‘I was called the ganda hero’ From a chappal entry in Bollywood to an Oscar debut in Hollywood, actor Anil Kapoor has every reason to look back in... humour!

‘I was called the ganda hero’

From a chappal entry in Bollywood to an Oscar debut in Hollywood, actor Anil Kapoor has every reason to look back in... humour!

Actor Anil Kapoor recently revealed his daredevil side when he took to racing with actor Ajay Devgn in high-end sports cars on the F1 circuit to promote his latest release Tezz. “The speed factor involved was such an adrenaline rush, though a race like this is not without risks,” the actor shares excitedly. But then this is nothing new for the actor, who admits to having taken many such risks all through his career. “I’ve always taken risks, be it in my choice of roles or films or even Hollywood, though I’ve never been reckless,” says Anil. In a candid chat with After Hrs, the actor talks about his almost three decade long career in entertainment: Oscars, BAFTAs… what about Cannes? If I have a film, I’d love to go there too. But I’m glad that Sonam (daughter, actor Sonam Kapoor) has made it there so early in her career, I’m so proud of her. I think if I go there, I might be referred to as her dad, than the actor (laughs). There was buzz that the filmmakers of Mission Impossible are looking at taking your character Brij Nath further in the next installment? Brad (director Brad Bird) had expressed it, since he was quite impressed with the way the character turned out. But I’m not aware of any development on it. Fingers crossed, though. Are you looking at more films there? There are some offers I am considering for sure, but I haven’t signed anything yet apart from Cities. Your choice of roles in Hollywood found many detractors? Well, the one thing that I’ve learned here is that more the people laugh at you, the more successful you are. So detractors are always welcome. You’ve always been rather unconventional in your career choices? Yes, I have been quite a risk taker. But what seemed unconventional then, has later gone on to become the accepted norm. When I used to sport a stubble back then, I was called a ganda hero, a dirty hero. Today the same stubble is sexy. Just look around, today almost every actor sports one. Eeshwar was an unconventional role, but today you see so many actors do roles like that. Likewise, when I took up Slumdog Millionaire, it was unconventional, because it was not the lead role, but the results are for all to see. How do you look back on the journey so far? I’m proud of it. Right from the time I entered the industry, I have done things that I believed in. At a time when all the newcomers were being introduced coming on bikes or horses wearing designer jackets, I came in wearing chappals, a jacket bought for five rupees from a Chor Bazaar and sporting a haircut done by a roadside barber. I came in on my feet, and today I may be seen on global platforms, but my feet are still firmly on the ground.