You just played a cop in an investigative thriller called Brown. Your sister Kareena Kapoor Khan is also set to play a cop in a murder mystery opposite Hansal Mehta. Have you and Kareena always been on the same page?
It’s not a conscious decision but I think it’s nice to be able to have equality. I would say we are lucky that we can bounce ideas and discuss scripts. Sisters are like this only. Sometimes, you can be talking to a friend and they might not really understand where you’re coming from. But I think Kareena and I are very fortunate and lucky that we can talk about anything frankly. Even when it comes to work we just understand each other.
Have both of you always influenced each other’s decisions, be it in real life or in your careers?
This is how laughter and jokes happen in the house. Obviously regular sister things going on – borrowing clothes, discussing movies, talking about motherhood, being a family – thus Karina and I can talk about anything under the sun. . But it’s true, Kareena and I have clearly supported each other and pushed each other through every phase in our lives. I think we helped each other in the hopes of always doing the right thing. For me, that has been the beauty of my relationship with him.
Has a movie or character ever changed your life? Were you forced to change your perspective?
Can I say something in good humour? In the 90s and 2000s, life, perceptions and feelings changed every Friday. Whether you want it or not, on Friday you will have to change depending on the circumstances and the result of your release. Then you have to accustom yourself to it. Today may be Thursday and you may feel like nothing can happen tomorrow, but Friday will change everything. The moral of the story was that you have to keep doing your best. Stay focused, keep giving your best. And that’s all that matters. I think the key was to be honest with everyone – the audience, the people, the film industry, the director, the critics and everyone else. Just put forth your best effort and leave the rest to Friday.
How have things changed when you compare the peak of your career with today? Is the work environment completely different? Is the competition still fierce?
It’s not about competition anymore. I think it is a great time to be an actor today. There are many diverse roles in the industry today. There are lots of interesting scripts on offer. People are making movies, shows and all kinds of content. It’s a very interesting time because Lakshya is about being an artist and not a star. This is how I look at change.
We’re told you don’t enjoy the word withdrawal. Why the detachment from that idea?
Oh my god. The word return, honestly, must be packed and parceled. Let us not do this to actors. You tell me, when someone comes back to office after a few years, is he making a comeback in the corporate world or not? He’s just back at work. And people behave normally with that person. I feel the same should happen with actors, be it male or female. But especially for women. People refer to the ‘return’ label too often and too easily.
You made your official comeback in 2012 with Dangerous Ishq.
It’s been over 10 years. Let’s not do that. This is not called withdrawal. They don’t even do that in Hollywood. They never say that a particular actor is making a comeback. They just say that a former actor is now working in a new film and how cool and amazing it is. So, I think we should treat it the same way.
In the last 10 years, since Dangerous Ishq, do you feel you should have done more in terms of amount of work? Should you have signed more projects?
Honestly, it was out of my liking. My children were young. I wanted to stay at home. I started working at an unusually young age. I was literally working right out of school. And I have done films one after the other. I have worked four shifts a day and three shifts a day for many years. I used to release 8 to 10 films every year. Thankfully, most of them were successful. But the point was that I worked a lot and I think it reached a kind of burnout. And then it was my choice not to stick to it. I didn’t want to leave my house and get hurt. I didn’t want to go to any foreign place for 100 days. It was my choice to keep it simple.
Have you ever felt the need to be back in the limelight?
I was very happy to be away. People keep asking me, ‘How did you feel about being out of the public eye?’ I loved that time. I would just be resting and doing things at home. I missed being with my family, missed doing things that kids do at a very young age. So, I captured all that and I enjoyed that phase. I am very happy staying away from the limelight.
Would you like to come back to Grind at some point in the future? Or would you prefer to take it easy?
As much as I enjoy being on set, today I really need to be motivated to go on shoot. Let me put it this way, today when I’m offered a role like Brown’s, I think, ‘Oh my God, I need to go and do this’. I need that level of motivation to go to work. If you are asking, what next? My answer would be, maybe I will work again, maybe I won’t. Who knows I work from my heart. Whatever I have done in my life, I have done from my heart. I will continue to do so.
How much do your kids Samaira and Kiaan influence your work decisions right now?
To be honest, I think they are happy that I am back on the sets. I think they know that mother was at home for a long time. And now, when they are growing up, they say ‘mom, you should also work’. I think they are very helpful in that regard. They are certainly happy to see me out of the house.
Has either of them decided yet whether they are going to follow in their mother’s footsteps?
No, I think they are too young. I prefer to keep them away from the limelight so that they can have a normal childhood. I think that’s very important for me as a parent. I love that he has anonymity now.
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