‘Attack On Saif Is A Wake-Up Call’

‘The
incident
has
underlined
that
you
can’t
leave
anything
to
chance
or
take
anything
for
granted.’
‘You
have
to
ensure
that
your
family
is
taken
care
of
24×7.’

Shreyas
Talpade
impressed
everyone
in
his
debut
Hindi
film,Iqbal,
as
a
deaf-mute
cricketer
determined
to
wear
the
national
colours.
In
the
20
years
since,
he
has
showcased
his
natural
born
talent
in
film
after
film,
from

Dor
to

Om
Shanti
Om,
from

Welcome
to
Sajjanpur
to

Golmaal
Returns,
from

Kaun
Pravin
Tambe?
to
his
latest,

Emergency.

Emergency,
a
historical
biographical
drama
written,
directed
and
co-produced
by
Kangana
Ranaut,
sees
him
play
Atal
Bihari
Vajpayee
and
Shreyas
is
happy
with
the
performance.

“My
first
question
to
Kangana
was,
‘Will
this
be
a
propaganda
film?’
She
told
me
to
read
the
script,”
Shreyas
tells



Rediff.com
Senior
Contributor

Roshmila
Bhattacharya.
“When
I
did,
I
found
it
to
be
the
most
neutral
script
which,
if
anything,
is
biased
towards
Mrs
Indira
Gandhi,
not
against
her.”

Emergency
has
evoked
mixed
reactions.
While
some
have
loved
the
film,
others
are
criticising
it
for
distorting
history.

When
you
make
a
biopic,
particularly
a
political
biopic,
you
have
to
be
prepared
for
charged
emotions
and
mixed
reactions.

Some
people
will
like
it,
some
will
say,
‘Yeh
dikhaya
nahi‘
or
‘Isse
nichchey
dikhaya.]

What
was
your
first
reaction
when
Kangana
approached
you
to
play
Atal
Bihari
Vajpayee?

My
first
question
to
her
was,
‘Will
this
be
a
propaganda
film?’

She
told
me
to
read
the
script.
When
I
did,
I
found
it
to
be
the
most
neutral
script
which,
if
anything,
is
biased
towards
Mrs
Indira
Gandhi,
not
against
her.

The
character
has
a
graph
and
her
journey
in
portrayed
so
authentically
that
at
the
end,
you
wish
she
hadn’t
been
assassinated
because
she
was
starting
to
change.

Yes,
we
couldn’t
cover
everything,
but
that’s
because
of
time
constraints
rather
than
design.

But
the
film
has
been
mired
in
controversies,
including
backlash
from
the
Sikh
community
for
misrepresentation
which
resulted
in
the
release
getting
delayed.

Yes,
there
were
controversies,
but
Kangana,
as
the
film’s
producer,
did
agree
to
certain
cuts.

She
deleted
some
scenes
and
changed
a
few
more.
In
the
end,
I
would
say
it’s
an
unbiased,
classy
film.

Has
anyone
from
the
Congress
contacted
you
since
its
release?

No,
no
one
has.

A
week
before
the
release
on
January
10,
you
shared
a
reel
on
Instagram
which
showed
glimpses
of
your
transformation
into
Vajpayee.
How
long
did
the
prep
take?

Around
two-and-a-half
to
three
hours
daily.

Three
hours!
How
did
you
handle
it?

(Laughs)
I
would
surrender
to
it
and
try
to
enjoy
the
process
or
else
I
would
go
to
sleep.

It
was
tough
getting
the
hair
fixed
and
stuffing
my
cheeks
with
cotton
wool,
but
for
another
film,
I
had
to
paste
on
a
beard
and
a
moustache
every
day
and
that’s
even
more
uncomfortable
because
you
can’t
eat
or
speak,
there’s
no
freedom
of
movement
and
there’s
all
that
sticky
gum
too.

(Laughs)
I
tried
to
mentally
prep,
telling
myself
its
only
say
50
days
of
discomfort
out
of
365
days
in
a
year.
Once
we
start
shooting,
I
tick
off
each
day,
‘One
down,
49
to
go
now…
36
more…
Now,
25
left…’

Was
this
the
biggest
challenge
you
faced
as
far
as
this
film
was
concerned?

