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Reel life, real life

Mukesh Tyagi relives his professional life in Madhur Bhandarkar's "Corporate", finds RANA SIDDIQUI

REALLY SO Mukesh Tyagi is playing himself, a corporate honcho in Madhur Bhandarkar's film, "Corporate", ready to hit the screen early July

We have seen him in a rather forgettable role of a political leader, partying more than doing party work, in Madhur Bhandarkar's Page 3. This time, he will reappear in Bhandarkar's forthcoming film, Corporate, with a meatier role though.

Mukesh Wardhan Tyagi not just plays a bigger role in Corporate which is all set to hit the screens early July, but he plays himself in the film! Working in the business development wing of Essar group, the Mumbaiite plays a corporate honcho in the film and gets the opportunity to keep his real name too. And, being a friend of Bhandarkar, Mukesh was even beneficial for the director from many quarters . He relates, "For me, it was more of translating a real life into reel than vice versa. In fact, I gave my inputs where it mirrored the corporate life at professional levels. Madhur also respected my opinion. For instance, I advised him on how the presentation is made in the corporate circle, the language, especially the terminologies they use, how protocol is maintained before a senior person during conference deliberations, adherence to timings, body language and so on. In fact, I became a full-time consultant for him," he laughs.

Oh so formal!

For now, Mukesh, who claimed to be in active consideration for "MPship from western UP" because of his close political affinity, may be comfortable with the life on screen but affinity with the Bollywood lifestyle is taking an emotional toll on him, he shares.

"I have been living a luxurious lifestyle but it was bereft of any affectations. The Bollywood lifestyle is absolutely different. I am advised by many to `acquire that style' for I am now a part of the film industry. For that I have to have that `collars up' kind of attitude. I must have that chest-forward kind of walk, pretend that I am camera shy and not camera-friendly, must smile and not laugh, look at the mirror 10 times a day to see every hair is in place all the time and yet look casual, and so on. Adopting this kind of an attitude is little too difficult for me. It is so fake and yet so necessary... " sighs Tyagi who says he "offered" his seat to actor Vinod Khanna. "My mother Niranajna Tyagi, who was a Congress worker, saw an unpleasant life in politics from close quarters. She insisted me not to join politics. So I offered my seat to Vinod Khanna who was jobless then," he claims.

This "incidental character" in Page 3 "becomes a turncoat" in Corporate as a rival businessman of Raj Babbar, Kay Kay and a few others. "I am a normal corporate fellow in the film initially who lands up in the murky side of it. So, my character shows the darker side of corporate life in the film."

The darker side also involved him to flirt with his secretary, a scene he found "little embarrassing to enact".

A ghazal too

Next, you will hear Mukesh singing a ghazal, `Kyon Hota Hai... ' penned by Nida Fazli in the film Dil Se Pooch Kidhar Jana Hai, the music of which is scored by Aadesh Shrivastva.

The film was recently shown in the Miami Film Festival. Mukesh plays a "good politician" in the film apart. And by the way, he will also be seen in Bhandarkar's next film, Signal. "I am doing the role of an industrialist in it," he says.

Well, some variety!

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