“Love Breakups Zindagi is like Pacman” – Cyrus Sahukar : Bollywood News

Of course, first impression can be deceptive. In Cyrus Sahukar's case, so could second, third and fourth. Though he'd often come across as a waster

“Love Breakups Zindagi is like Pacman” – Cyrus Sahukar

dope-fiend (he still doesn't have dark circles. Wonder what he's sniffing?) who had lucked out, whose casual sarcasm and proficiency with appalling language

had received an airing at just the right time to catch the public imagination, his rise was far more complex than that, involving a decade or more I'm

guessing, of hard work and a deep belief in his own abilities that was forged and encouraged by several significant others. Once going nowhere, he was

suddenly everywhere and today on to the big screen where more bucks are made on silly subjects (movies). But first things first! Cyrus is straight. Yes, and

there's nothing such as 'Stand Up comedians are gays'. I don't even know where this came from. But the more Cyrus stands on your face or sits in front of

you, he's surely putting that smile on your face again (Heath Ledger must be cursing him for what I know from up in the heaven). I'm assuming, unable to

continue falling back on his vast stock of jokes about girls, women, aunties with big t***, dope, beer and sex, he was forced to test himself as an actor

under the brightest spotlight. Given the man's resourcefulness thus far, he went for it. Thus the result - Rang De Basanti, Delhi 6, Aisha and now

Love Breakups Zindagi. At well over six feet tall, it would be hard to miss Cyrus in a crowd. The good news is, he's not trying to blend into the

crowd anyway. After all, he is that one actor who admits to having normal parents. UK's Harrow Observer columnist meets a social philosopher aka an actor in

Bollywood named Cyrus Sahukar, who so consistently tells so many ugly and hilarious truths about the way we Indians live or pretend to live. Did I say

'Indians'? Oops! Coz I meant 'Indian actors'.

"I haven't done anything that's comic so far in my films"
Bro, I haven't done

anything called 'comedy' in any of my movies. I'm confused now. I don't even know whether I am a good actor as my career in movies has only begun three years

ago. Anyone who does television will tell you that the films are a completely different medium. I remember the day before I went to the Delhi 6 shoot,

I was told that working in a film like this is like working in forty films because I was getting to work with Om Puri, Waheeda Rahman, Abhishek Bachchan,

Rishi Kapoor and Pawan Malhotra. I never got off the sets. I didn't shoot for twelve days but I was on set every day. That's a real 'hard on' for me.

"Bizarrely, I've just come to realise that I've only done films in Delhi. I need to move out of Delhi now"

I've come from a school where I've learnt everything in an organic

way. Even in films, I do it to a certain extent. I constantly pick up things to add dignity to my characters. Bizarrely, I've just come to realise that I've

only done films in Delhi. I need to come out of Delhi - Rang De Basanti, Delhi 6, Aisha and now Love Breakups Zindagi (laughs). I've not got

one phone call from the Delhi Tourism saying, 'Come Cyrus, at least have a Mango duet ice-cream'.

"I play Govind in LBZ but I like that he commits mistakes"
All characters I've played so

far in films are on the periphery. So Suresh was a sleazy photographer in Delhi 6 who I completely understand. And if you've got Suresh as Suresh

Menon, let me tell you that he too is a sleazy photographer (laughs). In fact, he did my first photo shoot (laughs). Randhir Gambhir is that one character I

love because finally I played a guy who had money. In Love Breakups Zindagi, I play Govind who I think is one character that's braver than all the

others I've played. He represents a lot of us. Govind is a guy who has dedicated his life to living his father's dream. He got married at a young age and it

didn't work out. His second marriage didn't work out too. He lives alone now and is in a corporate job after leaving his father's empire. But the good thing

about Govind is that he is committing a lot of mistakes. In LBZ, I'm not smiling about anything because I'm tired and that might put a smile on your face,

who knows.

