Abhimanyu Mathur (BOMBAY TIMES; October 20, 2019)

For someone who started his career as a romantic hero, Riteish Deshmukh has done quite well in other genres of cinema. In recent years, he has been a part of some of the highest-grossing comedies in Hindi films and has another big-budget comedy lined up for release with the multi-starrer Housefull 4. Speaking to us while promoting his film in the capital, Riteish talks about the dangers of doing comedy, saying ‘no’ to crackers on Diwali, and the inevitability of being trolled on social media. Read on...

You often come to Delhi to promote your films, but the journey this time was a bit different. You came here in a train and not in a flight like you usually do. Do you remember the last time you took a train journey?
Last week, actually. I am a regular when it comes to train journeys. I often visit my native place Latur and I go there by train. Last month alone, I went to Latur two-three times. It’s quite a comfortable overnight journey. You get on the train, go to sleep and the next morning you reach your destination. But, this journey (the Housefull Express) started in the afternoon and we reached here the next afternoon. So, there is a lot of daytime journey. All of us get along really well and it was extremely exciting.

You have done quite a few comedies over the years. When you do similar content time and again, you run the risk of getting repetitive. How do you make sure you bring something new to the table each time?
When it’s a franchise, it becomes very difficult because people come to see you be a part of the film in the same tone and goofiness that they have already seen. So, it comes down to the characterisation. The writers have to figure out how different you can make it.

Is that where the reincarnation theme in Housefull 4 comes in? So far, reincarnation films have either been revenge sagas or romantic dramas. There haven’t been many reincarnation comedies.
I don’t think there has been one, at least in Hindi cinema. See, I’m not sure of the exact number, but across various budgets, every year, there will be 10-15 comedies on various issues. But eventually, there has to be that one big idea that makes people say, “Arre, yeh socha nahin tha.” It’s the same set of people in a franchise so you have to bring something new. And then, we are coming on Diwali so we knew we wanted to make a big film.

Your festive season is being spent in promotions for the film. What was it like when you were growing up?
Growing up, for me, Diwali was about the family coming together and probably bursting crackers. Today, when I look back, I think, “Why did I do that?” I don’t want to impart this to my children. We were not conscious enough then. Now, people are talking about being eco-friendly and I hope and pray that this year, the spending on and usage of crackers goes down considerably. Maybe one day we can go back to the original concept of Diwali being all about the lights.

Coming from a family that is quite active in politics, did you never think of a stint in politics?
It was happening all around me. In terms of actively taking part, no. Election mein khada hona itna aasaan nahin hota. It’s not like one day you wake up and decide “I’m going to contest the elections”. There are a lot of other dynamics that are involved, like where are you going to contest from, who are the people who will vote for you, do they trust you, and so on. When it comes to elections, being an actor can only get you to a certain point. Building a bond with the people takes time.

So I haven’t thought about entering politics yet. But then, I never knew I was going to be an actor. I have never been the kind of person who decides I’ll never do this or never do that in terms of opportunities in life. Tomorrow, I could be a businessman, a farmer, I don’t know.

Do you think the film industry as a whole has become more vocal about politics of late?
I think in the world of social media, it has become easier to voice your opinions. Earlier, one’s opinion never reached the public because one didn’t have these avenues that are available today, whether to vent or to praise. Of course, once you have a political opinion, you are going to get trolled. But there are some brave people who do it. And when I say brave I don’t mean only those who criticise the government. Even those who speak in favour of the government get trolled. And I feel it’s not only our industry. Be it in sports, business or any other field where one is an influencer, people have found a voice and have become political, which is a great thing.

And that comes with a fair share of trolling, like you said, and that can get pretty intense and ugly.
It’s not necessary that everyone has to talk about every issue. But when you talk about the one thing you want to, they ask you why you didn’t speak about it the last time. We’re actors, not newspapers. It’s not necessary or possible to pick every issue. If someone feels that we spoke about one issue so we should also speak about another issue as well, it’s their take.