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Photo: S. Mahinsha

Confident debut Anil Kapoor’s success as the producer of ‘Gandhi My Father’ seems to have whetted his appetite for more such films

“The Asia Pacific Screen Award for the best screenplay, the only Indian film in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival, in which Shefali Shah (who plays Kasturba) won the Best Actress Award. At the Lyon Asian Film Festival, it picked up three – the Critics, Audience and Junior Jury Choice awards …It has been included in the archives of Harvard University…,” Anil rattles off and in the same breath adds that it is a great privilege to participate in the International Film Festival of Kerala. “It is a serious festival where the accent is on cinema. It is so well organised,” feels Anil.

Getting back to the film that brought him for the festival Anil says: “Actually, Firoz (director and scenarist Feroz Abbas Khan) and I had been discussing a play for some time. But when I came across this script, I knew that I had to do it. It sensitively unravels the troubled relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his son Harilal. In fact, after the success of ‘Gandhi My Father,’ we are working on another project soon,” says the actor.

The critical acclaim for his film seems to have whetted his appetite to produce more films as he unambiguously says that he might consider making a film with his daughter Sonam Kapoor in the lead. “I am very proud of her. I think children should be allowed to do what they enjoy. I did tell her that acting involves lot of hard work and heart break,” says the proud papa. And he adds, like all proud fathers, ‘“Sawariaya’ was one of the finest films made this year and I think it was the best film for her make her debut.”

Talking about his close encounter with Malayalam films, Anil is all praise for the pool of skilled cinematographers and technicians that have enriched the film industry in India. “Priyadarshan is one of the finest directors in the country. ‘Virasat,’ in which I played the lead, is one of his biggest hits in Hindi. And yes, even the guest role in ‘Chandralekha’ was fun,” says Anil with his characteristic wide smile.

In the age of remakes and sequels, would there be a sequel to his blockbuster ‘Tejaab’ as the ‘123’ diva Madhuri Dixit has made a comeback to films.

“Why not? We are looking into a few scripts and there could be a film that I co-star with Madhuri. It is wonderful that she has started acting again,” says Anil whose blockbusters include ‘Ram Lakhan,’ ‘Parinda’ and ‘Kishan Kanaiah’ with Madhuri Dixit.

And who does he see as Mr. India 2? “Only me,” pat comes the reply. “Ranbir could also be very good in that role,” adds Anil.

“It is a personal Gandhiji that we see in ‘Gandhi My Father.’ It focusses on the father-son relationship and Kasturba who is caught between her husband and her son. It has a relevance for all times. The film shows how the man who moved a nation was unable to reach out to his son,” says Feroz Abbas Khan, director and scenarist of the film. He pointed out that Saraswathy K. Gandhi, Harilal’s granddaughter-in-law lives in the city.

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