Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; March 12, 2014)

Atul Agnihotri, 45, is a family man whose wife Alvira is his best friend. He not only looks up to his father-in-law Salim Khan as his father, but also respects him for setting the right hierarchy in his house where there are no favourites and every decision is taken collectively. Ahead of his upcoming production O Teri, the actor, producer and director spoke to Bombay Times about the selfless Salman Khan, his spiritual wife Alvira and his regret of not having a backing when he started. Excerpts:

How did you become an actor?
We are Brahmins from Punjab. I was born in Delhi and brought up in Mumbai as my dad Rohit Agnihotri came to Mumbai to become an actor. He did a few films, none of which did well, so, he got into outdoor hoardings and was among the first few to start making cardboard corrugated boxes. We were just okay, but not well off. It so happened that my first cousin Rati Agnihotri, who debuted with South movies, shifted to Mumbai and lived with us for two years. I did a role as a child actor with her and started doing theatre in college. It was at that time that my dad fell ill and I needed to pick up a job, which was very difficult. Fortunately for me, Pankaj Parashar was looking for an assistant to replace his assistant Sanjay Gupta, who had moved on to direct his own film. I started assisting Pankaj. I was in first year junior college at that time and have worked ever since, without taking even a day off. I assisted Pankaj for four years and debuted as Sanjay Dutt’s younger brother in Sanjay Gupta’s Aatish. I also got a role in Mahesh Bhatt sahab’s Sir. I was just 23 and at that time, for me, it was only about being able to pay my bills and it seemed great then. In hindsight, I realise that I went in without any preparation. My dad had passed away so my debut was never really a debut. I was a brother in one film and was a boy singing a song in the other. I had no backing and the only reason for choosing a film was that I needed the money. 

 Do you regret not having had that backing?
I was fairly popular and not that I would have been a superstar, but yes, I do feel that I could have had a better career had I been told certain things. I am launching Bilal Amrohi in O Teri. Bilal’s parents are friends of Alvira’s entire family for the longest time and Bilal has been with me from the time I started producing and directing my first film. His mother and Salman’s are like sisters and he has always been a part of all Salim uncle’s family functions. There is a Chinese saying that even if you lose the race, don’t lose the lessons. So, with Bilal, I consciously try to tell things that nobody really tells you, even though, it’s so easy to actually do that. I had friends in the industry, but no one really stops you when you are doing the wrong things. And in that sense, I missed the guidance. I was very attached to my dad, but lost him all of a sudden to a heart attack. A father is someone you can confess to, someone you can complain to, someone who forgives you. I missed having my father. We would get paid just 2-3 lakh to do a movie. Today’s actors get paid so well that the money they make in one movie may be more than what we may have made in our lifetime, as a result of which they make more sound decisions. We would be working multiple shifts to just keep our life going. Apart from being the producer on O Teri, it’s my passion to get it right for both the boys Pulkit and Bilal.

How has your journey been as a producer-director?
Pankaj Parashar was an ace ad filmmaker and under him, I learnt both production and direction. Once I started getting lesser roles in Hindi films, I did a Gujarati and a Bengali film and then TV, till I felt I should direct, which is when I directed Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa and Hello. I had encashed too many favours in Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa and was not able to reciprocate and felt emotionally miserable till I produced Bodyguard when I redeemed myself and made money. But whatever money I made in Bodyguard I have put back in O Teri and so, in that sense, nothing has changed really for me. My father-in-law (Salim Khan) so beautifully said to me, ‘There are no marks for good handwriting, only the content matters.’ I have tried to apply that. From the age of 16, it’s always been about paying for putting the chicken on the table and it still is. I am still not thinking about myself and I want O Teri to work for these two boys.

How did you meet your wife Alvira?
I was modelling for a paint commercial for Kailash Surendranath and met her there as she was assisting him on that commercial. We became friends and remained friends meeting at the RG’s and 1900 as there were no mobile phones at that time. When I got into the movies, we started talking a lot more. Ours was a friendship that grew so much that you wanted it to be a permanent relationship. And since the last 18 years of our marriage, it has always felt like a great companionship.

What is she like?
She is damn honest in her approach to life. I like that side of her. Her being able to be principled, having no vices whatsoever and still being able to be the life of a party. Her relationship with God most importantly. She is a good person and is my only emotional anchor. I admire her progress as a human being. Her ability to be able to hold on to her faith. Because of her, I also pursued spirituality. It is true that today things are better. And what you need, you get. But looking back at my life, it has not been glorious at all. But still I don’t have that many complaints. That is something I learnt, but it is something she always knew. And that is the difference between us. She is also a good mother and meditates a lot.

Who in Alvira’s family do you value the most?
Salim uncle. First time, I remember when I met him, there was this great pressure, given who he is. He was sitting in his balcony, reading the newspaper. Alvira told him, ‘Dad, this is the boy I like.’ That was the first time she had told him about me. He looked up and just said, ‘I like him too.’ That was it. For me, he replaced my father.

Talk about Salman?
Apart from the fact that he is Alvira’s older brother, I have also acted with him in two films. It’s a vast relationship with him and our relationship is very thick. It’s many things. I think he is selfless. He is not in the movies because he is ambitious or he has a goal. Everything he does, he does for somebody else. He did the title song of O Teri for me or Alvira or for Bilal or Pulkit or for all of us. But his reasons are always larger. The beautiful part of Salim uncle’s family is that there are no favourites there. Salman loves each of his siblings equally. Because of my father-in-law, the hierarchy is correct. Sohail is more babylike, Arbaaz is more mature, Salman has always been most responsible, Arpita is the baby and Alvira having grown up with the boys, is really one of them. Their family takes collective decisions and I admire that and preach that.