Anil Kapoor speaks up on Pagalpanti not working at the box office
Anil Kapoor is a star who knows one shouldn’t get too attached to either success or failure. The actor has spent close to 40 years in films, with a higher ratio of the former, and always manages to look at the positive side even when otherwise. For instance, his last release, the multistarrer Pagalpanti (2019), didn’t meet box office expectations, but instead of mulling over it, he’s putting all his energies into his upcoming film Malang with Disha Patani and Aditya Roy Kapur.
On what prompted him to take up this thriller, Anil says, “It was Luv Ranjan (producer) who introduced the idea to me. Then I met Mohit (Suri, director) and was blown away by his vision for the story. That’s all it took for me to commit to it!”
And he doesn’t shy away from talking about Pagalpanti either. “The thing is, you want every film to be positive. You take out so many good things from there. I’ve been that kind of person. Lots of good things happened, too. I became friends with a lot of people I haven’t worked with, like Arshad (Warsi), spent a lot of time with John (Abraham) and Anees (Bazmee, director) bhai... I feel for Kumar Mangat (Pathak, producer), he’s been associated with Ajay (Devgn) for many years now. He was really banking on this film. You win some, lose some. I think all of us involved in the film are those kind of people who have seen… We just move on to the next one,” says the 63year-old, whose youthful looks and wisdom gained over the years make for quite a lethal combination.
Besides Pagalpanti, Anil has worked in many multistarrers in the last few years, including Race 3 (2018), Total Dhamaal and Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (both 2019). Up next are Malang and Takht. Does he feel such films are tougher as expectations are sky high, owing to a starstudded cast? “That’s okay, it’s part of life na, and show business. Certain films have expectations... it’s got a lot to do with timing and kismet too,” is all he says.
For Malang, Anil had to lose weight and undergo a physical transformation. One wonders whether doing such prep at his age gets tough at times. He quips, “Preparing yourself mentally and physically to slip into a character, especially in an action movie, is tough and demanding at any age. I’ve always been keen on experimenting with different looks for different roles. But Malang was particularly challenging — not only did I have to lose weight for my character, I also had to train extensively to play action sequences as a cop. And I even got a tattoo done!”
You win some, lose some. I think all of us involved in the film are those kind of people who have seen… We just move on to the next one. ANIL KAPOOR, ACTOR