I've set a new trend of a fat hero-: Ram Kapoor

Ram Kapoor drives up in his burgundy BMW, offering us a lift from Bandra to Dungheap Central, or Saki Naka, if we must be politically correct. Our subject, on the other hand, is anything but. "Imagine how I feel driving down here every day," jokes the Malabar Hill loyalist. "Once a townie, always a townie."

Dressed in blue jeans and a white shirt that stretches across his portly frame, the actor is chatty and comfortable in his skin. After all, all the saas-bahus of the country love him, and who wouldn't feel smug with a formidable fan-base?

The man who played Jai Walia in Kasamh Se and now plays Ram Kapoor in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain is riding a wave of popularity that he didn't enjoy when he had six-pack abs. So what makes a man who is touching 40 and genially rotund such a heartthrob with housewives? He is television's unlikely Mr Darcy, a podgy but stately, imperfect hero that women would hold dear as he fights his way through a quagmire of complex household dilemmas every night. It's easy to see the appeal though. He is disarmingly candid and good-humoured, and, as we see later, single-handedly raises the IQ on an Ekta Kapoor set.

In his plush ride, the "technogeek" chain-smokes as he chats about his love for cars and gadgets. He did make one attempt to quit smoking, he confesses, and lasted for four months. Now it's back to 40 a day. "I'm famous for my ability to memorize dialogue. I can learn a page in a minute. When I quit, my memory was shot!"

We reach the studio, which takes its inspiration from shanty town-chic. He is fussed over by his Man Friday Mehboob, who serves us coffee as Ram makes his presence felt by chatting loudly with co-actors and his other "stooges". Clearly, the star is on the set.

Ekta Kapoor's blue-eyed boy spreads his generous frame on the settee for the chat. So when did he go from fit to... "You mean from six-pack abs to a keg?" he says, laughing. Er, yes. He says, "I'm very comfortable with myself. In a writers' meeting, Ekta asked me, 'Ram, is it okay if we use your weight?' The writers were apprehensive. I said that if you do it, do it all the way. Don't be subtle about it. You can't take yourself too seriously, it's important to poke fun at yourself. Once in a while, it is great to show your inadequacies too."

He explains it works because this is the first time it has happened on TV. He says, "I've set a new trend of a fat hero, it's the shock value. People are relating to it, iss desh mein hota hai. Not every man has a six pack! A pot belly is common, hota hai!"

Ram says though Kasamh Se made him a household name, it also took a toll on him. The crazy schedules meant that he slept and ate at odd hours and gained weight. Bani is still slim, you point out... "She's not a Kapoor!" he says, laughing. "My father is way bigger than me. Raj Kapoor, Shammi, Rishi... should I go on?"

He adds it's not his problem. It's the director's job to worry about an actor's looks. If you've landed the role, they're fine with the package. "I've landed roles in Karan Johar's Student of the Year and other films. Being a certain size lands you a certain kind of role," he says.

While his wife Gautami Gadgil worries about his smoking and his health, they had decided some time ago that they will check into a spa abroad for a few weeks. But then the continuity of his films would've gone for a toss.
His roundness though hasn't affected his popularity with the women. He makes a shocking revelation, "Lots of mothers send pictures of their daughters to me saying that they are single. What am I to do? Take a second wife?"

Husband Material
Ram is now unmindful of the temptations, as he says he is past that phase. We hear that he was a bit of a playboy in his single days... "A 'bit' is an understatement," he says, laughing. "I was an a**hole. But women have a thing for bad men. They get bitten once, bitten twice, but they never learn! I married at the right time at 30, and had my daughter at 33, when I was ready."

Gautami finally tamed the Casanova in him. She wasn't his "type - a woman who partied, drank, etc." But "Miss Goody Two-shoes" and him became confidantes and he realised he can't mess with her. "But I asked myself would she make a better mother?" he says. You point out that this is hypocritical behaviour...

"I agree," he says. "But if I deny it, I would be even more hypocritical." But he chose wisely, he says, which helped him when the balance of power changed. "You won't believe it, but for the first two years of our marriage I lived off my wife. Like every selfrespecting man, I hated it."

Patriarch On The Set
We enter the purple nightmare that is his home in the serial. Ram slips into the role of the patriarch even on the set as he jokes with everyone. He introduces us to his co-star Eva Grover - "Have you seen a prettier mother on TV? But her top floor is empty..."

As we gasp, Eva pouts. "I may be weird but my top floor is not empty!"
Ram guffaws. When Eva takes a dig at him about his smoking, he simply sits on her.
When the squealing stops, he says that today he is in a position in the industry to command absolute freedom. "You can have fun when you reach the top. Talent is important but you also need to be confident, professional and ethical to succeed. No one wants to work with a difficult star. I want to be the nice guy."