‘Actors will survive, stars will fade out’

Actor Rishi Kapoor says that the mindset of the Indian moviegoer is evolving, and very soon, actors will have to change their approach

At a time when the Hindi film industry is churning out some really contentrich films, actor Rishi Kapoor doesn’t feel there is anything new to it. He says that such films were made in his era, too, many of which he himself was a part of.

“I’ve always believed that films should be heavy on content, which is why I acted in so many. Prem Rog (1982), Damini (1993), Tawaif (1985) were all content-based films, not made on a huge scale. They might not have been high on action, but were not nonsensical. Filmmakers today glorify action more. Even technically, films are more glossed over,” he says.

Having played quite a few memorable characters himself —an 18-year-old Hindu boy in love with a 16-year-old Catholic girl in Bobby (1973), an advocate of widow remarriage in Prem Rog, a schoolteacher in Do Dooni Chaar (2010), a trafficker in Agneepath (2012), and a 90-year-old in Kapoor and Sons (2016), the actor believes that the expectations of the audience from actors and films, are constantly evolving.

“You see, actors will have to change their approach. Eventually, only actors will survive, stars won’t. Stars will fade out. The system of being just good-looking and bagging films will finish. I shouldn’t be saying this, but there are a lot of so-called actors today who bloody don’t know what acting is all about,” retorts Kapoor.

Is he happy with the way the younger crop of actors and filmmakers is headed today? Kapoor replies in the affirmative. “Different kinds of films like Hindi Medium and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017) and many more are being made now. And more importantly, they are being appreciated, too. So, thankfully, this generation is focused,” he says.

However, the 65-year-old adds that there are still many who don’t want to take risks. “Sometimes, to be a part of a big-budget film, actors go in for safer bets, so that the film is acceptable among both single theatre and multiplex audiences. That’s where Indian cinema becomes regressive,” opines Kapoor.

What is his opinion on films travelling to international film festivals but not getting great responses in the domestic market? “I don’t think film festivals make any significant difference to the industry. Barring a few, we don’t make films for festivals. We make them for a large audience. As a matter of fact, we mostly make commercial films,” he signs off.

The system of being just goodlooking and bagging films will finish. There are a lot of socalled actors today who don’t know what acting is all about. RISHI KAPOOR ACTOR