Soumitra Das (BOMBAY TIMES; May 16, 2019)

Right from the days of hosting the unforgettable TV show Antakshari to doing films like Vicky Donor and Jolly LLB 2, Annu Kapoor has always managed to impress viewers on different mediums. At a concert recently, the versatile performer told us, “37 saal ho gaye mujhe film industry mein, and it has been a memorable journey.” Excerpts from a chat:

Are you more choosy now when it comes to Bollywood projects? How do you see the new wave of content-driven films and shows ruling the entertainment industry now?
There are three exciting films that I am working on currently, one of which (Chehre) also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Emraan Hashmi and Raghubir Yadav. In all these projects, I have loved the script, have a meaty role and the money is good. Aur ab toh yeh teeno cheezein chahiye. Struggle maine bahut kiya hai life mein, woh ho gaya abhi. I remember I have done projects for Rs 3,000 also, lekin ab nahi karunga. When I came to Mumbai in 1982, I had only Rs 425 with me. Mere paas na shakal hai, na surat, lekin 37 saal survive kiya hai to iss ka matlab hai ki people have appreciated my talent. But I am glad to see that more realistic films are being made today, and we no longer make just typical boy-meets-girl love stories. When I see films like Andhadhun doing so well, I feel very happy. In fact, I have plans to direct a few films in the near future. Today, there is work for everyone and actors are getting paid well, too. Also, social media ne bahut logon ko overnight star bana diya hai. And that’s because aajkal kuch bhi viral ho sakta hai. But to sustain in the industry, there is no substitute for talent and hard work. You just need to look at people like Amitabh Bachchan for inspiration. For our upcoming film, he called all of us for reading sessions at his home. A star of his stature doesn’t need to do that, but it just shows how serious he is about his work.

Bollywood has been sharply divided over the Lok Sabha polls this year. What’s your take on this?
What’s wrong in it if Bollywood celebrities are voicing their opinion about the elections? That is the beauty of a democracy, isn’t it? There’s nothing wrong with actors fighting elections, or expressing their opinion about it. I heard that Akshay Kumar was trolled for interviewing the Prime Minister, and I fail to understand why. Personally, I feel that artists coming together and urging the people not to vote for a particular person or party is a negative approach. But in a democracy, there is certainly room for different voices.

You host a popular music show on TV, which has songs from Bollywood’s golden era. What’s your take on the trend of remixing old classics?
Remixes karte hai, but lyrics toh wohi rehte hai na? Today, orchestration has become very important for Bollywood when it comes to film songs. Aajkal emotional songs bahut kam bante hai, and I guess it’s a reflection of the kind of society that we are living in. Pehle sahityakar film ke gaane likhte the, toh class nazar aati thi. And most songs would have a beautiful message. Ab agar sahitya nazar nahi aayega, toh message nazar nahi aayega. It’s that simple. Lekin gaane chal toh jaate hai, which is good.