'Phata Poster Nikla Hero', 'R… Rajkumar' and now Haider. It has been a hectic year for you. Has it taken a toll on you?
After the release of 'Phata Poster…' , I got busy with the promotions of R… Rajkumar and now I’ve started shooting for 'Haider' in Kashmir. It has been beautiful and the weather was minus-4 degrees. Being in Kashmir was enough to de-stress me. And I am a workaholic, so I hardly complain about the erratic schedules.
A lot of people feel that Sonakshi Sinha and you made an odd couple. Did you also feel the same while working with her?
Sonakshi and I have played an on-screen mismatched couple. Not every couple is perfect. I see so many mismatched real-life couples. Good-looking couples in terms of height, looks and attitude are in fairytales. Two individuals, who genuinely want to be with each other, won’t care about such trivial issues.
There was a buzz that your father, Pankaj Kapur, is looking for a suitable bride for you?
That’s not true at all (laughs). My father isn’t looking for a girl for me. I did read the story about him wanting me to settle down and searching for a Punjabi girl for me. But trust me, it’s not true. I can’t put that pressure on him. He has enough responsibilities on his shoulders.
Your last few films haven’t done well at the box office. As an actor, does that demotivate you?
I’m fed up of people walking up to me and saying that even though my film flopped, I was good in it. I want get back in the competition. I want my films to do good business. I want the competition to grow healthier and stronger. Enough of critical acclaim. I want my films to fetch huge figures commercially. Right now, I want people to look at me as a “successful hero”. Yes, Phata Poster… flopped. A lot of people liked the first half of the film.
The humour dipped after the first half and that killed it. I think it was sheer back luck. Like we take credit for successful films, I’d like to take the blame for the failure of Phata Poster…. Everyone goes through good and bad phases. I hope R… Rajkumar changes the game for me.
Actors resort to numerology and astrology during their lean phase. Did you ever succumb to the temptation?
I don’t believe in numerology, astrology nor do I believe in wearing stones to ward off negativity. It’s very simple. Sometimes a below average film works and at times a good film flops. It’s a matter of luck and time. A piece of stone cannot make or break someone’s destiny.
As a director, Prabhu Deva’s record is almost 100 per cent. It is said that he has taken charge to resurrect your career. Do you feel that you’re now in a safe zone?
More than resurrecting my career, he might want to ensure that his reputation as a 100-crore director is intact (laughs). Prabhu Deva told me that the industry is full of good actors who can dance well and are flexible to do daredevil stunts. Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor are fabulous dancers. Prabhu wanted me to learn the moves for the songs that would look different from what we see on screen. Trust me, he made me rehearse for days and hours. Even the action scenes in his films are unique. As an audience, I know that action scenes can be very boring to watch but Prabhu’s stunts can keep you entertained all through. He brings the common man on screen. Be it Rowdy Rathore or R… Rajkumar, he likes to play up the average mawali guy and make him the hero. He admits that he isn’t interested in making his actors look like James Bond or a superhero. He caters to the common man and that that works for him.
