Whatever the fate of a project, the actor says he always found something positive in each of his films
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 3, 2019)

In a career spanning 36 years in Bollywood, and having done more than 100 films, there are bound to be some regrets for an actor — say, a film you didn’t want to do, and ended up doing anyway. But not for Anil Kapoor, who has managed to always draw praise from critics and fans alike, whatever the fate of a film.

“I have no regrets in my career,” he says, adding, “Sometimes, you go through a film, you meet people... There are so many films I have done just because I wanted to do them. There have been films which weren’t as phenomenal as I had expected. There were, however, a lot of other takeaways from them. It’s okay, yaar, whatever people or critics say. Sometimes [you do a film] for relationships, some [for a] country you’ve never visited before, [with others] you make friends. Sometimes the money really helps you do so many things you wouldn’t have been able to if you hadn’t done that film. I’ve never been cut-throat about these things.”

This confession says a lot about how candid the 62-year-‘young’ actor is. Anil doesn’t shy away from talking about it further, when we reiterate about him taking up films for money. The actor reveals it helped him and his family during a crisis-like situation.

“There are times when you needed it, not for yourself, but your company. After Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993) was a big financial setback for the company (Anil’s brother, Boney Kapoor, had produced the film) and my family, I did a few films I otherwise wouldn’t have said yes to. That money really helped us. And why not? It’s always the intent. If that’s positive, and you sometimes do it (a film), it’s ultimately about that,” says Anil, who will be seen next in a string of big projects such as Malang, Takht, and comedy film Pagalpanti.

Anil’s comic timing has always floored his fans, be it as Kishan in No Entry (2005) or as Majnu Bhai in Welcome (2007). This time, in Pagalpanti, he’s WiFi Bhai.

Ask how the film happened for him and he laughs. “Anees (Bazmee; director) bhai narrated it to me. We’ve done a lot of films together. I was in two minds, whether I should do it or not. I’ve also known the producers for many years. Thank God, I said yes to it. Whenever I take time to say yes to a film, it always turns out to be good,” he shares.

But isn’t it tough making people laugh and getting the comic timing right? “It all depends on the writing,” he tells us, adding, “The team had good co-actors, which makes the job easier. Welcome was a true example of a great ensemble. In Pagalpanti, roles done by every actor — such as Saurabh Shukla, Mukesh Tiwari, Inaamulhaq, and the trimurti John Abraham, Arshad Warsi and Pulkit Samrat — are absolutely fantastic.”