Talktime | Rishi Kapoor
The veteran actor, who has given a great performance in his recent film Kapoor & Sons, talks to SANGEETA YADAV about playing an octogenarian, carrying prosthetic makeup in the film andworking with a bunch of talented and budding actors and director Shakun Batra
How did you manage to bring a lot of wit in playing daddu in Kapoors & SonsIJ
It’s a situational comedy of a dysfunctional family who come together after five years for their 90-year-old daddu who behaves like a child who is dependent on others for everything. Playing an octogenarian, who is living his second childhood, gave me a lot of scope to display varied layers of this character and experiment with it. The beauty of the character is that whatever he says and does, it makes him look funny and innocent. It will make you laugh and smile at his antics.
Was it a conscious decision to play a character which is much older to youIJ How much of your contribution has gone into the making this role a hitIJ
Daddu’s character is an extension of me only. To get into the shoes of the character, I visualised a 90-year-old man who used to come for morning walks. Though I never spoke to him, I used to observe him from far and try to study his body language, behaviour and how he was mingling with people around him. Moreover, I have improvised a lot on the character and that’s my style of acting. I don’t believe in following the script line by line. Instead, I enjoy being spontaneous and recreating things every time I give takes.
Did your spontaneity impact your work in any wayIJ
Yes, in those 32 days of shooting Kapoor & Sons, there was not a single day when director Shakun Batra and I did not fight. Not because of the creative perspective but there was a problem with the execution. Being a spontaneous actor, I like to improvise on my dialogues instead of learning them. Otherwise I will become very mechanic and not enjoy what I am doing. Shakun wanted to take the scene from a different angle. I would end up fighting with him for not asking for retakes as every scene was different from the previous one.
How did you both manage to work out a balanceIJ
Both of us compromised and tried to hit on a formula that brought out the best in us. Shakun surprised me with his way of detailing and editing. Sometimes I used to forget that I am playing a 90-year-old and would move faster than I had to. Shakun made me focus on these small things and made me aware of its importance. These small things are very important for a filmmaker.
Your look in this film is very different. Was it difficult for you to carry the prosthetic make-up the whole dayIJ
Behind those looks is a lot of hard work and high cost. The makers roped in American artist Greg Cannom, who has worked on Titanic (1997) and Brad Pitt’s The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008). I used to wake up at 5:30 am to get the make-up done. It used to take us two hours to get ready and another one hour to remove it at night. It was a tedious and painstaking process. And to carry it for five hours was very irritating and uncomfortable. I used to get agitated as my whole face and head used to be covered and I could do nothing if my face itched.
You have worked with such a young starcast. How was your experienceIJ
It was fun working with two generations. Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor are known for being very articulate and method actors. And the young brigade — Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan are the bunch of talented superstars in the making. We worked as a family unit in Coonoor.
What else is keeping into busy these daysIJ
I’m busy in making my Kapoor and sons at home and spending quality time with everyone whenever it’s possible.
Why are there very few films that require senior actorsIJ
It’s all about storyline. Today’s films are very target-centric and most of the stories revolve around the youth and couples in their 30s and 40s romancing which leaves very little scope for senior actors to showcase their acting prowess. Films like Airlift, Neerja and Kapoor & Sons, not only have strong storyline but meaty roles which gives a lot of scope for actors like me to experiment.