FILM INTERVIEW: TUSSHAR KAPOOR
Bollywood "Good Boy" Challenges Image with Personal Habits, Role in ‘The Dirty Picture’
It is one "good boy" versus another this weekend, Tusshar Kapoor and Sagar Ballary’s Hum Tum Shabana opens against Shahid Kapoor, who's Mausam enters its second weekend. The son of Pankaj Kapoor is pitted against the brother of Ekta Kapoor. While fans will ultimately decide which Kapoor comes out on top at the box office, at least one of them took time out of his day to pen his own editorial about his goody-two-shoes Image.
“I know that, because of my Bollywood roles, I am perceived as something of a ‘good boy,’” Tusshar Kapoor wrote in The Deccan Herald. “Keeping that in mind, it may come as a surprise to many that sometimes I’m not averse to a drink or two.”
Gasps to be heard everywhere, Tusshar Kapoor’s words are actually indicative of the dual lives many Indians have paradoxically lived – that of public conservatism and private lifestyle choice.
Of course, just like many folks of Tusshar Kapoor’s generation, the finger-pointing, if any should be had, may well be directed toward Westerners.
“I lived in the U.S. for a few years while I pursued my business management degree, and it was there that I tasted alcohol for the first time,” Tusshar Kapoor wrote in his column, saying that after sufficient experimentation, beer is where his taste buds reside. “Although I’ve sampled different things, I think a good old pitcher of beer always works for me. I much prefer it to any other alcoholic drink, even wine.”
Yet, do not for one second entertain the thought or notion that Tusshar Kapoor is a drunkard.
“My choice of drink may also have something to do with the fact that I’m only a social drinker,” he stated in his autobiographical column earlier this week. “In fact, my family is very outgoing, and we love to throw parties for our close friends and relatives, and that is when I indulge as well.”
And just what does Mr. Tusshar Kapoor drink when he does not indulge in the vices?
“If you were to ask me what my all-time favorite drink is, I would have to say water,” Tusshar Kapoor candidly stated in The Deccan Herald. “It is rare indeed to find me without a bottle of H2O in my hand, and I sip from it all day to keep myself refreshed.”
Alas, alcoholic beverages are not the only indicia of Tusshar Kapoor’s somewhat rebellious nature. Would you for one minute believe that the Bollywood actor will be twisting tongues and exchanging saliva with none other than Hindi hottie Vidya Balan? Even more, would you believe that the title of the film where the two lock lips is entitled The Dirty Picture?
Such a production will do wonders for an actor’s "good boy" image where alcoholic beverages otherwise fail. Luckily for Hindi film fans, Tusshar Kapoor had a few words to share about both the film and Ms. Balan.
“I’m cool. Vidya is the one who has the jitters, since she has to initiate the kiss. She’s playing around with this guy, trying to arouse him and bring him closer. She’s the one doing all the hard work; I’m only at the receiving end,” Tusshar Kapoor told the Indian press.
Quite the typical heterosexual male response is Tusshar Kapoor’s perspective on his steamy mouth-to-mouth scenes with Ms. Balan, but perhaps he has something better to say about the most current issue at hand...
For those of you who read this far down, we certainly hope you have not forgotten about Tusshar Kapoor’s latest release, Hum Tum Shabana, which opens on September 23rd and co-stars Minissha Lamba, Shreyas Talpade, and Pia Trivedi.
In talking to the Indian press about Mr. Ballary’s film, Tusshar Kapoor was quite candid with the range of emotions he is feeling and has felt about Hum Tum Shabana.
“It was excitingly tough to get the role right in Hum Tum Shabana," Tusshar Kapoor told the press. “It has been a tough process. We didn't want to mess up this thoroughly entertaining script. Sagar (Ballary) ensured that I didn't get into the Golmaal space.”
(Ahh yes, how could we forget Tusshar Kapoor’s days as one of the stars of Golmaal?)
Mr. Ballary certainly did not forget about Golmaal, as Tusshar Kapoor seemed to remind the media in his response above. Interestingly enough, Tusshar Kapoor’s comedic past fueled the rumor mill that Mr. Ballary and his lead actor were constantly toe-to-toe during the production of Hum Tum Shabana.
Tusshar Kapoor just wrote it off as boys being boys.
“There's always a competitive spirit when the duo had to share screen space. But when you want the film to do well and you work in that direction, that shouldn't spill over to personal lives,” he stated to reporters. “We aren't thick pals; we are cordial to each other.”
Hopefully the cordiality between Tusshar Kapoor and Sagar Ballary will be enhanced for the better, should the box office numbers exceed expectations this week and next.
Of course, for that to happen, Tusshar Kapoor must hope for nothing but non-cordiality with Shahid Kapoor. Then again, that should not be a worry, since Tusshar Kapoor is not quite the “good boy” Bollywood portrays him to be.
Then again, perhaps buying a round of beers for his fellow Bollywood stars and big wigs could certainly enhance his “good boy” image without weighing him down as a goody-two-shoes.
'Hum Tum Shabana' opens on September 30th against 'Mausam' (with Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor) and 'Force' (with John Abraham and Genelia D'Souza).
