Kunal Kohli who has wooed us with his super films is back as an actor this time. His film Phir Se with Jennifer Winget is scheduled for a 2015 release. The debutant actor speaks with Deebashree Mohanty about his role
Filmmaker Kunal Kapoor who has churned out hits like Hum Tum and Fanaa as director doesn’t want to do a lot of things just for the heck of it. He would rather concentrate on one thing at a time.
“I am not a factory, you see. I am a passionate filmmaker who does a film only when he believes in it. When Phir Se was being conceptualised, I thought it was a brilliant idea to showcase different relationships in the society through an odd couple. It has an interesting plot and is a very fast-paced film. I had never planned to be an actor. But this story was such that I couldn’t resist the idea,” a jovial Kohli says about his acting debut.
The first shoot and warm-up scenes for Phir Se have already been wrapped up in Delhi and other parts of India but Kohli awaits his turn in london. “We have done some shooting with Jennifer Winget and other key characters in the movie. My role is based out of India, so my turn is yet to come. At the moment, I am busy rehearsing and fine tuning some parts of the script,” a versatile Kohli tells you.
But why Phir SeIJ “For one, I get to play my age and that is a huge bonus. The male protagonist in this film is a 41-year-old divorced man and the story is about what happens when he meets a divorced woman. There are a lot of ups and downs that the couple face,” he says not willing to reveal the ‘most exciting part of the film’. “It’s too early yaar,” he shrugs off.
Ask him about Winget and Kohli is back in full form. “I have been fortunate to work with stars like Kajol, Rani, Priyanka Chopra, Saif Ali Khan and so many more, but I think Jennifer is right up there. She is no less than these superstars. This girl has all it takes to be a top actor,” he tells you in between sipping his morning cup of coffee.
The filmmaker is no hurry to get into other ‘acting projects’. “It’s too early to say whether I would act in other films as well. It all depends whether the janata will like me in this avatar or not. If they do, then maybe I will consider if something sensible and my-types come knocking on the door. If they don’t like me, well, I will be very upset,” he says laughingly. Kohli insists that being a master director doesn’t give him an edge over other actors. It doesn’t put him in the backfoot either. “In this industry, no one has any edge over the other. Every day is a new day and a fresh chapter. I have faced the camera a couple of times and those have been decent outings. So, I guess I will manage,” a modest Kohli states.
Farah Khan started this trend when in Shirin Farhad Ki To Nikal Padi and now Kohli will be donning his acting shoes in Phir Se, scheduled for a 2015 release.
Are they setting a trend of sortsIJ “The motive is never to be a trend setter. I love to experiment and I am fortunate that the opportunities are coming my way. Bas, I don’t want anything else,” he says. Hum aur tum can’t wait for this Phir Se, can weIJ