Secret of looking young lies in the mind
CHANDIGARH At 60, he was giving competition to under 30-somethings at the 'HT Youth Forum' on Friday. Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor looked surprised when he was asked how he manages to "still look 42" by Sonal Kalra, moderator of the panel discussion on, 'How youth can be an agent of change'. "Not 32?", he prodded, before saying it comes from the way he takes life.
"I don't take myself or life too seriously. Success or failure, I brush both under the carpet and stay happy. Kabhi khushi, kabhi gam (happiness or sorrow), my attitude remains positive. Perhaps, that's the secret of my youth too."
Still doing films that are raking in the moolah and accolades, he is giving serious in-house competition to daughter Sonam and son, Harshvardhan Kapoor. But at the event, he spoke as a father of a daughter who has faced and fought trolls and a man of a "household dominated by women". "As a father, I am a feminist. I believe women are superior to men. I live in a household dominated by women -- my wife and two daughters. Me and my son are bechharas (helpless)," he said inviting laughter and applause from the audience. And his tips on parenting were as simple as those for looking young.
Kapoor said he lets his children decide what they want. "There are no dos and don'ts. Log kya kehenge? Logon ka kaam hai kehna (why bother about what people will say, its their job to talk). I want my kids to make mistakes and learn from them. I want them to find happiness, have fun."
But the father in him does get worried when Sonam, whom he decribed as "outspoken and too independent", faces backlash for her views.
"She speaks her mind and does not pause to think. She wrote in HT on trolls and got some negative feedback. But after I said it was a good piece, she said if my father likes the article, I don't care." But he had a word of caution for the youth hooked to social media. "Too much technology sucks your energy. It should be used to your advantage. Don’t become a slave to it."
As an actor, he believes a little humour goes a long way, even in highlighting controversies and serious issues. "I really miss RK Laxman (cartoonist and humourist) when I open the newspaper in the morning. He could comment on the most controversial issue by keeping it simple and witty. As an actor, I believe a movie should be entertaining. It should be able to bring a smile on faces of people. And if it also has a message, nothing like it," he said.
He wanted his fellow panellists, Bollywood filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and cricketer Gautam Gambhir too to give humour a chance. He offered Gambhir a comic role and asked Ali, if he would make a comedy hit like "Chupke, Chupke". The request brought a smile to Gambhir's face, who told Kapoor he is making the offer to the wrong person. Ali, on his part, said, "When you give me your dates, I'll make one."