New Delhi: Promoting his latest movie 'I am Kalam', Gulshan Grover made it pretty clear that passion was the most vital ingredient for any movie success. 'I am Kalam' is believed to be a prince and pauper story where the main protagonist, a small child from exceedingly deprived circumstances, finds inspiration to fight for his dreams from President Abdul Kalam.
The movie has already bagged 12 awards. It won the Audience Choice Award for the Best Feature Film in IIFLA 2011 and the 58th National Award for the lead actor - Harsh Mayar. And the list just kicks off there.
Completely honoured by his National Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Gulshan Grover, the quintessential 'Bad-Man' of Bollywood, spoke of his experience of making one of the most challenging yet perfectly satisfying movies of his life.
Gulshan Grover made it very clear that he loved children, but he assured that when it would come to doing a film with them - he would consider a hundred times. "They are temperamental, moody and not professional..." and this is exactly what made his hesitate when it came to doing this film. The fear of dialogues not learnt, retakes after retakes under the blazing hot sun is something no actor would look forward to.
But he is quick to add, "Trust me what happened was these two kids have got the gift of acting.." and they were every bit as professional as any other actor with years of experience.
Grover said that the movie succeeds on the power of passion. He said that the director, Nila Madhab Panda, had an extraordinary team, and it was sincere team effort that made the movie what it is today. The team had the perfect way of working and despite the strictest of odds - things have fallen in to place for the film - and how!
Gulshan Grover admits though that he was worried about the movie from day one. Harsh Mayar was very enamoured by film stars especially by him, a man whose movies he had watched. "It has happened to me as well when I worked with people that I have grown up seeing - Dilip Kumarji, Amitabh Bachchan but since I have grown and been around I had the pleasure of seeing them at parties before I acted with them..."
As a qualified trained veteran, Grover sensed that Harsh was crazy about wanting to meet 'Gulshan Grover' and sit down with him on the same chair that was something he had to get out of his head, his system. "It took me a day of being that accessible for him, to make him feel that I was part of his family."
So to breakdown auras is the best way to get the best out of actors?
"Whether you're playing brother-sister or lovers, there needs to be a certain comfort level…familiarity then only the smallest details can translate." Just by meeting on the sets and starting to act doesn't work. That's why in many Hollywood films the leading lady has the right to select who plays her father or her mother's role he added.
Gulshan Grover admits that he read the script later. Initially when he was approached by the movie team, he didn't want to do it.
"Of course I didn't want to do it. I wanted to get rid of it. What was this Smile Foundation? It will be too preachy and boring."
He ideally just wanted to meet them and put it off. But when he heard the story he was moved. "I was raised in the then outskirts of Delhi, and educated here.
To get to the nearest bus stop I had to walk four or five miles. Even till the time I went to SRCC there were no direct buses. I had to change three buses and walk."
Coming from a humble background and from an average middle class family, he knew the importance of education. He himself has a Masters degree in Commerce, his sister is a teacher and his son is a post graduate from UCLA. And thus at the end of the day - the story seemed right - except the budget was almost non-existent. "But the end result is very nice," he said.
As he narrated, the shoot was a torture. There were no places to sit, no trailer, no ac and no bathrooms.
So how did they manage?
The whole crew, when they were not filming were in one tiny room. "What I felt was the passion. No paisa no khana. The result of passion is the success; there is no commercial profit. The money goes for the betterment of kids. It is a unique experiment and thus it needs to be supported. Personally, if we do anything good, God helps us. I'm happy to be nominated for the Best Supporting Actor in the National Award and that is something extraordinary," said Grover.
And would he do it again?
Definitely he says! As long as he can feel the passion and the vibes come.
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