“Gangs Of Wasseypur secures my standing in the industry” – Jaideep Ahlawat

By Devansh Patel -

June 28, 2012 - 12:22 PM IST

When Shahid Khan in Gangs Of Wasseypur finds out about his pregnant wife's death and the reason for his late coming, what you see next defines screen presence. Jaideep Ahlawat at 6 feet 3 inches drenched in rain, his face bleeding and covered in charcoal stain beating the 'pehelwaan' (bouncer) is a testament what great actors are made up of - one scene. Yes, they require only one scene to prove their true grit. Make no mistake, Ahlawat is here to stay and impress. His next biggie comes in the form of Kamal Haasan's Vishwaroop where he plays one of the vital negative roles alongside Rahul Bose. Coming back to Wasseypur, Jaideep stuns you by his sheer silence, his eyes, his frown, his desperation, and his anxiety to play a father figure seems immaculate. Such is his aura on the white screen that when I was leaving the theatre after 2 hours and 40 minutes, a gentleman stops and asks me, "Excuse me, what's that guy's name who played Manoj's father?" I answer, "Jaideep Ahlawat" and the man replies, "He reminded me of Brando, De Niro and Bachchan, all in one." Need I say more? Presenting you an actor who has left a lasting impression on his audiences - Jaideep Ahlawat.

"Gangs Of Wasseypur secures my standing in the industry and directors and producers can trust my work even more"
There are so many actors in this film industry who are waiting for the right break to get them into the limelight. That break gives you a ray of hope for the future of your films and for that you need undisputed talent too. I don't think a film like Gangs Of Wasseypur will secure my future in the film industry for the next five years but it will definitely secure my standing as a good talent amongst the many. Directors can trust me now, I can say. I am proud of Gangs Of Wasseypur but my first film was Khatta Meetha of Priyadarshan, then Aakrosh released even though I filmed that first, then I did Chittagong along with Nawaz and Manoj and I did a guest role in Rockstar where I played the elder brother of Jordan aka Ranbir Kapoor. I am also doing an important role in Kamal Hassan's Vishwaroop.

“Gangs Of Wasseypur secures my standing in the industry” – Jaideep Ahlawat

"I got the role of a lifetime to be a part of 1941 India. I learnt so many aspects about that era - its bitter truth and its richness"
I would love to work with Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin in the future. I loved playing Shahid Khan alone, without them (laughs). I got the role of a lifetime to be a part of 1941 India. I learnt so many aspects about that era - its truth, its bitter truth, its richness, etc. As much as I wanted to share screen-space with Manoj, Nawaz, Richa, Huma and the many more, I didn't miss them (laughs).

"Rahul Bose and I play vital negative leads in Vishwaroop"
Rahul Bose and I play vital negative leads in Vishwaroop. It's an out and out negative character. He knows what he is doing and as a viewer you will believe in him. I am there in the entire film. It was a great experience working with Kamal Haasan.

"Vishwaroop is a film about belief and to do something great, heroic"
I am not allowed to talk about Vishwaroop right now but I can say that this is a film about belief, to do something great, to do heroic things in life. Heroism for you and me can be different and it is different for everyone. Vishwaroop is a search for the unique faith in its entirety.

"My favourite negative characters are The Joker by Heath Ledger, Gabbar Singh and Shaakal"
My favourite negative characters are many but I have to say I loved Joker by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. I loved Gabbar Singh. Who cannot love to hate him? I remember Khulbushan Kharbanda as Shaakal too. I still have that impression of his wicked smile and his baldness (laughs). I do have to add that I loved Irrfan Khan's character in Haasil. That was one of the finest acts by him. The more I saw Irrfan, he came across as a lover boy.

"There's so much to learn from Kamal Hassan that one lifetime isn't enough"
I was very lucky when Vishwaroop fell in my lap. I didn't audition for the role. It was because of sheer recommendation from a few industry people that I got to meet Mr. Kamal Haasan. I got a call from his office that Kamal Haasan wanted to meet me. It was unbelievable. I had met Mr. Haasan at a scriptwriting conference held in my film institute couple of years ago. It was just a hi-hello thing as a fan. But in our meeting for Vishwaroop, we sat one to one for two hours. He spoke to me about FTII, my earlier films, my character in Vishwaroop, etc. But he wanted me to be a part of his film and I couldn't thank him enough. He is an encyclopaedia himself. The spark that Kamal Haasan has even today is mind blowing. He wants to still explore the art of acting and directing. There's so much to learn from Kamal Haasan that one lifetime isn't enough.

"Gangs Of Wasseypur is going to be one of those rare cult movies in Indian cinema"
Gangs Of Wasseypur is going to be one of those rare cult movies in Indian cinema in the next five to ten years. This has been the most talked about film in the last two months. Everyone was waiting for this movie with bated breath. It's a complete film. It's got everything that Indian cinema has - commercial elements with songs and humour and rich art and craft, and of course with such figures for a genre like this, I am super proud of being an integral part of Gangs Of Wasseypur.