Farhan Akhtar chooses his films very carefully; his latest is Wazir, a Vinod Chopra film in which he plays a pivotal role. Farhan talks about what drew him to Wazir, his co-star Amitabh and his forthcoming films.
Vinod Chopra has told you about the Wazir script when you were directing Lakshya (2004)! What was your reaction at that time?
He had just told me about the script around the time I was making Lakshya and had said that he would send it to me for reading. I was okay with it but he never sent it to me. Finally, two years ago while I was shooting for Dil Dhadakne Do, he called me up and said Yaad hain tujhe film ke baare mein bataya tha? It’s finally ready.’ I met with Bejoy (Nambiar, the director) and I thought it was a great script.
In 2004, you had not begun your acting career. Were you approached to direct the film?
No, he just wanted me to read it. There were certain things that he wanted me to educate myself on as a film student. I feel it’s great when people who have been working before you share their experience on the way they write because you only learn from it.
You directed Amitabh Bachchan in Lakshya and are now acting with him in Wazir. How different were the two experiences?
It was more challenging directing him than to be acting with him because as a director your responsibility is way more -- you have to create an environment in which actors can perform without stress. Also Lakshya was a very hard film to make. Those days, I wouldn’t get too much time to spend with him in-between shot because I was constantly prepping for the next day. But while shooting for Wazir I had lot of time to spend with him because the larger responsibility was Bejoy’s. I spoke to him about movies, his experiences, and the many films that I have enjoyed watching him in.
Would you say Wazir is your first action film?
There is lot of action in this film and a lot of drama. The story is about love and revenge.
Your contemporaries act in two-three films in a year whereas you average around a film a year. Is it a strategy?
It’s how the films pan out, yaar, and what interests me -- I don’t want to say yes to a film if my heart is not 100 percent in it. You have to be inspired because the passion with which you do something will translate on screen and to the audience. You know when somebody’s heart is into what they are doing.
Also, a lot of people who you consider my contemporaries only act, whereas we have a production house where we working constantly with directors and develop their films, cast for the films, set up the music for their films.
You seem intense. Is it easy for you to get in and out of a character?
Some are easier than others, the toughest one to get out of was Milkha from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. For a year and a half, I lived like an athlete -- eating healthy, sleeping 10 hours every single day, having a set regimen with everyone taking care of you ... you feel invincible, really strong and positive. But you have to let go of that and it was difficult.
When is your next film Rock On 2 set to release?
There is no fixed released date but I don’t think it will be before the last quarter of 2016.
How involved are you with you production, the Katrina-Siddharth starrer Baar Baar Dekho?
Well I am involved with the script process, casting, music of the film but I don’t go on the sets of any of our productions when it is being directed by someone else and in which I am not acting. My work is done in terms of setting up things. It’s important that they have their own vision.