"There is a difference between being a comedian and being a clown"
Vir Das and Cyrus Broacha are

comedians. There is a difference between being a comedian and being a clown. There's a Boman Irani who'll do a funny movie, there's a Robin Williams who'll

do an insanely funny movie but he'll also do a Good Will Hunting. The clown is the guy who slips on a banana peel and falls and everyone laughs. The

comedian is the one who told him to do so. The comedians are Charlie Chaplin, Jerry Lewis, Rowan Atkinson, etc who moved beyond, I think, in just getting

people to laugh.

"I am more interested in comedy that's 'mockumentary' style which is basically not so animated all the time"

I don't have a problem with any genre, especially comedy. I don't mind

a Golmaal but have variety. It's the business of comedy that talks. Comedians are also the people who write their own scripts, who do live events and

wear their own suits. I am willing to go any lengths to do comedy. Jim Carrey is a good example. He was so physical in what he did. But he is also very

smart. When Jim reached his peak he didn't do movies that subjected him only to be a caricature. He did Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind, The Truman

Show, The Number 23, etc. I am more interested in comedy that's 'mockumentary' style which is basically not so animated all the time.

"I find normal people funny"

I always find normal people funny. Like what you did before we sat down to do this interview. You came out of the room and were panicked and were having a

shocked expression for not finding your bag. In a minute you are asking amazing questions. You may not find this funny but I do. I don't want to make people

laugh. I want the character to go through his journey and empathy and fun with that journey makes you laugh.

"Dia's also taught me how to hug people because she thinks that I hug people as if they've got a rash"

Dia Mirza is hilarious. Dia is actually the least grumpy person I've

met in my life. She's just not grumpy. For me it's too disturbing to have someone who's not grumpy. So I constantly try and get her into a grumpy mood.

Everyone in the morning is quiet but Dia is filled with the boundless amount of energy. Somehow I feel that I never give out the right reaction. Dia too

mentioned it to me. Dia's also taught me how to hug people because she thinks that I hug people as if they've got a rash (laughs). I don't like hugging

people but she's taught me. She's buoyant.

"Satyadeep Mishra is always in some weird yoga or a page 40 Kamasutra position"

Satyadeep Mishra is hilarious. While talking to you, if you are talking about anything, he starts bloody stretching yaar. He's in this yoga stuff man! He

starts lifting his leg. By the time he has sort of stuck his leg around his neck and looks like some ball or doing page 40 from a Kamasutra, which is very

disturbing, when you are having a serious conversation about life and love. He is a very fine actor. Zayed, Satyadeep and I've spent a lot of time together.

"I haven't met a more Parsi uncle than Zayed Khan"
Zayed keeps

telling me that I am like this old classic Parsi uncle. But honestly, I haven't met a more Parsi uncle than him. He too is hilarious. Zayed thinks in

visuals. If you tell him that Mrs. Shilpa looks like Robin Williams, the fun lies in Zayed not knowing that Mrs. Shilpa has actually walked in. So he is

making this face signifying that it's rude. But if he sees Mrs. Shilpa, he'll laugh out loud and that happens four minutes after. He is overseeing the

visuals. He is the biggest revelation for me as a human being in the film. He has a part to him which is so sharing as a person that I was blown away. It's

nice to work with people like Zayed.

"Sahil Sangha is so cool that I lost my cool"
Sahil Sangha is

the most focused person on set I've met. He knows everything about the film, inside out. In the middle of the film you can ask him anything. But the sad part

is that he never loses cool. So to irritate him I used to ask him random shit. Even though the shot is mid frame, I would ask him what shoes to wear so that

I get in my character. But he is so cool that I lost my cool. I can't break Sahil Sangha. You call him at 3am and he has still got the same voice. Even if

you give the worst take ever, he will still say 'Let's do it again' in the most humble of manners.

"Love Breakups Zindagi is like Pacman"

Love Breakups Zindagi is almost like a large waiting room. It's a nice film. It's like somebody is getting out of love, somebody is waiting for a

better break in life, somebody is saying, 'Naukri acchi ho jaaye toh meri Life ho jaaye', etc. Everybody is waiting for those points in life where they can

move left right up and down and make decisions. It's more like Pacman as you say, yes (laughs). It's a bizarre analogy.