Fawad Khan talks about dealing with his fans, movies & life beyond

Female attention still makes me blush

Fawad Khan talks about dealing with his fans, movies and life beyond it

Harshada Rege

It's been two years since Fawad Khan made his debut in Bollywood with Khoobsurat. His telly shows haven't just kept the memories of him alive, but has also seen his fandom grow. The Pakistani actor now returns to Bollywood with his second outing Kapoor & Sons, which according to rumours has him play a gay character. This is my first meeting with the actor who seems under the weather, but patiently answers all questions thrown at him. Here, he talks about his filmi aspirations, spending time away from home and his musical side...

A two-year break after Khoobsurat? Why too choosy?

There were some very interesting things that came my way, but I just felt that I wanted to try something that was in the space of Kapoor & Sons. It just fell in my lap one day. I immediately knew that this is what I was looking for. With Khoobsurat, I was just testing the waters, with Kapoor & Sons, I have exercised more freedom as an actor that has helped me get more comfortable and confident. This will help me for the roles I choose henceforth. I am more at ease now.

You agreed to act in a movie with Dharma protgs Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt. Not insecure?

I think you are insecure when you don't know your job well. And I think I know mine pretty well. I am not saying that I have never been insecure at any point. Actors are insecure creatures. But I chose to ignore that feeling, because if I let it get on my nerves too much, I'll not focus on the work at hand and that will make my work suffer. With insecurity comes paranoia and with paranoia comes irritation.

You guys were stationed in Coonoor to shoot for a long time, is that a good way for an actor to shoot?

Outdoor shoots are amazing. That's where you get to bond with one another as actors. That is essential for the kind of camaraderie that you expect for a movie like this. That's the kind of education I crave. Staying at one place with the entire crew allows you to understand the workings and that's the kind of exposure every human being should have.

Is it necessary for you to get along with your co-stars?

It's absolutely necessary to have some amount of comfort level with your co-actor. If you don't have that comfort level, it'll take you time to get to the same point. It's best to break the ice and get to know the person.

What kind of a role do you play in your family? Are you the crisis handler or the black sheep?

I am the one who panics. And the person I turn to, is my wife. She is the one who handles everything. She says, I have two children, one is our eight-year-old son and the other is you.'

A lot of actors started out with a no-kissing clause, but they changed their mind over the years. Will you ever be open to it?

I don't see that happening in the near future, but again, there's an interesting thing that I learnt from Sonam (Kapoor). She said, Never say never.' So I'll follow that, but I don't foresee it happening anytime soon.

You get a lot of female attention, are you now used to it?

I am still shy about it. It still makes me blush, but I chose to be a little unaware of it. That's because the more you become aware of it, the more you start craving it. And I feel that my craving won't help my career. It'll just take away my concentration and I'll constantly be thinking about how to please these people more. Then that kind of corrupts your craft. I prefer to be slightly unaware, so that ek toh sar pe na chadh jaaye aur doosri baat yeh ke kaam mein dhyaan laga rahe. I am thankful to them; it's not that I am not aware of my fans. But the amount of adulation and adoration that I get, I like to give it only that much thought.

How does your wife Sadaf deal with all the female attention coming your way?

She is fine with it. She is a very sensible woman and a lady in the true sense of the word. She only gets uncomfortable when someone tries to intrude our space... that's the thing she gets irritated with. Otherwise, she's completely fine with it.

Does she get to travel with you when you are shooting here?

My wife accompanies me whenever she can, and I would rather have her with me all the time, but because I have an eight-year-old son who is in school, it's not possible. I end up missing out on a lot of time with them and that's probably the saddest part of this whole process.

Are long-distance relationships difficult to handle?

Ab toh shaadi ho gayi hai. Ab toh long time relationship ho gaya hai, long-distance ya jo bhi marzi keh lo. Wahan se rassi aayegi aur pakad ke le jaayegi mujhe.

You have your own clothing brand, how involved are you with it?

It's completely my wife's brainchild. She is the entrepreneur and brains behind it. She is the one who gets all the work done. From setting up the ada, the tailor. Bas logo designing ke waqt main thoda baitha tha, but apart from that it's her baby.

You are being directed by Karan Johar in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. How was that experience?

He's amazing as a director. He keeps the energy high on the sets and takes care of everyone's needs. He gives a lot of individual attention to his actors, which I think is great. He is a terrific director, but more than that what matters the most to me is that he is such a great person.

