Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; December 2, 2019)

Speaking on the first day of the Times LitFest Delhi, Gulshan Grover, whose film I Am Kalam (2011) won multiple awards, told the audience that he had initially decided not to do the film, but after hearing the storyline, he was so impressed that not only did he change his mind but he decided to do the film for free. Gulshan said, “When I was offered I Am Kalam, I decided not to do the film because the budget of the entire film was equal to my fee. But when I heard the story, I was so impressed that I decided to do it for free. I have huge respect and love for the producers of the film, and Nila Madhab Panda, our director.”

In reply to a question about his inclination towards villainous roles, Gulshan said, “I have been offered a hero’s role several times but I always turned them down. I never wanted to be a hero.” He added, “When I came to the film industry (in the ’80s), the actors didn’t want to change their look for a film. They didn’t even want to put on a fake moustache while playing the role of a police officer. I was the one who changed this by experimenting with my looks, and now actors like Aamir Khan go through the process of changing their looks to make the character look real.”

Talking about the work he has done in foreign films, the actor said, “When I went to Hollywood, our films used to be screened at film festivals. They didn’t know much about Bollywood, be it Amitabh Bachchan’s films or Dilip Kumar’s, which has now changed.”