An Exclusive Interview With Anil Kapoor

Anil Kapoor is suddenly he’s all over the place completing, signing and contemplating films with everyone from Honey Irani to Sudhir Mishra to Sanjay Gupta to Priyadarshan.

Everyone is commenting on how young you’re looking these days?
My wife tells me to think positively and not bitch about anyone. It’s hard, but I’m trying to listen to her.

Right now what excites you the most?
I’m looking forward to the release of Armaan and Kolkata Mail in the next couple of months. My career is a journey I’ve undertaken. It started more than 20 years ago. It has taken time. I’ve always been willing to be adventurous. If you remember, I had Woh Saat Din and Mashaal, and later, Eeshwar and Ram Lakhan releasing simultaneously. They were completely different from each other. Now there’s Armaan and Kolkata Mail. No two films and roles could be more different.

I believe you have an author-backed role in Armaan.
No one has an author-backed role in Armaan. It’s the director Honey Irani’s film. Everyone has a good role. I play a doctor for the first time in my career. I’d call Armaan a human drama made with a lot of real emotions. It’s rare for a film to be made with a lot of dignity and grace. Every character has gone with the script. Armaan gave me chance to do many things for the first time. I got to co-star with Mr Bachchan (in Shakti we didn’t have any combined scenes) and with Preity.

  What about your other release Kolkata Mail?
I’m working with Sudhir Mishra for the first time. I love the way he has done the film. The narration and my character undergo constant change. The audience can never tell where the plot is heading. We’re very surprised by the kind of feedback we’re getting for the promos. It’s overwhelming. Both Armaan and Kolkata Mail are very sensible films. I’m just waiting to see how the audience reacts to them. Then I’ve Dharmesh Darshan’s Bewafaa where I play Kareena Kapoor’s husband. I must say she carries her wife’s role with a great deal of maturity.