Considering the unstable equation between India-Pakistan, have you ever felt that you lose out on good roles?

Even if I do, I can't do anything about it. This is where I become a bit of a believer in destiny. What is destined for you, nobody can take it away from you, and what is not for you, you can run after it all your life, but you'll never get it. That is my approach. Milna tha toh mil jaata. I am not saying you should not make an effort to get what you need. But the effort should be upto a sane extent, don't become insane pursuing something...it's not worth it.

You are a singer too...

I don't sing anymore. I used to sing in a metal band, many years ago...

Will you be getting back to singing anytime soon?

I am thinking of getting back to it soon. Probably by the end of this year, once I get free from some commitments. I am putting my home studio back together " which I had taken apart " to bring out compositions that I had parked away. But I want to do it in my time. That's something I'd like to explore, but like I said it will be a very personal space. It will be for people obviously, but it will be something I'll do in my own time.

One biopic that you'd want to see made?

I would like to see a biopic on the life of Richard Pryor. He is an American comedian who is often called the father of stand-up comedy. If I am not mistaken, he is the reason of the 30-second delay rule in satellite broadcast because his kind of comedy was such that it sometimes offends some people. Saturday Night Live wanted him so bad that they decided to put in a 30-second delay so that they could cut out any offensive stuff. He was born in a brothel and went on to become one of the most successful stars in comedy.

There are lot of movies being made based on sports or sports personalities. What sport biopic do you see yourself in?

Myself? Not really... I am not a sporty person. I used to be in my youth. I used to play a lot of games, but ever since I turned diabetic, I have sort of taken it easy. I need to go to the gym to get into shape. Given an option, I won't even go to the gym...I am a very unhealthy person.

Most actors and even some actresses are producing their own movies or are producing them, would you consider getting into production?

I have been developing content. If I get a bit free, I would think about it, but right now I have just too much on my plate.

Do you remember a time when you were star-struck? Tell me about that.

It was when I met Amitabh saab while shooting for Khoobsurat. I was star stuck when I met Rishi Kapoor too, but at KBC... uss waqt mauhaul aisa tha... The lights come on, then he walks on the stage... It's just that whole aura that is built in that moment.

In Khoobsurat, you didn't have too much dancing to do, will we see you shaking a leg in this one?

Dancing is something I need to work on. I need to get my feet surgically removed and replaced (laughs). Maybe, I need to join a dancing school.

Being a gay icon...

(Cuts in)... Am I? Really? I didn't know that... That's flattering...

Being a gay icon, will you be open to doing Dostana 2?

Yes, why not? What's wrong with that? See we are telling a story, as a person, playing a character and these people live in the world. Let's accept the fact that they live in this world. I remember there was this friend of mine who had told me this that when this very famous Pakistani actor Zia Mohyeddin...when he played the role of a eunuch at that point of time someone asked aren't you afraid of playing such a character. He said, I am telling a story of a person who has lived that life and faced those hardships'. It's not a matter of endorsement. He said, It's not that I have become one. I am not going to cut my genitals off. And even if I do how does that make me different from any other human being?' Do they not have a right to live?' People used to make certain gestures to tease them, but that has changed... Thoda waqt lagega, but log theek ho jaayenge.

Aren't you playing a gay character in this movie?

You know what they say, Everybody's gay...' (laughs)

What was the most challenging part about this role?

I kind of fell in love with this character. In all honesty, if and when there are some aspects like that associated with being gay... to capture those nuances would be very challenging. If that were the case, but over all it's been pretty easy.

After Kapoor & Sons and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Hai what's next?

I am in talks for a few movies, let's see what shapes up.

Have you signed Reema Kagti's Mr Chaloo?

No, I haven't signed that film, that's at a much later stage. But yes, we did talk about it. The female lead actor that they wanted wasn't available at that time, so they decided to wait.

Your Humsafar co-star Mahira Khan is making her debut in Raees, considering how popular your pair was, if given an opportunity what kind of a film would you want to do with her in Bollywood?

If I was to do a second project with her now I would like us to be antagonists to one another. There's this movie about a blind woman. Three men enter her house and try to locate some diamonds. One of the guys starts harassing her. She ends up killing him. End mein jeet aurat ki hi hoti hai, but I'd like to play a villain in that kind of a story. Something like that would completely surprise people.

harshada.rege@dnaindia.net