Salman Khan is Spider-Man!

Making his directorial debut with Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa, starring Salman, Preity Zinta and Bhoomika Chawla, Atull says he never really wanted to be an actor. Direction was always his forte.

"I became an actor accidentally," Atull tells News Editor (Entertainment) Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

Why did you shift from acting to direction?

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I have also worked with Vikram Bhatt and Sanjay Gupta. Being in the film industry, my acting career started. I became popular as an actor. I faced both sides of the camera.

What made you become an actor?

I think it was poor planning and strategy. I am clueless about how this system works. It is a problem that I realise most people have when they come to this city.

You were doing okay as an actor.

I was still doing main leads. But I saw the environment changing, so I thought I should make a move. I moved to television.

Everybody cannot chase an ambition because you need to survive economically also. I needed some consistency. That allowed me to reorganise myself.

Did you like television?

Actually, my buddies were doing an Indo-Pak play and they asked me to be a part of it. The script was written by a Pakistani writer Hasina Moin. That excited me. So I thought why not?

I directed serials like Tanha, Kohra and Mitryudand. I have done around 140 episodes.

How different is directing a film from television direction?

Television is simple. There is nothing that shocks me in that medium. If you do cinema, you are well prepared for television. It was not new for me as I was an assistant director earlier.

Tell us about Dil Ne Jise...

I narrated many ideas and concepts to Salman and he could relate to this script. Dil Ne Jise... has the perfect casting. Whether I have made a good film or not will be decided by the public. But I feel Salman has given his career's best. So have Preity Zinta and Bhoomika Chawla.

Making this film was a process. When I started doing television three years ago, I used to get 10 to 15 days to myself.

Did you take Salman because he is your brother-in-law?

It would have been foolish for me not to narrate this film to Salman. I meet him every other day. It is every filmmaker's dream to work with Salman. Besides Shah Rukh Khan, only Salman can command the market.

How did you convince Preity and Bhoomika to do the film?

I had approached Preity first and she agreed to do the film in the first meeting itself.

I met Bhoomika during the making of Tere Naam. I got to know her and liked her. She also agreed immediately as the script convinced her.

The name Atull Agnihotri must have made a difference...

No, yaar. Nobody is interested in me. People can come to my party but not to my shooting, because they like me. They have to believe in my product and not in me.

The same is the case with Salman. He is an intelligent actor and therefore, he has survived for so long. He has an instinct about cinema. I had to show him some sparkle in the film's script.

Was it difficult to convince him?

It was not difficult, but it took time. When you talk to him as a professional, then he will decide on his instinct. I had to convince him. I showed him many scripts. He agreed on this. It took me a year-and-a-half to convince him.

Were you disappointed when he took so long?

To get his dates immediately is not possible because he is a very committed actor. Getting his dates takes a couple of years even for his best friends! (laughs).

Does Salman take off his shirt in your film too?

He has given a brilliant performance. He is a good looking man but that does not mean he takes off his shirt every time. I have tried to keep purity in this film.

You were in court when Salman was in jail in 2002. How close are you to him?

I have great respect for him. I have never seen a son or a brother-in-law like him. He is Spider-Man. He does good deeds and then disappears.

He has been there for me unconditionally.

Will you ever direct yourself in a film?

No, never. That will be tough. I would like to do one thing properly. Probably I am very methodical in my approach.

Any regrets about giving up acting?

No, acting has not gone out of the window. I can come back to it whenever I choose. When you have a family and children, you have to be responsible and intelligent.

What kind of roles will you look for?

I have matured physically and as a person. I will have to do something that is ideal.

What plans for the future?

Let's wait, yaar. In a couple of hours, people will decide my fate.