'Anil was ready to give me dates immediately'

Anurag Kashyap is waiting with bated breath for Paanch to release in April. The Tejaswini Kolhapure-Kay Kay starrer had been stuck at the Censor Board, which objected to the language and violence used in the film.

"It has been two-and-half long years! I have tried not to get cynical about it. I've tried not to get bogged down. In any case, I ran around for five years before I could make this film. So I guess it will be worth the wait."

Kashyap is already preparing for Allwyn Kalicharan, which rolls next month. He wrote the film with Anil Kapoor in mind. "I narrated it to him the day after I finished writing the script. He was ready to give me dates almost immediately, but I wasn't prepared," says the director.

The film, which should be ready by the end of the year, features many new faces from the Delhi theatre scene. Ask him what Allwyn Kalicharan is about and Kashyap hesitates. "It is a futuristic film that deals with magic and life in 2010," he says slowly.

Kashyap's other venture, Gulal, starring Antara Mali and Kay Kay, is on hold. "I shot for 8 to 10 days, but I couldn't put together the finances to keep it going. I intend to revive it later this year."

Vivek Oberoi is working on only one film at a time. "Idealism may not necessarily be the way to go and I may have to alternate between two films soon," he says. "It is not practical to work on just one film. I am sitting at home while they get dates of my costars."

All the films you have seen him in so far were signed before Ram Gopal Varma's Company. What comes next may redefine Vivek, but the man is not worried: "I am not someone who says why; I always say, why not? No choice is right or wrong. The consequence defines it. And you will never know [the consequences] before a film releases. Before the Friday 3 to 6 show, you will never know whether you have done the right thing by signing a particular film."

About the film business today, he says, "Saathiya is in its 13th week and considered a huge hit. Fifty days is a big deal today. In Hollywood, films come in with a big bang, take a huge initial, make what they have to and move on. There are very few films that start small and become big, like My Big Fat Greek Wedding or, in my case, Saathiya. [Producer] Yash [Chopra] uncle had to add prints when it started doing so well."

About his projects, he says, "There is so much more to do in today's films. In Kyun? Ho Gaya Na Pyaar, which releases at the end of this year, I am a boy who is constantly jabbering, full of energy and zest and almost bordering on the slapstick. The whole film is his journey -- knitting together moments of how he finds a girl. Another film I am doing is a hugely intense project that deals with a man's identity crisis. It is not something I can speak about much. In another film, I play a hardcore hero-hero. A slick guy, smart dude who knocks off people and deals with death."

Rave reviews

People who have seen Mahesh Manjrekar's Praan Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye have nothing but good words for it.

Starring Raveena Tandon, Sushmita Sen, Namrata Shirodkar, Rinke Khanna, Diya Mirza, Divya Dutta and Sweta Menon, the film has won a lot of praise for its treatment and hard-hitting theme. Raveena is the scene-stealer as Sita in this Sanjay Jha-directed flick, while Manjrekar is the surprise.

Says Menon, who is usually known as an item number girl (Humko tumse pyaar hai from Ishq, Hai rabba from Prithvi and Main deewani main mastani from Bandhan), says, "Some of my friends didn't recognise me in the film. My role is so deglamourised and has so much substance."

The film is slated to release April 25.