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SHAH RUKH KHAN PLAYS A TOUR GUIDE IN IMTIAZ ALI’S FILM
The character is believed to be inspired by Dev Anand’s iconic role in the 1965 film, Guide
or the first time in his career of 25 years, Shah Rukh Khan (far right) will play the role of a tour guide in Jab Harry Met Sejal, which also stars Anushka Sharma. As the film’s director Imtiaz Ali (right) finds the job of a tour guide quite fascinating, he decided on this character for the film. According to a source, the character is also inspired by Dev Anand’s iconic portrayal of the same in the 1965 film, Guide.
Giving insight to SRK’s role, Harvinder Singh Mehra aka Harry, Imtiaz describes it to be a contrast of sorts as his profession is quite different from his personality. “Harvinder Singh Mehra is a tour guide. He guides about many people every day and takes them where they want, but personally, he is lost. He has not found what he is seeking,” says Imtiaz. “Every day in his life there are hundreds of people reaching where they want to reach, which is just a tourist location that he [Harvinder] is not even bothered to look at. He doesn’t know where he is going and yet, he is a tour guide,” he adds.
This paradoxical quality was exactly what Imtiaz wanted from SRK’s character.
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui (right) is an ‘acting chameleon’, who glides from one character to another. He may have impressed audiences with his roles in films such as Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), Kahaani (2012), Badlapur (2015), and Raees (2017), but Nawaz says that he tries to stay honest to his craft rather than thinking about what others say about him.
“I act for myself and not to impress people. Doing that would be corrupting my craft. I’m trying to discover myself through different characters,” he says.
While shooting for Munna Michael, an upcoming film
Actor Kajol (above) is returning to Tamil cinema after a gap of 20 years with her upcoming film Velai Illa Pattathari 2 aka VIP 2. The actor who made her debut in Tamil cinema with the film Minsaara Kanavu (1997), says she initially considered quitting VIP2 as she finds it challenging to memorise dialogues in the South language.
“Acting is difficult in a language that you don’t understand. It was a tough process for the first two days,” says Kajol. “I saw my scene on paper, and I was like, ‘Okay. You could take somebody else for the film now.’ But Soundarya [director] and Dhanush [co-star] were sweet and kind. They decided to work on me a little more. By the third day, I was willing to finish the rest of the film,” she adds.
She says that it has been an amazing journey working in a
Tamil film after so long. with actor Tiger Shroff, Nawaz, however, faced a challenge — he was asked to dance! Calling it a “scary experience”, the actor adds, “I’m slightly insecure about my skill as a dancer. But the director (Sabbir Khan) insisted.”
How was it matching steps with Tiger, who is known to be a great dancer? “It is difficult for me to do better than him. But I rehearsed a lot and ended up enjoying it,” says Nawaz. “VIP 2 was a fantastic team. I had a great time and made some great friends. I thank Soundarya and Dhanush for taking the time and trouble to help me and make me look good on screen,” she adds.
VIP 2 is a sequel to the 2014 Tamil film Velai Illa Pattathari (VIP).
The actor noted that cinema, and the manner in which people work, has changed over the past two decades. Change, she says, is important as it helps an actor grow. “Today, we have a [film like] Baahubali, which crossed everybody’s imagination. We have enthralled people from around the world. Change is essential for growth, and we have developed as an industry. We are not talking about one particular state in the country now. That, I think, shows how much we have changed and the kind of exposure we have had,” she says.