Showbiz buzz has it that Gulshan Grover has been sidelined by the entrance of new heavies and that his trips abroad for foreign films are but face-saving sojourns.
Grover, however, contradicts the 'wrong' notions that sceptics have formed about him. In conversation with Dinesh Raheja:
Why are you doing such few films of late?
Everybody has read about the single-mindedness of Arjuna in the Mahabharata. He had his eyes set only on the eye of the fish that he was supposed to target with his arrow.
I, too, have always been goal-oriented. Earlier, I had set out to be a mega-villain. It required a certain style of acting, behaviour, and strategy. I worked hard on that and, by the grace of God, I achieved success.
Subsequently, my affair with the West began [courtesy The Second Jungle Book]. Now is the time to let go and do stuff that really fascinates me.
I am at the stage where I feel I have to unleash the versatile actor crying out in me.
When I say I am being choosy, sceptics say Gulshan ke paas kaam nahin hain [Gulshan has no work]. They should realise that there are actors who have amassed tons of money and now want to do the films that they believe in.
So, have you been refusing films?
I have been refusing films with unworthy roles for the last four years.
It must be awkward to refuse a film offered by long-time associates.
When you have been in the business so long, you realise that if you are not a star anymore, even your best friend will not offer you a film. There are no permanent enemies or friends in this business.
Why did you start cutting down on your assignments?
At one time I had 30 films on hand simultaneously. I stopped signing films because I wanted to create time in case Hollywood offered me a film.
Second, I was very tired of doing repetitive work. I was also very angry because I am one of the best actors this business has, but my versatility wasn't getting the right exposure.
I am a very good actor who has been given very little opportunity. I would rather sit at home than work in a film where I feel I am selling my soul.
You were seen recently as the 'jailer with an attitude' in Teen Deewarein. What kind of reaction has your performance evoked?
Extraordinary. Ila Arun's daughter [Ishita] stopped me at a party and said, 'You are brilliant in the film. Stop doing bad man roles.'
Why are you such a strong subscriber to disguises?
Have you ever seen a hero with a goatee before? Today, everyone is experimenting with hairstyles and looks.
What I realised 10 years ago has struck others only recently. Director Goldiesaheb [Vijay Anand] had once said that if one were to give him all the rejected shots of Mithun Chakraborty films, he could piece together an entire film because he sports the same white trousers and hairstyle in every film.
I experiment all the time, whether it is looks or roles. Consider my recent performances: the restrained jailor in Teen Deewarein; the wacky, bearded adversary in Jajantaram Mamantaram; the husband whose wife betrays him in Jism; the divorcee of Leela and a hardcore commercial role in Ek Aur Ek Gyarah.
What's the next ace up your sleeve?
Boom. An upmarket, wacky, crazy film. Jackie [Shroff], Amitabh [Bachchan] and I play gangsters. For once, I have a romantic angle too. Katrina Kaif tries to seduce me in the film.
I have a very interesting role in 1:1.6 -- Ode To Lost Love, in which I am seduced by the mother [Rati Agnihotri] of an actress [Masumi] who is besotted with me. Since director Madhu Ambat had a very tight budget and I was keen to do the film, I did it free.
I also have a very entertaining film with Abbas Mastan in which, they claim, the car is the Shah Rukh Khan of the film.
Very soon, Indians will see me in a Hollywood film called Beeper. The film stars Harvey Keitel of Reservoir Dogs. And in Pooja Bhatt's film Paap, I play a police officer-cum-ace shooter.
Since you have worked regularly with the Bhatts, would you say Pooja Bhatt has inherited her father Mahesh's genes?
I am doing the film with Pooja because her father once advised me, 'Synergise with the energy of the young and you will go far.'
Pooja has proved him right. To begin with, she chose Spiti as the location of her film. It is a two-day drive from Chandigarh, and you have to pass through Manali to reach it. It is about 30 kilometres away from the India-China border.
Her passion and sincerity are infectious. She is capable of getting brilliant performances out of people.
Paap is the first in a long list of interesting films that Pooja will direct.
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