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Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

Chill pill For Kunal Kapoor signing on a film is not rocket science

Kunal, who plays Vivan, in Pradeep Sarkar’s regressive retro much-maligned “Laaga Chunari Mein Daag” says: “From the time I saw ‘Parineeta’ (Sarkar’s first film) I was totally taken in. I liked the way he could take complex characters and situations and present it in a simple manner. The film was aesthetically fine.”

Kunal continues: “Dada — we all call Pradeep Dada. He is just an overgrown child but he is the Dada on the sets. So when Dada told me my character works in an ad agency and is lazy and laid back, I asked him what preparation do I need to do and he said ‘just be yourself’. I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or… hey just kidding.”

Thirty-year-old Kunal started off in showbiz assisting Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra on “Aks”. “I think the acting bug was always there. I was testing waters. Throughout the shooting I was more in front of the camera than behind it! For lighting, if a junior artiste was not there, I would step in. That’s how it was. I would stand in for everything and finally Rakeysh said as I am so much in front of the camera, I might as well act. Anyway halfway through ‘Aks’ I decided to be an actor.” Kunal says he is not thinking of going behind the camera in the near future. “I am very happy being an actor. It is less stressful.” While Kunal will not be making movies anytime soon, he enjoys writing and is working on a script with a friend. “It is early days yet. Let’s see how it pans out. It could be a thriller, a romance, anything.”

Kunal made his acting debut with M. F. Husain’s moving art work “Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities” (2004). This was followed by last year’s blockbuster “Rang De Basanti” directed by Mehra. Working with diverse people like renowned artiste Husain and hardcore admen like Mehra and Sarkar has not been mind-altering for Kunal.

“It all boils down to individuals. Film is a director’s medium and the challenge for an actor is to adapt oneself to the situation.” “RDB” proved to be a super lucky charm for Kunal as he comments: “I signed two Yash Raj films no?”

Ask him what he looks for in a role and he says: “Lots of money. No, seriously, I just go by instinct. Sometimes you feel something will work and something else will not. It is not rocket science you know.”

So how does he explain his presence in Milan Luthria’s “Hattrick”? “Well the movie did not do too well but for me as an actor it was a humongous learning. Also till this film, I had this serious image, you know this gravitas, which changed post ‘Hattrick’.”

In today’s day and age, one of the signs of having arrived is the amount of endorsements one does. Kunal who is brand ambassador for Indian Terrain and Thums Up does not feel it is a case of over exposure. “Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are the biggest stars in Hindi cinema today and they also have the maximum endorsements. There has been no diminishing of star power. I approach ads much as the way I approach film. I would not do anything I do not believe in. Like I will never advertise cigarettes as I do not smoke.”

The lanky youngster has done his share of theatre as well working in plays for Naseeruddin Shah’s Motley theatre group.

“I enjoy doing theatre but films have a different high, a different nasha.”

For all the fair ladies who dream of tripping the light fantastic with him, Kunal laughs and says: “There is no special someone and I am not looking particularly hard either. But I have multiple personalities so I am never single!”

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