I am very much like watch movies and cry like a baby
And even if I was not an actor and if I was into some other industry and I would have done
being doing some job I would have been equally missing the theatre
A complete you know commercial film or something very you know a little more content-
rich film in all the films I would like to make my characters believable before I play
because I believe when the character is
believable you will relate more and the impact is much higher
As a person I think Ritu has been exactly the same, simple sweet, Ritu a lot of positive energy in the sense
He doesn't say much and when and when Gautam told me how happy he was with the output
of the Hindi version I already can imagine how brilliantly would have come out
Hi Nani sir welcome to Pinkvilla.
Hi Avinash thank you.
Sir we are here to talk about your film Tuck Jagdish but I’m sure as an actor every Friday is
very special for you because that’s when the film releases but this one is slightly different
because it’s not releasing at box office but on an OTT platform how different is this experience?
Actually even this is releasing on a Friday and this Friday is also equally special now
definitely we are missing out watching this on a big screen particularly because it's a very,
very mainstream and a commercial I know film which has all the highs of a theatre film
but considering the situation outside and considering that this is a family film where you
really want the kids and parents and everyone together in all age groups to come together and
watch the film we still are not there yet as a safety wise or as a situations outside so
when we did a film for the entire family and then to miss out on all of them didn’t feel fair for
the film or for the audience so we thought why not when we have great opportunity like
Amazon Prime Video which is a huge platform and we can really reach out to a lot of people
and just not here even in other countries where there are lockdowns going on and all where
you can more than like 240 countries you can actually you can reach out to and
that's massive so definitely we are missing out on the whole Hungama and magic of the theatre a
bit considering the situations around I think this is the best way to go forward and I’m equally
initially I thought I generally feel very, very excited and all butterflies before the release and
it was before the you know from 10 days before the release but I thought when it is OTT
maybe it won’t be so much I thought that that whole excitement but trust me no difference at
all I’m like I’m in the same state again, zoned out, nervous but all butterflies so
You mentioned that 10 days before you get a little jittery and in an interview interestingly
Amir Khan had said the same thing that when the film releases, he gets very jittery and he
gets finicky but he has his own way to deal with this nervousness how do you deal with this anxiety sir?
I deal it I cannot really say that I deal with it well because it’s been and it's I in initially when I
started off after a couple of films I thought I’ll get used to this and then slowly maybe I’ll and
26th film Tuck Jagdish is and trust me it only gets worst with every film and I actually don't
deal with it well because I will even at my home even my parents and everybody know that
these 10 days you should leave him alone because they know this guy will not he won't even
be concentrating on what we are talking he'll be zoned out, he won't respond so might as well
not talk to him yeah so it has become a thing and cousins and family also that he will be
walking like a zombie for this 10 days and he'll be completely zoned out so might as well let
him be so before all the friends or cousins who keep calling me generally to check on me or
to you know check what am I doing or should we catchup and all that those people don't call
me in this 10 days I might be like all tripping on something so that's how it is yeah.
But like you mentioned we have been in the situation of pandemic since the last year and a
half and the theatres are shut being an integral part of cinema and being a cinema lover
yourself you miss going to the theatres and experience?
Big time. 100 and even if I was not an actor and if I was into some other industry and I would
have done being doing some job I would have been equally missing the theatre I believe is
something which is with big screen entertainment and it will never ever go out of fashion or
go out of anything because that’s how we have grown up and that larger than life
characters larger than life stories and just to sit together with you know 500 people and just
share our emotions, share our expressio,n share our reactions with everyone with a different
ballgame altogether but now the whole world is going through something we are all facing
something so we always we should adapt to our alternative you know options and luckily we
have a great alternate option.
Also speaking about the characters that you play you know your characters have these heroic
traits but at the same time it seems like it comes from a humble background as a common
man we can also connect to the character very easily so when you choose your characters are
these criteria for you as well that you want to connect with
the audience but still there should be a mass appeal to for to entertain
If you really look at my films all different all films it was very, very, very different in their
own way but I like stories which are real not even in the film with the larger-than-life setup I
like to be real in it like even if there's an action episode yeah, I try to make it a little more
subtle so that the action is believable and when the action
is believable the impact of it is higher
Yeah
See if you see you know Yevade Subramanyam, I am a very cut short businessman, if you see Jersey I’m a cricketer who lost everything
few of my mainstream or like if you Nenu Local or MCA kind of films which has a lot of
action and very you know commercial feel to it and now with Tuck Jagdish and all is a
completely different thing all together it's a family film and then there is one user who’s a
love failure so there are this all these characters are very different from each other but
because it's me I think somewhere all of them even in a complete you know commercial film
or something very you know a little more content-rich film in all the films I would like to
make my characters believable before that play because I believe when the
character is believable you will relate more and the impact is much higher
I agree. Sir correct me if I’m wrong but I think you’re working Ritu as well after five years
Yeah, five years yeah
And I think in the first one that you all did together she didn’t have a very large role
It was more of more of an extended cameo that's right
But in Tuck Jagdish these you all have like opposite each
other throughout the film how has she been different from that first film and this one?
