‘Everyone’s Story Has Ups And Downs’

‘I’m
a
guy
who
is
sure
of
what
he
wants
and
confident
of
getting
it.’
‘Jab
prem
kiya,
I
knew
that
one
day,
I
would
marry
the
woman
I
love
and
spend
my
life
with
her.’

He’s
a
chameleon
who
can
seamlessly
metamorphose
from
a
lawyer
trying
to
solve
a
baffling
case
in

Criminal
Justice:
A
Family
Matter
to
a
shamefaced
husband
caught
with
his
pants
down
by
his
wife
in
the
film,

Metro…
In
Dino.

What
is
common
between
the
two
is
the
relationship
between
Madhav
Mishra
and
his
wife
Ratna
and
Monty
and
Kajol,
laced
with
gentle
humour
and
an
enduring
love.

While

Pankaj
Tripathi
admits
that
wooing
his
wife
Mridula
was
far
more
difficult
than
wooing
Konkona
Sen
Sharma’s
Kajol,
he
doesn’t
believe
their
love
story
merits
a
film.

“Even
if
someone
were
to
approach
me
with
the
idea
of
bringing
our
lives
to
the
screen,
I
would
stop
them,”
Pankaj
tells


Rediff
Senior
Contributor

Roshmila
Bhattacharya.

Anurag
Basu,
the
writer-director
of

Metro…
In
Dino,
admitted
in
a
recent
interview
that
when
his
wife
Tani
saw
the
first
print
of
the
film,
she
reprimanded
him
for
putting
so
much
of
their
life
on
screen.
Do
you
see
a

jhalak
of
your
life
in
Monty
and
Kajol’s
track
too?

No,
no,
there’s
nothing
of
my
life
in
this
story.

Your
daughter
Aashi
doesn’t
have
to
intervene
when
her
parents
fight?

Never,
because
there
are
hardly
any
disagreements
between
my
wife
and
me.

Ann
bann
na
ke
barabar
hai
(They
are
as
good
as
none)
and
even
the
reasons
for
these
disagreements
are
external
rather
than
internal.

So,
Aashi,
with
whom
we
both
share
a
great
bonding,
doesn’t
have
to
step
in.

Ever
thought
of
bringing
your
real
life
story
to
the
screen,
given
that
your
decade-long
courtship
had
all
the
ingredients
of
a
Bollywood
potboiler?

Bilkul
nahi.
I
don’t
think
ours
is
that
interesting
a
story.

My
wife
and
I
are
just
living
our
lives
together,
film

banane
ke
liye
nahi
jee
rahe
hain.

Everyone’s
story
has
its
share
of
ups
and
downs,
mine
isn’t
any
different.

Even
if
someone
were
to
approach
me
with
the
idea
of
bringing
our
lives
to
the
screen,
I
would
stop
them.

Was
wooing
Mridula
as
difficult
as
wooing
back
an
aggrieved
Kajol?

Usse
zyada.
It
took
me
a
lot
of
time
and
effort.

At
any
point
did
you
ever
give
up
hope
of
marrying
her?

No,
I’m
a
guy
who
is
sure
of
what
he
wants
and
confident
of
getting
it.

When
I
decided
actor

banna
hai,
I
knew
I
would
become
one.

Jab
prem
kiya,
I
knew
that
one
day,
I
would
marry
the
woman
I
love
and
spend
my
life
with
her.

People
have
loved
you
in
this
light-hearted,
romantic
role
which
is
a
refreshing
break
from
your
usual
intense
roles.
Did
you
enjoy
playing
Monty?

Dada
(Anurag
Basu)
sent
me
just
a
paragraph;
there
is
this
couple
and
the
husband
has
an
extra-marital
track.

I
was
instantly
hooked.

He
didn’t
say
Monty
was
different,
but
I
realised
instinctively
that
I
had
not
played
a
character
like
this
before
and
it
would
be
interesting.

The
role
developed
as
we
went
along.

Sab
Dada
ka
khel
hai.
On
its
own,
such
a
story
is
nothing
out
of
the
ordinary.
But
the
way
he
treated
it,
and
my
character,
made
the
journey
fun.

He
doesn’t
want
you
to
prep,
he
just
says,
‘Bas
aa
jao.’

On
my
part,
I
don’t
ever
ask
to
listen
to
the
complete
story
when
he
approaches
me,
I
just
tell
him,
‘Aa
jayenge
hum.’

Anurag
is
equally
fond
of
you,
both
as
a
person
and
an
actor…

He
told
me
twice,
during
the
shoot,
and
a
few
days
ago,
‘Aap
mein
kuch
hai,
you
give
the
director
exactly
what
he
wants.’

I
have
no
idea

unhe
kya
chahiye
hota
hai,
main
to
bas
apna
kaam
karke
aa
jaata
hoon.

Dada
also
told
me
the
other
day,
‘Aap
ke
andar
director
ready

hai.’

From
observing
me
closely
during

Ludo
and

Metro…
In
Dino,
he
believes
I
have
become
technically
very
sound.

It’s
true
that
I
never
look
at
the
monitor
now,
I
just
see
what
lens
is
being
used
for
the
shot

aur
sab
pata
chal
jata
hai.

Dada
also
has
a
lot
of

lagaav
with
the
camera
so
he
understands.

So,
will
we
see
you
turn
director
soon?

No,
as
I
told
Dada,

dukaan
chalne
do.
I
have
no
wish
to
direct.

Why
not?

I
don’t
know,

zaroorat
nahi
hai
abhi.

When
I
get
a
story
that
makes
me

behchain,
we
will
see.

Right
now,
I’m
happy
being
just
an
actor.

You
mentioned
earlier
that
you
really
enjoyed
doing
a
romantic
comedy
like

Metro…
In
Dino.

Yes,

bahut
maza
aaya.

The
scene
of
me
chasing
Kajol
on
my
scooter,
distraught
to
see
my
estranged
wife
riding
parallel
with
another
man,
was
such
a
laugh
riot.

Would
you
want
to
do
more
such
romantic
roles?

Yes.
I’ve
just
completed
a
slice-of-like
film
with
Aditi
Rao
Hydari
titled

Parvarikar
ManuRanjan.

It
is
a
delightfully
amusing
love
story
with
a
simple,
world
charm,
like
the
films
of
Hrishikesh
Mukherjee
and
Basuda
(Chatterjee),
but
contemporary
in
its
treatment.

We
recently
completed
the
shooting
in
Lucknow.

They
are
working
on
the
post-production
and
I
was
asking
the
director
(Varun
V
Sharma)
recently,
‘Kaisa
lag
raha
hai?‘

I
want
to
do
stories

jisme
kuch
baat
ho.