Bollywood blue blood Kareena Kapoor completes a decade in showbiz this year and she can't think of a better way to cap it off than to play the oft-vilified "other woman" role. Think Julia Roberts in the Hollywood tear-jerker Stepmom to get an idea about her latest role in the Karan Johar-produced We Are Family.
"I don't think there is any actress who could ask for more. This is a complete woman-centric film. In fact, when you see the original Stepmom, it's difficult to choose between Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts. You don't know who to side with at the end of the film. I am hoping that Indian audience will face a similar situation after watching me on screen," says Kapoor over the phone from Mumbai.
Gentle attitude
While the award-winning Kapoor, 30, plays the misunderstood minority in the Bollywood adaptation, Kajol takes on the terminally-ill mother role originally portrayed by Sarandon. But Kapoor, who made her debut with Refugee in 2000, adds that director Sidharth Malhotra's "indianised Stepmom" takes a gentler attitude towards the other woman.
"I may play the other woman in the film, but when you see the film you will realise that Shreya is the most loveable character and not this home-wrecker. She is a young 24-year-old girl who, due to unforeseen circumstances, has to live under one roof with her boyfriend's ex-wife. The idea is not to shock."
Though Malhotra may have snipped the more sacrilegious bits from Stepmom to suit the Indian palate, Kapoor says the film's strength lies in the friendship between the two women, who start off on a sour note. "Kajol and I have great roles in this film. And we knew that if we didn't nail the chemistry element, then we have not [gotten] our roles right."
If the previous Kajol-Kapoor outing, in the 2001 blockbuster Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G), is anything to go by, Kapoor has little to worry about. "We [Kajol and I] are both very similar when it comes to acting — we are both spontaneous actors and we don't belong to the method school of acting. We were on the same page most of the time. I love and adore her. And I suspect the feeling is mutual."
The only piece missing to complete the flop-proof trinity is Bollywood titan Shah Rukh Khan. In K3G, Khan played the male lead and added dollops of zing with his charming role. But cut to We Are Family and we find Bollywood hunk Arjun Rampal plays Ed Harris' Stepmom role. Johar, who happens to be SRK's best friend, has a pragmatic explanation. "Oh come on, we needed somebody extremely good-looking for two women to fight over!
Family man
"But jokes apart, Shah Rukh has played the good man and the good spouse before, but Arjun has never played a quintessential family man. Look at Rock On!! and Raajneeti or Om Shanti Om — he has not really played such a full-on family role."
And what made Rampal take on the role? "The male protagonist here has a lot more spine than Ed Harris [did] in the original," says Johar.
Rampal is even more aggressive on that count. "If Aman [his character] was anything like Ed Harris in the original, then I would not have done the film. They changed quite a lot for the male protagonist by giving him more depth and intensity."
He is equally confident that We Are Family will go a long way in shattering stereotypes created by Indian films.
"We Are Family deals with real issues. It shows you that stepmothers are not these wicked witches or home-wreckers. It also shows you that even if you are not the biological mother, you can have a perfectly normal relationship with your stepchildren," Rampal adds.
The self-made actor, who made it big in Bollywood without the backing of a powerful film dynasty such as the Kapoors or Khans, claims We Are Family is one of the few progressive films in Bollywood. "I come from a broken home and I believe that it's better to get out of a bad marriage than be in an unhappy one. I [would] rather get out of such a sour marriage and be friends with my ex-wife. So there is no adultery shown here," says Rampal.
Kapoor concurs. "I am a very open-minded person and I personally think that two women can be friends. This film is not digressive, and is a realistic take on modern relationships. These are the kind of movies that I want to be associated with," she says.
She adds that she will not be relegated to glamorous roles. "I am here to act, because acting is my life. Right from my first film, Refugee, I maintained that I don't want to be just a glamour doll. I will only take on performance-oriented roles. That has and will always be my stand."
Quick Fire
Have you seen the original Stepmom?
Kareena Kapoor: It's one of my all-time favourites and I grew up watching it. I loved the beautiful friendship between Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts [right]. And tissues were always nearby.
Arjun Rampal: I saw the movie with my mum. But I remember when she told me the title, my response was, "Mum, I have no interest in a film which goes by that name." But I ended up watching and I ended up crying too.
What do you think about your co-stars?
Kapoor: I love and adore Kajol and Arjun, over the last five years, has turned out to be one of the finest actors in Bollywood. You should have seen the way he played his role as Aman — such dignity. Believe me, even if We Are Family is a women-centric film, Arjun manages to hold his own.
Rampal: It was flattering to have two women fight over you and I enjoyed every moment of it. But between us, I think such a situation only happens on-screen and it felt good.
Five minutes with producer Karan Johar
Is it true that you advanced the release of We Are Family by a week because the Salman Khan-starrer Dabangg is releasing during Eid?
Yes. I believe that every film should have a clean weekend. We decided to move the date from the ninth to September 2 because we believe that Dabangg is a huge blockbuster-in-waiting.
Your friendship with Kajol and Kareena Kapoor is legendary. Did your friendship help in bringing together two powerhouse performers?
Kajol and Kareena are strong, opinionated actors. My friendship was an add-on, but it was the script that made them attach themselves to this project. We are like family, but they make their independent career choices.
You are an ace director yourself. Did you fight the temptation to ghost-direct?
Sidharth Malhotra had a clear idea about We Are Family and I am a producer who does not step [onto] the shooting sets before the final edit. So, to answer your question: I am only involved in the final process of editing and marketing a film.
Don't miss it
We Are Family is released in cinemas across the UAE on Thursday
