On February 11, Anjana Sukhani completed 20 years as a film actor. Her fun-filled first film, Hum Dum, was released on that day in 2005. The actress then went on to do many more films and worked with some of the prominent filmmakers and co-stars. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Anjana spoke about it and a lot more.
Congrats on completing 20 years. What are your first thoughts?
(Smiles) All I can say is that I was completely an accidental actor. I never intended to act; acting chose me and now I am never leaving it.
It’s been a fantastic journey. There have been ups and downs. You have won some and you lose some. You want to do more; that greed of an actor stays with you till your last breath. I am sure if you ask Amitabh Bachchan, he would say, ‘Abhi bhi kuch reh gaya hai’. And that happens with everyone - you feel there’s a lot more juice left.
In Hum Dum, your comic side came to the fore and it got noticed. However, we didn’t see you in funny roles after that. Also, there’s a funny side to you. I read in one of your interviews that you used to mimic Pankaj Kapur’s act in ‘Karamchand’…
But that’s up to the directors to understand that I have a great comic sense and that they should use it. I imbibed it from watching a lot of actresses doing comedy. Like watching Hema Malini in Seeta Aur Geeta or Sridevi in Chaalbaaz and Mr India. I have appreciated the work that Juhi Chawla has done. She was so brilliant in Ishq. Unfortunately, there have been very few roles for actresses in the comic space. I would love to do that. Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt Ltd and Bada Naam Karenge karke bada rula diya maine! Now, I want to make people laugh.
Kareena Kapoor in Jab We Met was probably one of the last such performances…
I had auditioned for it by the way (laughs). It was a time when Imtiaz Ali was talking to Bobby Deol. I don’t remember who I read the film with but yes, audition kiya tha.
You have worked with Kareena Kapoor twice. How has the experience been?
She’s just magic. She has all the reasons to be here as a star. She’s warm and has this amazing aura when she walks on the sets. You can’t look anywhere else. You can just leave the camera on and you’ll never get bored watching Kareena Kapoor or even Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
She’s probably the only actress to be working consistently for 25 years…
Wow. And she’s still rocking. She has everything going for her and she gives her 100% to the role. She’s a star, a performer and a damn-good looking girl. She is a great actor and has the right attitude. Also, she has great luck.
How was it working with Rohit Shetty in Golmaal Returns (2008)?
It was like a picnic. When you are working with Rohit Shetty, it’s always a fun experience. Since I did Sunday (2008) with him before, there was a great friendship with him and also his ADs, and associates. Hence, it became very easy.
Would you like to be a part of the current Pan-India trend and work in South films?
I have done a South film before (Naa Oopiri; 2005) and I would absolutely love to work in Tamil and Telugu movies. Malayalam cinema is so great right now; its content is unmatchable. After Laal Ishq (2016), I’d also love to explore Marathi again. Language was never a barrier, more so now.
Nowadays, we hear that actors are signed on the basis of Instagram followers. What are your views on it?
It was happening in between. I don’t know if it happens even now as I am directly meeting directors who I want to work with. I am open to doing auditions despite being in the industry for more than a decade as it not only gives them a chance to see you as they want the character to be, it also boosts confidence for the actor. You hone your skills better.
Talking of social media, do you feel the pressure to up your Instagram game?
Of course. There’s a lot of pressure. I am so glad that I started in the 2000s and not right now. This is because I feel there’s pressure on artists to be able to put themselves out there every single day. If you are ‘Instagramm-ing’ so much, where are you storing what you are supposed to convey through your art? You’re giving everything away regularly. Your craft gets leaked when you are not holding to your emotions. These days, people even cry out on social media. I feel that some things in life are meant to be personal.
Another discussion point in the industry is actors having a large entourage. You started at a time when this was not common at all. How do you see this trend?
I don’t know if there’s a need for so many people. If there’s a need, then one has to comply. But we also have to be very considerate towards the producers. You are getting the remuneration which you have asked for. Hence, there’s no reason to burden the producer with it. I am not saying that it should be completely stopped but one has to be reasonable. Am I saying this because I want to be a producer? Maybe (laughs).
It is famously said, ‘Boond boond se sagar banta hai’. You may ask a little but so would the other actors and it ultimately burdens the producer. A producer does make money but we’ll work on a project for a couple of months and get done with it. A producer, on the other hand, has to stick around with the film or a show for more than a year. Doesn’t he deserve the acknowledgement commercially?
You just mentioned about turning producer. Are you working on producing a film?
A film? I want to make many (laughs). I am working on a few ideas. Let’s see how that goes. There are so many stories that I want to say. My phone is full of film ideas.
Do you even write scripts?
No, but I am great with ideas. I can write a gist of it and then I give it to the professionals to write. I don’t want to do everybody’s job!
Will the films produced by you feature you in the lead cast?
There will be some films where I’ll star, especially in those films whose stories are very close to my heart. For some films, I’d like to give a chance to others as well.
Do you have any plans to write a book?
I don’t know. Maybe, I’ll write a Mills & Boon kind of a story! I don’t think I have it in me to write but then, never say never.
Since you like Mills and Boons, are you more into romantic films?
I like watching everything. I am a lot into Malayalam cinema right now and most of them are thrillers or extremely human stories. I’d happily watch Godzilla as well. I like cinema. Period. So, everything is welcome. Also, there are stories in abundance, waiting to be told, from every region of our country.
Like Kantara…
Yes, or even in Pushpa 2 the way they bring culture to their narrative is cinematically beautiful yet intriguing. Like, how much did we know about Kannadiga culture until we saw Kantara? These stories are accepted not just nationally but internationally. High time I depict Sindhi culture in my films and shows!
More Pages: Humdum Box Office Collection
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