Arjun reminds me of Akshay: Vipul Shah

Arjun is quite like Akshay — very punctual and loves to keep the set funny and very light. And he’s extremely committed to his work. VIPUL SHAH FILMMAKER

Filmmaker Vipul Shah has donned the director’s hat after a hiatus of eight years. In 2010, he helmed the Akshay Kumar-starrer Action Replayy, and this time, he has worked with much younger actors, Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra, for his upcoming film, Namaste England. Having worked mostly with senior actors, including Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, among others, Shah says that the younger actors have brought “great energy” on the sets, and though he missed his old friends, he made new ones while working on this film. In a candid chat, the filmmaker talks about the “modern approach” that the young crop of actors follow, what’s similar between Arjun and Akshay, and more.

How was the experience of working with the younger actors in Namaste England?

As far as working style is concerned, [the younger actors] are as professional as the senior ones. And luckily, I’ve always worked with actors who are hugely committed and passionate to their work. Both Arjun and Parineeti are very well behaved. The only thing is that earlier, with all my other actors, I was a junior partner and in this one, I am the senior. That’s the only difference in the relationship.

Is there anything you felt has changed now?

Today’s generation is far more aware and exposed to world cinema and that reflects in their approach towards the work they do. That’s the only thing I feel is slightly different. Also, this young crop of actors has seen their senior counterparts very closely, so, somewhere, the behaviour pattern is similar and in terms of their approach, it’s more modern, considering cinema is a constantly evolving process. Hence, their approach is ‘less is more’. That’s wonderful.

Having worked with Akshay Kumar on so many films, did you miss him this time?

Working with Akshay has been a great pleasure. You always miss having someone like him around. Yes, there is a great comfort level with him, as we’ve worked on so many films together. But then, Arjun reminds me a lot of Akshay; we got to know each other better and now he’s a dear friend, too.

What similarities do Arjun and Akshay have?

He is quite like Akshay — very punctual and loves to keep the set funny and very light. And he’s extremely committed to his work. In that sense, I was very happy to work with Arjun. I feel he is terrific, and a pretty underrated actor to my mind, because what I’ve experienced with him while shooting for this film is that he is a much evolved actor. I think people will agree with me very soon. So, that was a wonderful revelation to me. I hope audience also sees that.

Is Namaste England a sequel to Namastey London (2007)? What are your expectations from it?

This is not a sequel to Namastey London. But if you’ve seen the previous film, this will remind you of that. So, that’s why I’m calling it Namaste England. It’s a similar world, but not the franchise going forward.

PHOTO: PRODIP GUHA/HT Filmmaker Vipul Shah says that what has changed in these eight years is that he has gone from a ‘junior’ partner to a ‘senior’ one in his relationship with the actors he has directed