I’d love to see Aiyana’s reaction to my film Ahead of his debut film Leander Paes talks about Bollywood, flash mobs and tennis

I’d love to see Aiyana’s reaction to my film

Ahead of his debut film Leander Paes talks about Bollywood, flash mobs and tennis

    Tennis champ Leander Paes makes his debut in socio-political drama Rajdhani Express, directed by Ashok Kohli. The film also stars Jimmy Sheirgill, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Puja Bose, Sudhanshu Pandey, Sayali Bhagat and Mukesh Rishi. Here, Leander talks about enjoying being a “student” as far as acting in Bollywood goes...
Acting’s something you haven’t done before. Whose reaction are you eagerly waiting to see?
I’d love my daughter Aiyana to see it. She has such sweet energy and unconditional love. She’s watched parts of the film — the songs and promos — and knows the words of Koi Umeed by heart and makes me play it to her when I drop her to and pick her up from school.
Did you nurse a secret dream of becoming an actor one day? How did Rajdhani Express happen? My great grandfather was the wellknown Bengali rebel poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt and I probably get my creative genes from him. I got my first film offer in 1996 and it took me a while to get around to signing a film. The timing worked more than anything this time around. This is a first effort and I have totally followed the director’s lead.
Tell us about your character in the film? Keshav is very different from me as a person. He has a lot of supressed anger and deep angst. He uses foul language and carries a gun! But it was the overall message of the film that held meaning for me — one that’s relevant in the context of the India we see today.
Do you see movies as an alternative career? I’d like to do more films. We’ve also created an exciting action-based graphic novel which will be made into a film next year.
You participated in a flash mob at Mumbai Central on New Year’s Eve and got mobbed at Chennai too. I’m a trained dancer and though there’s no dancing in the film, the team thought it was a good idea. It was fun promoting the film at Mumbai Central. Flash mobs are a rage across the world and it was fun to do it right here. The crowd was amazing.
Any similarities that you’ve found between being a tennis player and an actor? Both need tremendous determination and discipline. It’s been a long journey in tennis to get to where I am today and in films, I’m just beginning and have so much to learn. I am happy to take on this role as a student, make mistakes if needed to finally get it right.
Tennis-wise you’re still going strong... how long do you see yourself playing? 2012 was a good year. I got a Career Slam and played my sixth Olympics and more. 2013 began with the Chennai Open. After that, it’s the Australian Open. Looking forward to that.
    Rajdhani Express, produced by Manoj Kejriwal, Ritika Kohli, Rajesh K Patel and Piyush Gupta, releases today.

Leander Paes