Sushant Singh Rajput in Shekar Kapur's Paani - Page 5

SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT TALKS ABOUT HIS UPCOMING FILMS, BEING UNAPOLOGETICALLY RECKLESS AND THE IMPERMANENT NATURE OF FAME

Subhash K Jha 

There is a lot of talk in the film industry about how much you've changed with success? 

I don't think I have changed. Maybe the people around me have begun to observe me much more closely now than they did before. I am not blaming anyone but there are people who expect a newcomer to follow a certain protocol. I never followed that protocol even when I was in the television industry. I won't follow it now. I am very spontaneous in my behaviour to the point of being considered reckless. I am reckless, yes, but not thoughtless. I can focus only on one issue or one person at a time. Even my girlfriend (Ankita Lokhande) has a problem with this. Thatalt39s the way I am.

Apparently you've been curtly turning down a lot of roles? 

Very often when I know a narration is going wrong I still sit through it politely. Mujhe na nahin kehne aata hai. That gets me into trouble. Instead of saying no to scripts that I don't like, I begin to avoid the producers. Then they feel I am high handed.

Your friends say you don't take their calls? 

(Laughs) Who are these friends? I am very happy where I am. I don't see myself changing. Its the attitude of people that has changed. When I switched from television to cinema everyone would say I think of myself as another Shah Rukh Khan. Now after I've done movies, the same people say that I am another SRK. So the perception about me has changed. Now they are saying I do very different kind of characters so I don't fit in as a typical hero.

How was the experience of working with Dibakar Banerjee in Detective Byomkesh Bakshi? 

We've wrapped up the film. And I can tell you, it was one more learning experience for me. Dibakar trusted me completely. We had done workshops before we started shooting. So I knew exactly what he wanted me to do and how I should go about it. We had a lot of room for experimentation and I think I've grown as an actor. But if you ask what I think of my performance as Byomkesh I wouldn't be able to tell you.

Why not? 

For the first time I didn't check myself on the monitor after every shot. That was a conscious decision. I looked, talked and behaved very differently from the way I am in real life. If I had seen myself on the monitor I'd have become very self conscious and it would have been difficult for me to do the next shot. I didn't want a visual self- reference as that would have distracted me from performing.

How difficult was it for you to transform from a 2014 dude to a 1940's Bhadra- lok? 

It wasn't difficult. It was interesting.Dibakar gave me many tips and reference points. Besides I had a whole team looking after my clothes, make- up, hair etc. They made sure I looked the character. I also saw a lot of films from the 1940s and 1950s. How they walked, the way they talked, the way they did this and that, these were the details I had to understand on my own. I had to be convinced that I had to behave in a particular way.

Why have all your film roles so far been so unconventional? 

An actor has to remember the primary reason why he chose the profession that he did. If every role that I do doesn't challenge me then what is the point of being an actor? Every character that I've chosen has made me evolve as an actor. And I am lucky that my directors have shown so much faith in my abilities. There is always that sense of exploration and excitement. I am not bothered with whether my characters are conventional or not because I am not in this for the designer labels and the autographs. I don't even want to go there. I am not saying that those who crave for conventional stardom are wrong in their aspirations. But that's not what I want.

Would you be uncomfortable playing the designer hero? 

I won't be comfortable doing the normal. If I invest six months of my life in a role, the least I expect is to come out of the experience feeling good about myself. I won't play the conventional role even if I get big money for it. Financial considerations are not an issue for me. So far I've got the roles I wanted. If in the future that changes then we'll see.

Now you've Shekhar Kapur's Paani? 

Yes, I get another chance to assume another character. It's completely a different world from Byomkesh. I take a 100- year leap. The difference is, I have historical reference points for Byomkesh but none in Paani. This is an open world for me. Every time Shekhar and I sit down to discuss my character we are inundated with ideas. Shekhar gives me a lot of room for innovation. That's what I find in common between Dibakar sir and Shekhar sir. Their knowledge goes way beyond cinema. They seem to know so much about life. It's human nature to imbibe and ingest knowledge about life as quickly as possible. But when you reach these filmmakers' level of self-awareness, going right is also right and going left is also right. These directors take my suggestions with an open mind. They believe kuch bhi ho sakta hai.

So what after Paani? 

There is one more film. But I've signed a non-disclosure agreement. So I can't talk about it. Even if I've to wait six months to sign another film I don't mind.

What has life taught you during the last one year? 

After working with Dibakar and Shekhar I've realised how limited my knowledge of cinema and life is. I now keep my opinion to myself. Why should I air my views when I know so little? 

Your journey from television to the big screen has been a dream. Do you fear that all of it may be snatched away from you?

Of course, I am prepared for the downside. The new home that Ankita and I built and decorated together and moved into recently is the only material asset that I value. Everything is so impermanent. I wanted to buy a particular mo'bike. I finally did. But it was soon languishing in the garage. So this is what it is. For me the bank balance is not a sign of success. I had made a wishlist of five directors I wanted to work with and I've worked with four of them. That to me is success. Now I'm preparing another wish- list.

Did you have a house warming party? 

No, after doing up the home we had no money left. But the minute I entered our new home with Ankita the house was warmed.

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(Credit: Karen, majoni, Lunza)