Really, really fortunate to have such good music and such a fantastic co-star to work with.
Was not easy to dance with her 27 years back or recently we danced four days back, is
always difficult. It was not easy to match her steps but we try but
still haven’t figured out that eye movement
He says this and then everyone makes me do it
For me, fame is like a by-product of what I like to do. I'm passionate about acting, I’m
passionate about dance and I’m so lucky that is my profession and that's what I do. And I do
it to the best of my abilities and whatever happens is like just noise for me like what comes
out of it like the fame and this and that it's okay
They started talking about Raja and the times when they worked together, I think that was my
best time. I was like a kid listening all this, you know behind the scenes they were discussing
all of that and I was like, damn I am a part of this
Coming back to my daughter, I think so Karan you know treats these new people like his kids
you know. For him that is the most important thing that whenever she goes for a shoot, I feel
very, very like as a father very you know calm that there is somebody who is there
Who is always on their phone?
Who cannot pass the mirror without looking into it?
Anil.
Hi everyone, this is Avinash Lohana and you're watching Pinkvilla. American actress
Lauren Bacall once said stardom isn't a profession, it's
an accident. Let's talk more about this with the stellar cast
of The Fame Game, Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Kapoor and Manav Kaul.
Hi guys. Hello. Hi. Hi.
So firstly, welcome to Pinkvilla and you know even before we begin talking about the show, I
want to get this out of my way because I’m a 90s kid ever since I’ve seen you know the two
of you sitting together all that plays in my mind right now is
You know it brings back so many memories, so firstly let’s
talk about that, how has this reunion been?
Well absolutely fantastic, absolutely fantastic. It's always a pleasure to work with her, to
share screen space with her and like you've said we've been so fortunate to have such
memorable songs I think so our actors live the shelf life really, really you know people
remember you through your music and we've been really fortunate like you said about the
Akhiyaan Milaye song and everything so really, really fortunate to have such good music and
such a fantastic co-star to work with. Was not easy to dance with her 27 years back or
recently we danced four days back, is always difficult. It was not easy to match her steps but we
try but still haven’t figured out that eye movement
He says this and then everyone makes me do it
He says I don’t do this and looks at me and make me do it
We will make Manav do that now
Madhuri ma’am for you? How has this union been?
It's been wonderful. I mean he's the same guy you know that I worked with. I remember he
was very new at that time and I was already a star and he was comparative you know three
films he had done and this was his fourth film, Raja. And the first day I shot with him I said
oh my God, he looks so much like Anil. And once we started working he had his own
personality and you know own charm and we got along so well even during the shoot and I
think we had a great time and it was wonderful to be back on the sets with him and you
know catch up with everything that's going on and we used to keep meeting on and off since I
moved here and we had the same workout place so Ram, him, me used to work out together
and so it was great to be on the set and be in that atmosphere
and you know work again, it was wonderful.
Right. And to see the two of you together now with Manav, it already looks like I said in the
introduction a stellar cast. The Fame Game looks interesting from the trailer that we've seen.
What does fame mean to the three of you and are you all
ever worried of the fact that what if it goes away? You’ll are actors
For me, fame is like a by-product of what I like to do. I'm passionate about acting, I’m
passionate about dance and I’m so lucky that is my profession and that's what I do. And I do
it to the best of my abilities and whatever happens is like just noise for me like what comes
out of it like the fame and this and that it's okay but I love what I do and every morning I
wake up with the same enthusiasm because you know
I’m going to spend the day doing what I love
And you left all of that also at one point, went to the US and then you came back so I’m sure
it must not really be, like you said it must really be a by-product for you
Yes, absolutely
And for me, just to be in front of the camera, to act that's what I love. For me, that is
fantastic. Any kind of camera, recently I shot with the iPhone also, I did a whole show in a
with an iPhone and with that if I become famous, great but if I have a choice to be in front of
the camera or only be famous, I’d rather be in front of the camera.
Manav?
For me, I guess life is more important than anything else.
How you live is very important. Everything else is just for gazing for ghazi basically
And you live really beautifully, I told you even before the interview I see your Instagram
post and you travel a lot and those pictures look very
mesmerizing, makes all of us feel left out I’m sure
Has the fame ever been a point of concern for you all? It became like a pain
No pain, no fame.
Yeah, with fame comes responsibility you know, always and you have to work harder and
harder and harder you know every time. Every time you come on screen you have to do better
than your last film, you have to improve that's what I feel because you have
fame and you know people love you and they look up to you, they say you inspire them and
you have to keep doing that, you have to keep inspiring
them again and again and that's what I think is difficult about fame
But an actress of your stature, do you still find that difficult?
Yes, absolutely. Every time I’m in front of the camera I feel that I have to do something
that's inspiring, I have to do something that's my best and I have to go forward from there,
never backwards you know and so yeah, I think it comes with a lot of responsibility
And plus, I feel obviously it's very tough to reach a top position but I always feel that is a
little more easier than to maintain the top position so when you reach there your
responsibilities increases you know people have got more expectations out of you. So, you
need to work probably three times more harder to maintain that
I agree. Manav, your character in the show is in love with Madhuri ji's character. I don't
think it will be very difficult to play the part?
Absolutely. It was very easy, very easy, that aspect of the part of course.
But how is it? How is it working with her and Sanjay sir as well?
