"Kay Kay actually means Victory in Chinese. It is as mundane a name as Vijay is in India" - Kay Kay Menon 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, April 9, 2007 - 13:49 IST
Kay Kay Menon made his debut on the silver screen in 1995 with a film Naseem. This was followed by Bhopal Express. But it was only after portrayal Amitabh's disobedient son Vishu in Sarkar that Kay Kay became the most sought after actor in Bollywood. Audiences then discovered the new side of Kay Kay they saw his dance moves in HTPL, which also has given him a huge female fan following.
With a number of big films in his kitty, Kay Kay talks about his life, films and his love for sports exclusively to IndiaFM
You won maximum accolades from the cast of Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd
The response has been very over whelming and it feels great that I took a different style of performance and it has been appreciated by the audiences.
Wasn't it challenging to play comedy, something that you hadn't attempted earlier?
Reema Kagti narrated the entire script of Honeymoon Travels… to me. After doing so she told me that she wants me to play Partho and I said yes immediately. This was a genre of light comedy which I had never attempted before, so I wanted to try it out and see how it goes.
How did your acting career start?
I have been on stage from the age of nine and I continued with stage till now. But then I got distracted with my MBA and other studies. I also tried advertising for a while; I used to make ad films for corporates and I had my own office. But in spite of all this, I continued doing theatre. Gradually one day, I just woke up to my true calling and I quit everything to go back to what gives me more satisfaction. So, I went back to acting. I joined Naseeruddin Shah's group first, then gradually moved on to other groups like Makrand Despande's and others. Then a bit of television happened and now its films.
I have been on stage from the age of nine
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How was life in Pune?
I grew up in Pune, Nagpur and I was in Bombay. So in a way, I was moving around in Maharashtra throughout. I have no fixed base, I am fleeting.
Did you get yourself a degree from any acting institute?
No I did not, since I was anyway on stage since age of nine. Besides, in those days acting was not a sought after profession. So, I did others things for aspirations of family but gradually I decided to do exactly what I perhaps was born to do. Hence, I pursued acting as a career, with a realisation that I had it in me. For any art, you need to be born with the talent and then you can improve your skills and go ahead.
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For any art, you need to be born with the talent and then you can improve your skills and go ahead
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Are you still doing theatre?
Yes. But unfortunately, I can't give enough time for rehearsals. The final performance on stage is not as interesting as the rehearsal process is.
So, whenever I'll get a month or two off from cinema, I'll go back to theatre. For that I need a break a when the producers will wait.
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The final performance on stage is not as interesting as the rehearsal process is
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Did you always want to join films or did it just happen?
I feel when you are acting either on stage or in cinema, its sheer fun of performance counts. It gives me a sense of freedom which I don't get anywhere else and that is what I look out for. So, it doesn't matter whether it is stage or cinema. Though they are completely different mediums but as a performer, its fun to adapt from one to the other.
One thing that has always intrigued us is your name Kay Kay. What does it mean?
This has always been my name. Kay Kay actually means Victory in Chinese. It is as mundane a name as Vijay in India.
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Kay Kay actually means Victory in Chinese. It is as mundane a name as Vijay in India.
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2007 seems to be seeing a lot of Kay Kay Menon in the coming days
Yes. There is Metro. I am working on Drona. I am doing a film called Via Darjeeling. I am completing a film called BBD. I have finished a film called Strangers which is shot in London entirely. So, these are the ones that are coming.
BBD sounds an unusual title
BBD is a very different way of showing good winning over evil. It is a different way of fighting injustice. It's not the typical way as shown in the cinema. It is a different take over how good fights over evil. Along with me, the film stars Jimmy Shergill, Naved Aslam, Rituparna Sengupta, Sandhya Mridul, Jackie Shroff and Nasseruddin Shah. The film is directed by Anjun Dutt and produced by Moxie Entertainment.
You play a negative role in Drona.
Yea, I do have supernatural powers in Drona. In fact, the entire film is a fantasy action thriller. So, there are a lot of special effects and fantastic things in this film.
Didn't the attack on Samjhauta Express stall the shoot of Drona? When are you resuming back?
Yes, unfortunately some people in this world don't believe in peace. When somebody troubles and gives deep to people by injuring and killing them, it also has its own collateral effect like giving others the trouble; like to our crew while shooting or anybody for that matter. Unfortunately, because of the Samjhauta Express, Bikaner was in the limelight and we were shooting out there and permissions had to be altered. So, we decided to call it off for a while till things are back in order as that issue is much bigger than filmmaking. So, the producers decided to hold on for sometime.
There are rumours that your character in Shoonya is based on cricketer Azharuddin
Shoonya just deals with the mind of a sportsman and the trial and tribulations that the sportsman has to go through till he succeeds. It's a behind the game kind of a film. Director Arindam Mitra is a student of world cinema. His view about world cinema is very pragmatic and intelligent. This film will also reflect that.
Is Via Darjeeling a thriller?
Via Darjeeling is a very weird and very intriguing narrative. It deals with the concept of sitting together of friends over a coffee/drink and telling tales and when that happens, how one incident leads to the other in the tale, outside the tale.
What is the status on your long delayed films Highway 203 and Go?
I don't know the status of Highway 203. It has been shot and completed. Same is with Go.
And finally what is happening with Paanch? Why exactly is the film held back?
I guess the reason for Paanch not being released is primarily inefficiency from the producer unlike Black Friday in which the producer went all out to fight a case for two years. Seldom does a producer do that. They generally move on to their next film. Here Arindam Mitra and people fought it out for two years and the film got released. I think this kind of zeal did not exist as far as Paanch was concerned. I don't know why but the producer just gave it up. I hope he sees some sense somewhere and eventually releases it.
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I guess the reason for Paanch not being released is primarily inefficiency from the producer
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But what was the objectionable factor about the film?
There is no objectionable factor. The censor was just a four month problem. For four months, the film was stuck with censor but then it got cleared. After that the film has been lying cleared. So it's just the producer who is not taking the initiative.
From the kind of films you have done, you have a very intense onscreen image. Are you a very serious person in real life too?
I am a very normal guy. I think an actor in real life should be as zero as possible so that he can take on different characters easily. That's what I do. So, I have no qualms, no ego hassles of being an actor. Whatever roles I play are the roles written which of course are internal in nature. So, even if it is Partho of HTPL or Vishnu from Sarkar, both are internal performances. Hence, I have to derive that state and emotions from inside me to make it look real and natural.
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I think an actor in real life should be as zero as possible so that he can take on different characters easily
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Then how do you de-stress yourself?
I love sports; that's my kind of de-stressing activity. Cricket, badminton and tennis are my favourites.
Is there any particular role that you always wanted to play?
Once I see a role which is done and gone, it is pointless to desire for it. Don't dream too much about a role before even playing it. Don't envision the fruits first and then start working. It is better to do work as passionately as possible, that's what I do. Once I finish my work I am completely dispassionate about it. Once done, I leave that on destiny because some things are just not in my control. But when I am working, I am extremely passionate about my character.
Not many know that your wife, Nivedita Bhattacharya is also an actress.
Yes. But she is mainly into television and stage. As of now she is not into films but if something interesting comes her way, then she'll surely do it. She however did a film called Kya Kehna where she played Preity Zinta's sister-in-law.
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Kay Kay Menon repeats comedy act for Makrand