She's been exactly the same person obviously as an actor she's much more in control of
everything now that was in her beginning just when she started that was and you know she
has a lot of understanding and how she handles it is with much more control over things
basically but as a person I think Ritu has been exactly the same
simple sweet Ritu a lot of positive energy in the sets
So besides being an actor you're also a producer when while selecting a script do you look at
them differently when you select the script as a producer
and as an actor or your approach for both of them is similar or same rather?
No actually quite similar both the things even when I listen to a script as an actor initially
when I listen to script it’s the same but my decision making will differ from you know both
ways like for example both things I listen to as an audience and I’ll see the film in my
head and I’ll try to enjoy that in my head and try it I’ll see if I’m enjoying the film in my head
however I’m seeing it when it comes to me as an actor I have a set plan of where I want to go,
which direction I want to I don't know if that's right or wrong but I will have a particular way
of journey I want to make in my acting career so even sometimes when it's when I really like
some script I know for sure it will really work I won't do the film sometimes
because it wouldn’t have fallen into what I’m really looking for in the direction which I
want to go as an actor wouldn’t have fallen into so those are the times I skip it so that's how I
as actor I make decision but with producer I haven't I as producer I’ve decided the reason I
put up Wall Poster Cinema on my banner and I’m making films is to introduce talent and
introduce all the concept and content rich you know scripts and technicians and directors
and actors I wanted to make it a platform for the young talent so that so when even when I
listen to the scripts that is the way I listen to some very mainstream like very commercial
from somebody narrating to me as a producer won't work at all because that's not why yeah
I’m not really looking for trying to make money or anything it has to be really content rich
and also it has to have a possibility of introducing a lot of talent through that so that is what
I’m looking at as a producer so definitely I listen to the script in a very different way as
producer as an actor I think I listen to both the script as an audience.
Sure, in Tuck Jagdish your character seems like this of a
sensitive guy are you anything like him in real life? Are you emotional as a person?
I am very much like watch movies and cry like a baby yeah yes, yes
Totally
Watch alone and even my cousins and I’ll keep joking
about it I’m like very, very emotional that way
You finished 13 years in the business now how has this journey been so far?
It's been great 13 years as an actor before that four years as an AD and before that one two
years trying to be an AD so it's been a long journey and it's been amazing like I have there’s
no single day I’ve regretted coming into cinema or you know doing what I do and it's always
it's always been a huge learning experience and enriching and
I’m yeah, no complaints at all it's been a great journey.
You also have Shyam Singha Roy in the pipeline of which I think the firt look released a while ago
and it has you know set huge expectations from the audience
what should people expect from this film and from you?
I think it will be a benchmark film, it will be something very special for Telegu audience
it will have all the grandeur drama of you know the of a big screen entertainment we can call
it and at the same time very, very unique in its own way I can really see all the languages
all the different languages remaking a film like Shyam Singha Roy and it something will be relatable to
everyone and also its a such a high to watch that film because
it has all those elements and still has a very, very unique point to it.
And you just mentioned remake and one of your films is being remade in Hindi which is Jersey with Shahid Kapoor. Are you
have you seen parts of it? What do you think about Shahid playing your part?
Gautham just showed me a few pictures director of the originals director and
looks very, very promising and Gautam is somebody who’s a man of very few words he
doesn’t really even if when he likes something I know it but not everyone
can say it I can see it in his face and he likes something he doesn't say much and when
and when Gautam told me how happy he was with the output of the Hindi version I already
can imagine how brilliantly would have come out and I am
looking forward to watch it along with everyone else here
Sure, you think Shahid would be able to play the part as well as you have?
I think he will do it better he is a brilliant performer and then he
can really get into the skin of the character so I’m super confident that he'll do a brilliant
Thank you so much sir we can't wait to see Tuck Jagdish and everything that's happening
Thank you.