Playing
Atalji
itself
was
a
challenge
because
he
was
a
revolutionary,
a
statesman
and
a
political
leader
who
was
globally
admired.

So
expectations
were
huge
and
I
knew
people
would
pounce
on
me
if
there
was
even
the
slightest
slip.

It
wasn’t
just
about
transforming
myself
physically
and
imbibing
his
mannerisms,
there
was
also
his
voice
and
the
way
he
spoke.

Since
Atalji
was
a
poet,
his
speech
had
a
lyrical
quality
to
it.

Plus,
there
were
the
pauses,
even
in
the
’70s
when
he
was
a
young,
dynamic
leader.

He
had
a
slight
lisp
too
which
we
avoided,
but
the
pauses
were
a
part
of
his
DNA
and
had
to
be
incorporated
though
we
made
them
shorter
since
this
is
a
two
hour
film.

Let’s
rewind
to
the
first
shot…

It’s
the
one
in
jail,
after
all
of
us
are
arrested,
and
Atalji
says,
‘Kisne
socha
tha
ki
loktantra
ka
aise
hi
gala
ghutega,
har
aawaz
jo
uske
khilaaf
uthegi,
kuchal
di
jayegi.’

We
did
the
first
take,
Kangana
wanted
one
more.

Walking
up
to
me,
she
said
in
my
ear,
‘I
want
you
to
do
it
the
way
you
were
doing
while
rehearsing
just
now.’

Surprised,
I
told
her
I
had
just
been
speaking
to
myself
then
and
she
replied,
‘So,
speak
to
yourself
on
camera
too.’

I
did,
and
after
the
second
take,
even
the
sound
recordist
beamed,
‘Perfect,
that’s
Atalji‘s
voice!’

I
pointed
out
that
maybe
the
cold
I
had
was
helping
and
he
laughed,
‘Then
make
sure
you
have
a
cold
throughout
the
shoot.’

In
fact,
later
when
he
heard
(Anupam)
Kher

sahab
recommending
some
medicines,
he
intervened
saying,
‘Don’t
take
too
many

ki
effect
chala
jaaye.’

(Chuckles)
You
never
know
what
works
but
I’m
glad
I
got
the

sur
right
in
two
takes.

For
me,
the
first
shot
is
always
the
most
difficult
because
while
you
have
done
your
prep,
learnt
your
lines
and
rehearsed
the
scene,
are
ready
with
make-up
and
costume,
if
your
director
still
wants
multiple
takes,
well
then,
you
are
lost.

Has
that
ever
happened
with
you?

Oh
yes,
when
we
started

Kamaal
Dhamaal
Malamaal,
I
gave
15-20
takes
for
the
film’s
first
shot.

After
a
point,
even
Neeraj
Vora
was
making
suggestions
on
how
I
should
try
this
and
that,
but
even
together,
we
could
not
figure
out
what
Priyan
sir
(Director
Priyadarshan)
had
in
mind.

When
the
same
thing
continued
into
the
next
day,
I
finally
asked
Priyan
sir
where
I
was
going
wrong.

He
surprised
me
by
saying,
‘You
are
doing
it
absolutely
right
and
I
love
that
you
are
giving
me
so
many
variations.
Whatever
I
like,
I’m
taking
from
different
angles.
Keep
going,
and
be
yourself,
I
don’t
want
you
to
act.’

After
that,
we
were
on
course
and
the
shots
were
okayed
in
one
or
two
takes.

Later,
a
common
friend
confided
that
Priyan
sir
had
told
him
that
like
Akki

bhai
(Akshay
Kumar),
I’m
one
of
his
favourite
actors,
which
was
both
comforting
and
a
relief
after
the
first
day’s
horror
show.

Now,
I
rehearse
in
front
of
the
director.
If
my
improvisations
work,
great,
otherwise
I
tweak
my
performance
to
what
they
have
in
mind
—
all
this,
before
the
first
shot!