We had one scene but hopefully we will work more in the second season
But when they see us talking, they think they have worked a lot together but you know we
just off screen we spend a good amount of time and I always believe we, I’m going out of his
question that it's never the amount of time you know somebody, I know him since last 20
years. Either you click with somebody or you don't click with somebody. That’s what life is
all about you know and we got along very well though the first meeting with Manav was
very, very strange for me because he was doing a scene where he wanted to be like very
irritated with everybody, he didn't want to talk to anybody and that was my first day and I
was waiting very fondly that I will meet Manav. He was sitting in a corner. I was like, such
an arrogant person. We are all sitting and he isn’t and I was talking and everything. The next
day, he comes up and says, I couldn’t even laugh. So that’s how we met so yeah
But I love his humour. I also wanted to say this we were in the waiting area, all three of us
and it was like we were having tea and waiting for our shot. They started talking about Raja
and the times when they worked together, I think that was my best time. I was like a kid
listening all this, you know behind the scenes they were discussing all of that and I was like,
damn I am a part of this and working with them was so easy and also the script was so good
and the directors too and we were all working very hard to towards the script, towards the
series so I didn’t realise that I am part of this and part of this amazing cast and working with
Madhuri ji. Every time I go and I used to be like, damn how is this so easy? There should be
something that I feel that I am working with Madhuri Dixit but nothing happening.
For me too, the first day of shoot with Manav, I too had an image of him because we've
always read about him, very thinker and he gets into the skin of the character and he lives the
character, this and that so I was thinking, my God. He's a very serious kind of a person and I
don't like to disturb people when they are in that zone or whose type of actors, I keep to
myself. We do the scene and suddenly, he's a giggler that's what I found out. He can’t keep it
in for a second and then we have laughed
It was like everyone was waiting and we couldn’t stop laughing.
Just before the shot we are laughing
So that’s what I discovered about him that he is not so that serious, he's a very good actor, he
approaches his roles like in a very systematic and disciplined
way but he's a great person and very good to get along with
Yeah, his director once said he's the new age Sanjeev Kumar
and I can't agree more. He really is.
Madhuri ma’am, I have to ask you this. You've been reuniting with your 90s co-stars, it
happened with Sanjay sir, it happened with Anil sir as well. Is there any actor that you now
really want to work with from that time? You've worked with
all of them, like Salman, Shah Rukh, Akshay, Aamir
I think it's not wanting to work with someone, is wanting to do good films, wanting to do
good cinema, wanting to do good series or you know good work that's what I want to do now.
Sure. Sanjay sir, there's something very interesting that I noticed. The producer of this show
is Karan Johar. And you have worked with him in this show for the first time. Maheep has
done Fabulous Life of Bollywood Wives with him and
Shanaya is also making her debut with Karan’s film. How excited are you as a father?
Well, it's fantastic that finally I get a chance to work with him. I've known him for more than
30 years. He's been producing films and he's you know doing these series, he's doing 100
things I never got an opportunity. And finally, when Sri got in touch with me and Karan was
producing it obviously, I was very, very happy and obviously coming back to my daughter, I
think so Karan you know treats these new people like his kids you know. For him that is the
most important thing that whenever she goes for a shoot, I feel very, very like as a father very
you know calm that there is somebody who is there. Why her? Even when we are shooting in,
when we are shooting in Nasik everything you know Dharma makes sure that we are all
very, very comfortable and that's all a producer, you can want from the producer that you
know finally when we are in front of the camera and all we don't want we, you know like this
show we shot in Covid times. You know and must compliment Netflix and the Dharmatic
team, the comfort that they gave us we never felt, you know they were not cases, everybody if
the protocol was followed and everything it was fantastic. I just got a message okay, Sanjay
sir 12:30 can we do a Covid test because tomorrow we're going for another thing so that's the
kind of protocol which was maintained so yeah so, we are very fortunate. Like Maheep’s
debut was with him and now Karan’s, not my debut but yes, very, very happy
But are you excited to see Shanaya on the big screen now?
Of course, of course yeah. Of course, I will be very excited any father would be excited to
for a child whether she's in front of the screen or she does anything in life. For us, she's chosen
this line, fantastic because it's a fantastic line we all love it, our whole family is in but she
would have chosen anything I would have been as excited right.
Madhuri ma’am, you've been a producer as well. Are you producing anything?
Well, I’ve already produced a Marathi film Panchak and we are waiting to release that. The
times are so up and down you know just when we think we'll
be able to release it, it's like the lockdown happens
The one with Adinath Kothare?
Yes, he is starring in it and so we waiting and after that I have
not produced anything yet but I would love to.
Lovely. But you know The Fame Game looks very, very exciting. I have a quick game to
play with you. It's called who's most likely to? I'll ask you some questions and you'll have to
point at each other saying who is most likely to do that.
So, the first question is, who is the first one to reach the set?
Yeah, there is agreement there.
I take very, very little time to get ready so
Yeah, she comes first.
Next one, who is the bigger foodie?
Yeah, you love, I love food.
I think I know the answer of this one but who's the funnier one on the set?
Everybody's funny. Actually, we all three have got a great sense of humour and you know
she laughs the maximum. She really loves, she enjoys, she really, really enjoys
everything. And that's fantastic.
Sure. Who is most likely to forget their lines?
They did not answer.
Yesterday I was talking to Lakshvir and Muskkaan who are playing our children like we are
saying is sometimes it's the easiest of line you get stuck and secondly, as an actor you're
thinking she said all of that and she forget this but it's you know sometimes it just happens so
yeah. So, it happens with anybody, any of us.
Who is always on their phone?
Who couldn’t wait to pack up first?
I used to come first
I used to be the earliest person on set
Next one. Who cannot pass the mirror without looking into it?
Anil.
Who is the more chirpier one on the set?
Yeah? Wow.
Who is more health conscious?
I think so today everybody is, everybody
Yeah. Who is more talkative?
He is the safe bet. Really? Do I talk? That’s a good thing
And the last one. Who is most likely to remember another's birthday?
I think so I put it on reminders
Yeah, I put on reminders.
Lovely. But thank you so much guys.
This was a lovely conversation. I can't wait to see the show. All the best
Thank you so much. Thank you.