Anil Kapoor on Total Dhamaal, reuniting with Madhuri Dixit on screen, and staying relevant

It was during an informal conversation with actor Riteish Deshmukh, when he revealed that most of the cast of Total Dhamaal are ‘scared’ of the track that features Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit as it has turned out excellent. Riteish in a backhanded compliment aptly summarised the histrionic prowess of Anil Kapoor which has kept viewers entertained for almost four decades. When the same is conveyed to the evergreen actor, all he mentions is that he has only seen certain portions of the film and the comment from Riteish is a sweet one. [caption id=“attachment_4456115” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Anil Kapoor/Image from Twitter.[/caption] After having spent four decades in the industry, Anil Kapoor is still going steady and strong. It was Anil, as a Punjabi patriarch, who stood out amidst a galaxy of stars in his last release Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga and most of the reviews deemed his performance superlative. He is back again but only to tickle the funny bones this time as a Gujarati with Total Dhamaal. “I did not play a Gujarati character for the sake of doing this role. I only thought that the Gujarati flavour would suit the film. I also did it to challenge myself. My own family members often wondered if I was doing a Spielberg film or an Indra Kumar film when I would rehearse at home. If I am speaking Gujarati for the first time, then the diction ought to be clear.” Total Dhamaal also reunites Anil Kapoor with director Indra Kumar, who in the past have together delivered a mega blockbuster, Beta. Their last association was in 2002 and it took 17 years for them to do a film again. The obvious question one can ask him is why it took so long? “My first association with Indu ji was through Mohabbat, which was produced by him. One obvious reason for the gap could be the failure of our last film Rishtey. I think it was a big setback for him and it took time for him to recover from the film’s debacle. He was very passionate about the film and financially too it was a setback.” Another ‘hit’ association which viewers will get to witness in Total Dhamaal would be the lethal combo of Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit after 18 years. With films like Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Beta, Parinda, Khel, and Pukar under their belt, they were an unbeatable force in the 1990s. And for the precise reason, the hit jodi often finds a place of pride in Bollywood’s hundred-year plus journey. Recalling the moment he met Madhuri for the first time, he says: “I think I met her for the first time in Kashmir where I was shooting for Karma. We shot one portion together which was later deleted from the film. She also shot a song for the film. It was more like a film song within a film. That too, was chopped from the final cut.” Fate was just not on their side as their second film too was shelved after a song picturisation. This time the film was Bajrangi, under the baton of Anil’s favourite director Bapu. Their first film to finally hit theatres was Hifazat and post that, there was no looking back. “Everyone was very impressed with her talent and for the same reason in a single night, I said yes to four films that featured us together. Bajrangi, Hifazat, Tezaab and Parinda were all signed on the same day as in those days, I used to be a leading man in films. There were also chances of her being in Eeshwar but later Vijaya Shanti was signed for the film.” Anil Kapoor’s last film ELKDTAL garnered critical praise but failed to make a big dent at the box office, which is the ultimate barometer of a film’s success. Did the Hirani factor play spoilsport? “Whenever I have worked with Vidhu Vinod Chopra be it Parinda or 1942 – A Love Story, I can see the echoes of those films in the current films too. It’s like, the film manages good reviews and people appreciate them, but it’s like slow poison. People remember such films even after one year, three years, five years and say, ‘What a film that was.’ The slow poison effect is always in picture. When Parinda had released, it ran only in the Mumbai, Maharashtra and Bangalore circuit. Similarly, 1942 did good business overseas. What I mean to say is that it’s all good as long as people have loved your film and you have earned their respect. During those days, we were kids, so it affected us, but now we are like purana chawal (old rice). It’s been wonderful.” Anil Kapoor also remains one of the few actors from the industry who has always believed in experimentation. While Eeshwar saw him in the role of an 80-year-old, Badhaai Ho Badhaai witnessed him in the role of an obese man. In My Wife’s Murder, he went to the extent of playing the anti-hero. Do people still remember and give him credit for having done such roles? “I have been reaping the harvest of such films only. More than Ram Lakhan, Tezaab or Karma, I have always benefitted from such unconventional roles because of which I am still being offered such films. Had I not done such films, no one would have offered me roles today.” It would also be interesting to know Anil Kapoor’s psyche from a perspective where he still earns more columns in magazines and newspapers compared to his sons and daughters. While both father and daughter excelled in their roles in ELKDTAL, the buzz was tilted more towards the senior Kapoor’s performance. “They have just started their career, and experience makes a lot of difference.” The actor also believes that the journey of his son and daughters is more tough compared to his own journey. “Society has changed a lot because of social media. The gap between haves and haves not is widening with every passing day. There was a time when someone from the industry used to make his or her debut, and people would just lap them up, but now it’s just the opposite. Now they won’t feel happy till the time they are dusted.” But Anil thinks about the positive side and believes that such things should be tackled head on. “Make fun of us till the end, the true merit of iron is revealed only after it has passed through a furnace. It only motivates a person to work harder and life definitely demands some struggle.”