Did
you
watch
Ravi
Jadhav’s
biographical
drama,

Main
Atal
Hoon,
which
released
exactly
a
year
ago,
on
January
19,
2024,
with
Pankaj
Tripathi
playing
Vajpayee?

No,
I
consciously
didn’t
watch
it
because
if
I
had,
it
would
have
played
on
my
mind
throughout
the

Emergency
shoot
and
I
didn’t
want
that
happen.

I
needed
to
trust
my
director’s
vision
more
than
anything
else
and
play
Atalji
the
way
Kangana
wanted
me
to.

But
I
will
see

Main
Atal
Hoon
now.

Let’s
move
to
the
attack
on
Saif
Ali
Khan.
Given
that
you
live
in
Mumbai
too
and
have
a
young
daughter,
does
it
make
you
feel
insecure
and
unsafe?

That
attack
is
scary
because
Mumbai
is
known
to
be
one
of
the
safest
cities.

It
has
raised
several
questions
about
security
and
whom
we
can
trust.

I’m
not
saying
Saif
was
complacent,
he
fought
off
the
intruder
and
saved
his
kids
from
harm
even
if
he
did
get
injured
in
the
process.

My
heart
goes
out
to
Kareena
(Kapoor)
and
him.
I’m
equally
concerned
for
their
young
children
(Taimur
and
Jeh),
as
it
won’t
be
easy
for
the
boys
to
wipe
out
the
terror
of
that
night.

The
incident
has
underlined
that
you
can’t
leave
anything
to
chance
or
take
anything
for
granted.
You
have
to
ensure
that
your
family
is
taken
care
of
24×7.

The
attack
on
Saif
is
a
wake-up
call
for
all
of
us,
much
like
my
health
scare.

Has
life
changed
since
that
heart
attack
in
December
2023?

Oh
yes.
Earlier,
I
would
want
to
spend
time
with
my
family,
but
work
was
always
priority.

Today,
while
work
is
still
important,
health
and
family
are
my
priorities.

God
has
given
me
a
second
chance
and
I
can’t
abuse
it.

I
have
to
respect
every
moment
that
I’m
alive.

Your
wife
Deepti
was
your
superhero,
saving
your
life
that
day
with
her
presence
of
mind
and
prompt
action.
On
December
31,
2024
you
celebrated
your
20th
wedding
anniversary.
How
has
the
journey
been?

Amazing!
My
advice
to
all
youngsters
would
be
to
find
the
right
partner
and
start
a
family
because
nothing
else
can
bring
you
as
much
happiness.

Deepti
and
I
have
been
married
20
years
and
were
seeing
each
other
for
four
years
before
that
so
that
makes
it
a
24-year
journey.

I
knew
as
soon
as
I
met
her
that
she
was
the
one,
it
was
like
that
song
from

Apna
Sapna
Money
Money,
‘Dekha
jo
tujhe
yaar,
dil
mein
baji
guitar.’

It
is
important
to
listen
to
that
guitar
and
trust
your
instincts.

If
it
tells
you
she
is
the
one,
just
grab
her
like
I
did.

My
first
film,

Iqbal,
happened
after
marriage.
Deepti
has
been
with
me
through
all
the
good
times
and
the
bad,
and
as
you
pointed
out,
she
saved
my
life
as
well.

It’s
because
of
her
that
I’m
talking
to
you
today.

Is
your
daughter,
Aadya,
a
young
Deepti
or
a
young
Shreyas?

I
would
say
a
young
Deepti.

I
was
hardly
around
during
the
first
four
years
of
her
life
but
that
has
changed
over
the
last
year
and
we
have
a
special
bond
now.

I’ve
been
shooting
outdoors
the
last
eight-nine
days
and
yesterday,
Deepti
and
Aadya
came
here
from
Mumbai.

As
soon
as
my
daughter
saw
me,
she
came
running,
hugged
me
tight
and
started
crying.

It
was
the
most
beautiful
feeling
to
know
that
another
person
was
missing
me
so
much
that
just
looking
at
you
would
make
them
cry.

I
would
want
everyone
to
experience
this.

Children
are
precious,
they
have
so
much
to
say,
so
much
to
teach
you,
they
complete
you.