Soha Ali Khan and Jimmy Shergill speak out

Bollywood can be a strange place. Even if you have the looks, the talent and the pedigree, success is not guaranteed. Actors Jimmy Shergill and Soha Ali Khan, who will be seen in thriller Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, releasing today, are a testament to that. Critics love them, but true stardom has eluded both, despite a decade-plus career in cinema.

Real-life princess Khan has Rang De Basanti to her credit, while Shergill impressed with his controlled performance as a cop in terrorist drama A Wednesday. tabloid! caught up with two of Bollywood’s most underrated actors to get to the bottom of the mystery. Excerpts from our chat with …

Jimmy Shergill:

Q: Why should we watch Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns?

A: My character Aditya Pratap Singh takes off from where the first film ended. The first one ended with the saheb [lord of the manor] getting shot and the wife [played by Mahie Gill] taking control of things. But the novelty of Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns is that even if you haven’t seen the first one, you can enjoy its sequel. It’s a plot-driven thriller which has Irrfan Khan playing the gangster [remember the gangster from the original, Randeep Hooda, was shot dead]. It’s an entirely new episode. There are more equations and dynamics involved. The first one was made on a small budget and made on a limited an amount of time. It’s bigger this time in terms of drama, emotions and action. However, the settings and the eerie atmosphere where a royal family head is trying to retain his riches and legacy in a dilapidated mansion are kept intact. If there was a twist every forty-five minutes in the original, there will be a shocking twist every 10 minutes in the sequel. I guarantee that.

Q: Tell us more about your role.

A: I am bound to a wheel-chair. It’s about how I learn how to take control of things. In the sequel, the relationship between the saheb and the biwi [wife] is complicated and we show the politics involved in relationships.

Will it be incorrect if I say you are one of the most under-used actors in Bollywood today? Though your performances in Special Chabbis and A Wednesday were appreciated, you somehow failed to attract the so-called big budget films.

When people assume that about me, I take it as a compliment. At least, they don’t give out statements like: ‘He’s not talented clearly, so why is he in this film?’. I have often heard words like ‘under-rated’ and comments such as ‘you haven’t got your due in Bollywood’ makes me happy in an odd sort of way.

Q: Did you have a strategy in place to make it big in Bollywood?

A: There’s not been any strategy. The biggest misconception about is that people believe that I am choosy about my projects. It’s not true because I have done quite a bit in the last 12 years. In 1997 my first film released, since then I have acted in films that appealed to me and directors that I identify with. They are often my close friends and I am happy to occupy this space right now.

Q: You are sharing screen space with Irrfan Khan again, another under-rated actor in Bollywood. What have you learnt from him?

A: I disagree with that. Irrfan is doing movies that he wants to do. He has done his bit of commercial films and then moved on to Hollywood films. After Paan Singh Toman, it’s natural that he wants to do a movie such as Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. We acted together in Charas: A Joint Operation before and it’s great to act together again. But it’s not about learning from him. Not all relationships are based on learning something from each other. Sometimes all that matters is that you have a good script, good director and the responsibility lies on you to give your best shot.

Q: Your latest hit Special Chabbis went down well with movie buffs. But some felt that the love story between Akshay Kumar and Kajjal Agarwal was a misfit in a heist thriller. Is Bollywood undergoing a change?

A: If you speak about Special Chabbis specifically, the director knew that the love portion will be an issue. He knew that a song would break the rhythm of that fast-paced thriller, but he wanted insert a breather and it was a conscious decision on his part. If you look at Bollywood today, you have movies such as Paan Singh Tomar, Vicky Donor, Barfi, Kahaani doing well at the box-office. Some have done over Rs1 billion and that’s never bad. In September, you will have another film called Bullet Raja with Saif Ali Khan that pushes traditional boundaries.

Q: Was it emotionally draining to play the role of a dark, troubled saheb?

A: It was tougher this time around. You have to remember that all his enemies plot behind his back. Also, speaking all those sharp dialogues can take it out of you.

SOHA ALI KHAN:

Q: You have a Masters degree in international relations from the London School Of Economics. Have you ever felt that you are too smart to be in Bollywood?

A: It’s not a question about being smart. I may have interests in literature, politics and subjects that go beyond the actors I encounter. But there’s a lot to learn from actors I work with. They are so well-travelled and come from various backgrounds. I look at everything as an education. The narrow context of ‘education’ doesn’t work in this context. Despite having a degree, when I made my debut when I was 25, I felt like a newborn child. I had to unlearn and re-learn many things. Cinema requires a different set of skills is required. Here it’s a lot about losing your inhibitions and wearing strange costumes. Right now, I am speaking to you wearing a cabaret outfit and just finished making some loud dance moves in front of a room full of people for the shot. After having studied in Oxford, it’s not a space I am completely comfortable with but that’s a skill that is required. Cinema is all about doing things with conviction.

Q: You are not in it for the money. What lured you to cinema?

A: I am not in it just for the money but there’s good money to be made here. What I love is the financial independence that the money can give and that in turn helps me make my own choices. With that money in hand, I can make my own choices. As a profession, it’s very empowering. I have worked in a bank before but if you make it in this industry, there’s a lot that you can get. There’s lifestyle, money, glamour. But ultimately, it’s all about not being able to sleep because you are excited about going to work the next day. Like Confucius said: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I enjoy acting and being in front of the camera. But dancing, I find it painful even now. I have sleepless nights the day before such a shot.

Q: Tell us more about your role in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster?

A: I play this complex character called Ranjana. She doesn’t reveal her emotions much and has this unflappable exterior. But there’s an innocence about her that belies her exterior. I can’t speak about it a lot since it’s a thriller. The best part was working with director Tigmanshu Dhulia. After Paan Singh Tomar, he’s doing so well for himself.

Q: We don’t see enough of you in Bollywood. Are you happy with the way your career has shaped up since your debut in 2004?

A: My journey is far from over. There’s a long way to go. I am certainly not ready to give up yet. I have a voracious appetite for cinema. I want to work with so many more directors. I have never really felt that the end is near. I look at my mother [Sharmila Tagore] as an icon and she is even working today. I am not paranoid about not getting opportunities. I am here for the long haul. I had rather do good work over a long period of time, then do a lot of things and just stop working.

Q: Rang De Basanti is billed as your career-best. Are you disappointed that you were not able to build on that popularity with better films?

A: Rang De Basanti was a movie that was commercially successful and had an impact on the audience. Not many movies such as Rang De Basanti are made anymore. So I am just happy that I had an opportunity to work in it. Personally, I thought my performance in other films surpassed the one in RDB. I preferred my performances in Khoya Khoya Chand and Tum Mile. Those were mature performances But with a dream team like Aamir Khan and A R Rahman, it’s difficult to compete with that.

Q: You have an impressive lineage (her father is the legendary cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, her mother is the legendary actress Sharmila Tagore and her brother is Saif Ali Khan)? Is that overwhelming?

A: I come from a family of superstars be it in sports or cinema. I am used to people coming up to me and saying that they are a huge fan of my mother, father or that my brother is cute. But when you are born into a family of so much privilege and position, you get respect just because of some accident of birth. My life is much better because of that.