25 Years of Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai EXCLUSIVE: Tusshar Kapoor speaks highly of Kareena Kapoor Khan: "I was DAZZLED by her; she had confidence of somebody who had done 10 films"; recalls shooting for his debut film: "If Satish Kaushik was my teacher, then Amrish Puri was the headmaster!"

Satish Kaushik’s Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001) completed 25 years on May 25 and in other words, its lead actor, Tusshar Kapoor, also celebrated his 25 years in the film industry. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, the actor spoke about working on his much-loved debut film and a lot more.

 

25 Years of Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai EXCLUSIVE: Tusshar Kapoor speaks highly of Kareena Kapoor Khan: "I was DAZZLED by her; she had confidence of somebody who had done 10 films"; recalls shooting for his debut film: "If Satish Kaushik was my teacher, then Amrish Puri was the headmaster!"

 

Do you remember the first day of the shoot of your first film?

 

(Smiles) Yes, I do. It was a dream sequence where I propose to Kareena’s character, Pooja. I am on crutches as I had an accident. She gets upset as she considered my character just as a friend. She totally rejects it. Then, my character wakes up in the middle of the night and decides not to propose to her at all. The dream sequence was ultimately not kept in the film!

 

In the film, Pooja’s character collects autographs of kind-hearted people. Do you remember the first time someone asked for your autograph?

 

Yes, and it happened before the film was released. It was November 2000 and we were at Delhi airport, shooting the climax of the film. The first few schedules happened at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. So, there was no question of anybody taking my autograph as it was all indoors. Then we did the outdoor shoot in Delhi. I was waiting for my shot outside the airport. Vans were not allowed there and I was waiting in the car. That’s when somebody came and took my autograph. We didn’t have phones with cameras at that time. Otherwise, I would have captured the shot for posterity (smiles).

 

It is said that producer Vashu Bhagnani saw you while you were having a meal in a restaurant and decided to cast you…

 

He saw me as an assistant director on David Dhawan ji’s set. I worked on Chal Mere Bhai (2000), Kunwara (2000) and Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge (2000). I started working with David ji in September 1999. Writer Rumy Jafry saw me on his set and told me that Vashu ji was looking for a boy for his next film. He recommended my name. Rumy ji asked me if I wanted to be an actor. I replied, ‘I am open to any good job opportunity. I just need to start somewhere’. I started working as an AD to get a know-how of the film world. I had come from the US after studying business management. Though I am from a film family, I didn’t have any schooling or work experience in the industry. I had just seen films in my childhood. So, I started as an AD and from there, I graduated to being an actor.

 

Was Kareena Kapoor Khan already on board when you signed the film?

 

I was the first one to be signed. Then I saw the original film, Tholi Prema (1998), starring Pawan Kalyan. She came on board a month or two later. She was quite happy to be a part of it. She had completed shooting for Refugee (2000) by then and was doing Ajnabee (2001), Asoka (2001), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), etc. All happened at the same time.

 

 

Did she give you tips?

 

I was quite new while she already had faced the camera. Also, she had seen Karisma growing up. She didn’t give any tips. But I was dazzled by her confidence. She was so beautiful; even now she is. She had the confidence of somebody who had done ten films (laughs). I was totally shocked to see her on the set all the time. She would talk to people on the set as if she had been around for years. She would say ‘Haan, shot ready karo’, like how heroes do! Meanwhile, I used to feel like Alice in Wonderland. But I guess everybody has their own journey.

 

It was great fun, though we didn’t get to know each other in the first film. By the time the shoot got over, we had started talking to each other. Earlier, we used to chat in groups when we all used to go for lunch in the outdoor schedule. When did our second film together, Jeena Sirf Merre Liye (2002), we had become quite friendly. And of course, during the shoot of the Golmaal series, we were quite good friends.

 

Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai features Amrish Puri in what I feel was the sweetest character of his career…

 

It was the sweetest character, but he was not sweet at all (laughs). Off-camera, he was very professional. He was a very good human being but also very strict. He was one of my favourite people. I learned a few lessons from him. You can say that if Satish ji was my teacher, then Amrish ji was the headmaster of the school (laughs).

 

However, that’s what really helped me do those scenes with Amrish ji well, because he was very keen that I perform them naturally. Besides Amrish ji, there was Dalip Tahil ji, Himani Shivpuri ma’am and Rinke Khanna. Vrajesh Hirjee and others were in the same boat as me; we got pally in no time. It was like schooling for me. Now, when I look back, it looks like great fun, but it didn’t feel so at that time! Nevertheless, all’s well that ends well. If I didn’t have that strict guidance, I would not have been able to do justice to the role.

 

I got better with every schedule. Thankfully, the major portion of the film was shot in the last schedule, in Delhi, in February-March 2001, just 2-3 months before release. All those scenes are majorly in the first half and the beginning of the film. The film opens with a very confident me (laughs). The portions shot in the first schedule were interspersed in the second half. Hence, you don’t get to see the nervousness.

 

Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai was released before it became a trend to shoot in Delhi. Hence, what was the reason for this film to be shot in the capital city? After all, the story could have been set in Mumbai as well…

 

Satish ji had envisioned the boy as a Karol Bagh ka ladka and he wanted that Delhi feel in the film as he was from that city. Moreover, Karan was a simple boy, not somebody who came in a swanky car or in a singlet and who had a lot of female friends. He was an introvert and not exposed too much. He was probably also held back by his family a lot. Going by the character, the old-world charm of Delhi was very appropriate. It brought the realism. Uss zamane mein Mumbai ke bahar ek simplicity hua karti thi. Now, of course, Delhi is different, but then, it had the old-world charm and simplicity that we wanted. In Mumbai, we might be traditional at home; however, once we are out of the house, we are very different people!

 

The songs were well shot. A personal favourite is the four girls being shown at regular intervals in the song ‘Rabba Mere Rabba’…

 

It was all choreographer Ahmed Khan’s contribution. Can you imagine Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai was my first film was with Ahmed and for so many years, we didn’t work together. And finally, we collaborated on his next, Welcome To The Jungle, which releases next month.

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