Kavya Christopher (BOMBAY TIMES; January 18, 2020)

After over two decades and an enviable repertoire of work behind him, Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeepa says that he is lucky to be in the space that he is in today. In a conversation with BT, the actor talks about his bond with Salman Khan, lessons he has hearnt in his long innings as an actor and more. Excerpts:

With Dabangg 3, and your other Kannada films, has the year gone by brought in a change in direction in your career?
I am lucky to have a career like this. I guess after this point, it’s about extensions, extra feathers, extra excitement that keeps coming your way. Sometimes that doesn’t happen and that’s what we need to worry about, because life becomes monotonous. There is no journey. There is one that took place, and once you reach the destination, you tend to just be there… stagnate. It has been a journey for me, but luckily mine has not stopped. There has been no strategy, I continue to go with the flow. Luckily for me, there has been some excitement every year. Dabangg 3 happened last year, but more than films, it excites me to work with new people, experience new places and things.

Being in a space that you never imagined you would ever be a part of, excites me. It is not about carrying baggage from your past and saying, ‘I want to do the things I have been doing back home, here as well’. It was a new experience, even though I played the antagonist. I did play a negative role in Eega, but then there was no hero to beat me up. This is about acceptance. You have accepted the role, and you need to do it whole-heartedly.

Your role was spoken about, even though it was a Salman Khan film.
The team gave me my space and didn’t edit or delete portions of my role, which goes to show that they respected my presence. That is probably why they wanted me to do the role. There are instances in the film for which Salman sir has written my lines. There is a scene in which I walk into a hospital and speak, and he just stands there and listens to me. This is rare, for a hero to not react to what is being thrown at him. If the character I played is etched in people’s minds today, I owe it to the team.

You share a close bond with Salman Khan...
Whenever you meet genuine people, and there is no agenda attached to how they are with you, bonds are bound to be created. Everybody has enough experience to understand whether, or not, there is an agenda to a connection. Maybe we do not speak about it openly, but we just know it. But when you just like the other person’s presence in your life, with zero expectations, then you start cherishing the time spent together. I have never asked him (Salman) to do anything for me. If he comes to meet me here, it has to happen organically, and not because I have called him. We text each other, and are in constant touch. It is nice when one gets a response from people who you least expect to even know. Salman too reacts to people. He has seen all kinds of people — the good and the bad. So, when he stays connected with people, then that means it is something nice.

You have announced a directorial, too.
Yes, I have. I have directed my films at regular intervals. This time around, there has been a long gap. Telling a story has always excited me more than just being a part of it. I plan to start this mid-year.

Over the last few years, you have had a series of injuries. How difficult has this phase been for you?
Physical injuries can be dealt with. There is always a cure, and you know that it is going to be fixed. Back-stabbing hurts more; there is no medicine or cure for it and you just need to accept it. It usually comes from very beautiful places and sources you least expect it from. Those injuries have been far more. It has only made me look at everything in a different way right now. Things don’t hurt me anymore. Anger is a very pure emotion, much stronger than love. Irrespective of whether you wake up thinking about your loved ones or not, you will surely wake up thinking about this person you are angry with. See, I am not here to prove a point to anyone. Life is treating me well. What more does one want? My competitiveness towards certain things won’t go away.

ON SKETCHING SALMAN

I used to paint, and I still do. More recently, I did a sketch of Salman. I wanted to give it to him on his birthday. I couldn’t because on that day there was too much crowd, but I will give it to him one of these days. There are certain people you really don’t know what to gift, and they don’t expect anything either. But at the same time, you can’t give them anything that they already have. I think it is the presence and the thought that really matters. So, what I could think of as a gift for Salman was this sketch.