Here are three actors who met by chance and are now destined to rise together. Sushant Singh Rajput, the golden boy of Ekta Kapoor's TV serial, Amit Sadh, the actor who also started out on TV as the successful find of Neena Gupta, and Raj Kumar Yadav who captured a different genre with films like Love, Sex aur Dhokha, Ragini MMS, GOW and Talaash...and now this assorted mix is converging in Abhishek Kapoor's 'Kai Po Che'. In TOI office on Tuesday afternoon, the three men lived up to all that hype behind their chemistry that the film is expected to project. We bring you excerpts from this crazy interaction with Jaspreet & Ankur Batra, where Amit played the Monitor designate to the other two (as he told us he was handed this responsibility by Abhishek)
The film is based on Chetan Bhagat's book The 3 Mistakes Of My Life
Sushant: If people have conceptions that the film is based only the book...that's not the entire truth. The film is more streamlined than the book. So, the film should not be an 'obvious' interpretation.
Amit Sadh: A director has to translate a book into a film... for people to understand it. Gattu sir (Abhishek Kapoor) and his team of writers have adapted the book well. But the spirit of the book, its premise is the same, just the narrative is more streamlined. The genre is the same as Dil Chahta Hai, but no, it's not the same. The film in India has been made for the middle class which is the majority of working class in this country.
Raj Kumar Yadav: The only similarity with the likes of other films like Dil Chahta Hai etc remains in the number three...the chemistry between three friends.
How did the combination of you three happen for this film?
Sushant: I had plans to go to a film school after TV. But before that I auditioned for this film and got lucky.
Amit: The main thing Gattu sir was looking for was the chemistry between these three guys. And we had the sparks between us. At the film's premier in Mumbai, Hrithik Roshan said a beautiful thing after seeing the film. 'To become a good actor you have to be zero. You guys are fortunate to have come from zero.' You know we were stunned, I wanted to say aap mat bolo aisa, aap Hrithik Roshan ho, app itni tareef mat karo. (Laughs) But I guess we three have our magic, and we hope it stays.
So, it's Dostana 3...(this is followed by a laugh riot)
Sushant: Its Dostana forever...
Amit: It's gone way beyond Dostana.
Raj Kumar: It is bhaitana actually.
And as is the tradition these days, who does the item number?
Amit: There are three items in the film...the three of us. (On a serious note) I think this term 'item number' should be eradicated from this industry. We should respect women and...women aren't items. Lot of producers are replacing this terminology. But yeah...we three are definitely items in the film!
So, what is the genre of the film, commercial or off beat?
Amit: I think we take a lot of leeway labeling genres of films. When an audience goes to see a film they aren't going with the mindset that, 'today I want to see an off beat or a commercial film'...they go with an open mind...they want to travel for those two hours. Times are changing in Indian cinema. There is more to us than dancing and doing foolish stuff.
Raj Kumar: I don't believe in this segregation- commercial and offbeat. Whatever the genre, the process for me remains the same. And as an actor I want results, whatever the medium.
What about TV? Does that take a backseat now?
Sushant: No, why should it. It isn't that I am graduating from TV to films. I don't understand the economics of this industry, I only understand good scripts. I only left TV because everyday in the morning I was very sure what I had to do. I quit engineering college because I wanted to learn. But TV had stopped teaching me...it wasn't exciting enough. And contrary to the conception that I quit because the serial Pavitra Rishta was taking a generation leap, it was actually the other way around. I gave in my notice which is why the serial took a generation leap.
Amit: As an actor I want to be enriched. I want people to say we loved you, not your car. And where that recognition comes from is immaterial. (This conversation would have ended here had it not been for their impromptu decision to sing a line from a number by Amit Trivedi in the film, 'Manjha'.)
One...two...three
Roothe khaabon ko mana lenge...kati patango ko thaamenge...Haa haa hai jazba... Suljha lenge uljhe rishton ka manjha...
