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'I want to make amends'

V S Srinivasan

Sunil Shetty. Click for bigger pic!

Sunil Shetty was big and beefy and quite happy running a flourishing hotel business till one day the bug bit him. Then he wanted to be an actor, to see himself on the silver screen a hero.

Fortunately for him, someone thought he had something in him and picked him for Balwaan. He plunged headlong into the industry without a clue about how Bollywood operated.

He enters the room dressed in blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a blue denim jacket and proceeds to change into a kurta pyjama while he is busy talking to you. He doesn't mind you or his other friends there looking on. For he has lacks the filmi attitudes expected of a Bollywood star.

He first chatters with his friends in his native Tulu while polishing off a snack. And then he gets back to you.

"My debut film was a hit, but I never benefited from it," he says nonchalantly.

"I have had a rough patch even this year," he says, before you can say something complimentary about his performances in Border and Bhai last year.

"I am not upset or feeling low about it," he continues. "Because a lot of these films were backlog films and many of them went unnoticed. Today publicity and marketing are very important. You have to be bloody aggressive about it."

Yet, even those old films had been noticed during the promos, hadn't they, we asked him. The songs had caught on.

"Yeah, I've always had a good song in every film. I've been very lucky with the music. The song is hammered in again and again, but when it comes to the film, the people realise that there's nothing in it."

But Sunil has seen the light at the end of the tunnel. "Now I have a few good films coming up, like Shakeel Noorani's Bade Dilwala and Gulzar's Hu Tu Tu, both of which are complete and ready for release. Then there are films like Hera Pheri, Ek Hindustani, Hum Panchhi Ek Dal Ke, Refugee and Rajiv Rai's next film in English."

Click for bigger pic!

There are also some projects with Ram Gopal Varma, Govind Nihalani and Kuku Kohli that are still happening.

"All these are good films and I'm very happy with the way they have been made. The music, script, the shooting... Everything has been great. I'm looking forward to working with all the good directors of the industry too."

Sunil feels a stage will come soon where he can do just two films at a time. "See here, if one Friday, you are on and the next Friday your films flops, then no one wants to cast you from the week after.

"So it is better that I do films that stand a good chance of doing well. I know for a fact that my next film will be by J P Dutta, after which I will be doing the Rajiv Rai one, which has a mixed casting. There is a role of an Asian in the film, and that's where I fit in."

So he too is enamoured of Hollywood?

"See, I am doing the film because Rajiv is a very good friend of mine and I have a great tuning with him." This, with a little asperity showing there.

Sunil could have never thought of being where he is now when he started off in Balwaan.

"I wasn't appreciated for that film. So I took on whatever came my way to launch myself into the industry. I don't repent that period, but was very rough. After every good film, I would have two bad films which would nullify all the progress I'd made."

Sunil feels that he could never become a superstar for obvious reasons.

"The problem is that I have never been able to stay on a high for a very long time. The law of averages has always caught up with me. And then came a phase when people did not want to watch action films.

"So a couple of years ago, I decided not to sign just action films anymore and to finish my backlog of films. Now my backlog is kinda over. There is one film left, which is over seven years old, but that should be released soon and I can start on a fresh note.

With Priya Gill. Click for bigger pic!

"I know that the makers too have been responsible for the kind of films made. But now, I can stop complaining about my producers and directors and take the responsibility on my own shoulders if my film flops. I am being very choosy in my work now and not signing more than two films a year. So I will be able to pinpoint as to what exactly went wrong with the film...

"I realise my mistakes, but at the same time, I also realise that I am not from a filmi background... There are others making mistakes for the last 10 to 12 years. So now is the stage when I ready myself for the final assault. In that case 1999 would be a very important year for me."

Sunil also feels that action films are out of the reckoning today, what with Hollywood coming up with better action and better special effects that make Indian films look weak by comparison.

"The action heroes are having to do these mushy-mushy kind of roles in these family entertainers that are doing so well these days. Moreover, there is a better films being made today. And so I am latching on to better directors, better films and better producers..."

Sunil says that he needs a few good films now.

"I need my films to do well at the box-office steadily. I don't want two good films and a bad one. I want all my films to do steadily well at the box-office and soon things will change."

And is he prepared to change his action image? "I am already changing it. All my forthcoming films are different. I'm very comfortable with music now. I realise that is basically much easier doing a mushy role than an action role, for action can really tire you out. If you have a good screenplay, the scene, on the whole, looks much better. I believe that I'm a good student and that if I'm under a good director, I just have to close my eyes and follow his instructions."

So how has he coped with his directors in his second innings, doing mushy roles now?

"Well, Hu Tu Tu is a good example -- a film abut the political situation the country. I don't want to speak much about it but it's a different kind of a film. The title is apt, Hu Tu Tu. It's an Indian sport (kabaddi) involving pulling someone's leg, just like in Indian politics. Only the youth of this country can save the situation and the film's about them.

Click for bigger pic!

"Tabu and I play the young protagonists. It's an exciting script and, believe me, I've wept at every stage of the narration. Nana Patekar also plays an important role in the film.

"Then there is Bade Dilwala which will also release soon. It's a love story with a difference. It is about a man, his wife and a third woman. It's about how the man himself realises that the other woman is better for him. His daughter also thinks so, and so do all his friends and well-wishers. The whole story is based on a small lottery ticket that he gets. There is a little bit of action, but the film has been appreciated for its music and lyrical value.

"Paresh Rawal and Archana Puran Singh, who plays my wife, have come up with terrific performances. Paresh is hilarious. In the final analysis, his role comes out much better than mine. He plays a so-called film financier who claims to have financed films right from Mother India. You come to know a lot about the film industry through his character. Archana too has done a great job...

"Hum Panchhi Ek Dal Ke is an adventure story with a lot of kids... I'm very excited about it. Unfortunately, that the film has been delayed. The film was slated to release this summer. The film has also been shot brilliantly and is a visual treat," says Shetty.

"Today, I am also working on a project which will raise money to fight child prostitution. People are doing a lot for cancer and AIDS, but this is one area which has been untouched. That's my dream at the moment."

And what about pushing ahead in the industry?

"I do want to live life king size, yes. But I also want to spend a lot on my children and give them happiness and security."

Click for bigger pic!

Is it because he went through a period when he was very insecure about his own career?

"It is very difficult for a South Indian to do well in Hindi films. But I have been very sincere and have put in a lot of hard work. I've never been insecure financially because of my business. Moreover, the film industry has also given me a brand name. And that has helped my business. I just want to remain on a high, let all my films do well, and then retire into film production.

"You see, I believe a producer's job today is as important as that of a director. If you realise how a film like Godzilla has been marketed in India, it's mind-blowing."

Sunil says the marketing of films is very important with reference to the industry status that is being conferred on films. "We have not realised the potential of marketing till now. The producers are only concentrating onkitna aaya picture banaya, itna table pe bacha, aur nikal diya.

"They are not looking at improving their banner. But once industry status is granted, people will realise that if they don't deliver, their next film will not get financed. Frankly, this will help in getting better films made since people will worry about the quality of their film too.

"Even I want to do good films. I'd rather sit at home rather than do bad films now. I want people to appreciate my work now. Today when my mom watches my earlier films her eyes are half-closed. She tells me that my films are good just because she loves me. But I know she's not too happy about it.

"If my daughter wanted to see a film today, I'd rather show her entertaining films like Chachi 420 or Dil to Pagal Hai than one of my earlier films. But I want to make amends now. I want to make my family proud."

EARLIER FEATURE:
Hero, hunk