past. This film of Vishal’s will be different from his earlier two films. It’s like different flavors’ of ice cream. If you are opening an ice cream shop you need to have strawberry, vanilla and other flavors. Similarly an actor has to have different shades in his acting. You might be a star but you cannot call yourself an actor. If you want to be an actor and a star then you have to do different roles. Do you feel you have come close to your dad’s [Pankaj Kapoor] acting calibre? There can be no comparisons with dad. He is a phenomenal actor. But the very thought of people comparing me with him makes me feel happy. Vishal compared me with dad in one scene – I read this in his interview – and I felt as though I was on the top of the world.