He has been festival-hopping for sometime now. And, of course, he has been meeting quite a few internationally-reputed celebrities.
But Abhay is now sceptical of mentioning the names of these celebrities. The reason: he doesn’t want to be tagged as an Indian actor who wants fame by seeking publicity from celeb encounters.
“I’ve met Matt Damon and have been introduced to Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. They are very humble and have encouraged me a lot. When I met Matt Damon and told him that I know someone who was there in Goa when he shot for Bourne Supremacy, he immediately asked me how my friend was,” says Abhay. While this was all there was to the interaction, headlines appeared about how Damon had watched Abhay’s movies and become his fan! “Who says Matt Damon’s my fan? I’m mortified to think how things can get so distorted. If his manager gets a Google alert, he’ll think I’m so cheeky. I’ve too much of self-respect in me to seek publicity this way. That’s just not my thing. It’s my body of work that will get me noticed and not who I’m meeting where,” he says.
Talking about his work, the actor says that he likes being versatile. But considering that his forthcoming movie has been getting fabulous response at all international festivals, does he pause to wonder whether his Aisha too will get a similar response internationally? “I remember the premiere night at Toronto where Dev Benegal’s film went housefull. The audience laughed even at places where we didn’t expect them too. And a good section of them came up for the Q&A session too. At Berlin, we were literally spoilt with the audience clapping for almost five minutes after every housefull show. But then, I realise that each film has its audience and comes with its own shelf life. While Aisha is a romantic comedy, my recent outing is the most offbeat film that I’ve done. It’s important to keep surprising the audience to keep the machinery going so that no one can predict what to expect from me.”
While versatility is the key, how does he feel when made to believe that an actor is just a part of one big jigsaw puzzle? “Isn’t that the truth? Film-making is a team effort. Everybody has to work together to fit into that puzzle. That, however, doesn’t mean those little parts aren’t communicating with each other. If I have anything to share something, I will. But I will also accept if my suggestion is turned down. After all, the director is the captain of the ship. If he is accepting every suggestion of yours, it becomes your movie and not his.”
So, how important is the pay cheque for accepting an offer? “That’s very important,” he honestly admits, adding, “It’s a ruthless world and I expect to get what is rightly due to me. Doing cinema for the sake of art sounds fine. But I too need money to run my house.”
While on money, would he agree to dance at weddings? Abhay pauses briefly before saying, “To each his own. I’ve nothing against it. But I don’t think I’ll accept such offers.” Even in case of endorsements, Abhay is clear about his dos and dont’s. “If I endorse a cola, I can’t be forced into saying that drinking it is good for health.” As a parting shot, he says, “I’ll never sell a fairness cream. It’s terrible and only shows our inferiority complex. I’d rather endorse a cream that makes one look dark and sexy!”
But Abhay is now sceptical of mentioning the names of these celebrities. The reason: he doesn’t want to be tagged as an Indian actor who wants fame by seeking publicity from celeb encounters.
“I’ve met Matt Damon and have been introduced to Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. They are very humble and have encouraged me a lot. When I met Matt Damon and told him that I know someone who was there in Goa when he shot for Bourne Supremacy, he immediately asked me how my friend was,” says Abhay. While this was all there was to the interaction, headlines appeared about how Damon had watched Abhay’s movies and become his fan! “Who says Matt Damon’s my fan? I’m mortified to think how things can get so distorted. If his manager gets a Google alert, he’ll think I’m so cheeky. I’ve too much of self-respect in me to seek publicity this way. That’s just not my thing. It’s my body of work that will get me noticed and not who I’m meeting where,” he says.
Talking about his work, the actor says that he likes being versatile. But considering that his forthcoming movie has been getting fabulous response at all international festivals, does he pause to wonder whether his Aisha too will get a similar response internationally? “I remember the premiere night at Toronto where Dev Benegal’s film went housefull. The audience laughed even at places where we didn’t expect them too. And a good section of them came up for the Q&A session too. At Berlin, we were literally spoilt with the audience clapping for almost five minutes after every housefull show. But then, I realise that each film has its audience and comes with its own shelf life. While Aisha is a romantic comedy, my recent outing is the most offbeat film that I’ve done. It’s important to keep surprising the audience to keep the machinery going so that no one can predict what to expect from me.”
While versatility is the key, how does he feel when made to believe that an actor is just a part of one big jigsaw puzzle? “Isn’t that the truth? Film-making is a team effort. Everybody has to work together to fit into that puzzle. That, however, doesn’t mean those little parts aren’t communicating with each other. If I have anything to share something, I will. But I will also accept if my suggestion is turned down. After all, the director is the captain of the ship. If he is accepting every suggestion of yours, it becomes your movie and not his.”
So, how important is the pay cheque for accepting an offer? “That’s very important,” he honestly admits, adding, “It’s a ruthless world and I expect to get what is rightly due to me. Doing cinema for the sake of art sounds fine. But I too need money to run my house.”
While on money, would he agree to dance at weddings? Abhay pauses briefly before saying, “To each his own. I’ve nothing against it. But I don’t think I’ll accept such offers.” Even in case of endorsements, Abhay is clear about his dos and dont’s. “If I endorse a cola, I can’t be forced into saying that drinking it is good for health.” As a parting shot, he says, “I’ll never sell a fairness cream. It’s terrible and only shows our inferiority complex. I’d rather endorse a cream that makes one look dark and sexy!”
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