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Ki & Ka Will Start A Good Conversation

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Arjun Kapoor speaks to Team Box Office India about his upcoming film

Box Office India (BOI): So Arjun, 14 months…

Arjun Kapoor (AK): ‘A 14 month-sabbatical’… according to Indian cinema and
Hindustan ki sabhyata, if an actor doesn’t work for 14 months, there must be something wrong with him… ‘defective piece hoga’. Anyway, it has been 14 months but it doesn’t feel like it. It feels right, because I felt saturated, as an actor. In one calendar year, I had Gunday, 2 States, Finding Fanny and Tevar, so that took a toll. I promoted four films, so imagine how bored people must have been, constantly seeing me!

I think it was the right time for me to take a break. I had decided to take care of some major health issues I was facing but since Tevar didn’t work, people thought I had taken a sabbatical. The fact is, I suffered a lot of injuries during Tevar, so I was taking care of those. Balki sir offered me this film and we shot it in 40 days. We finished in October and we felt the release date needed to be during the summer holidays, when we could get a lot more families to watch it because all of us believe it is a not a niche film. It is not only for multiplexes; it is a universal concept. The release date happened to be April but it could also have been January.

BOI: What was your reaction when Balki sir told you that you had to play a house husband?

AK: ‘Accha sir, kitne baaje aana hai shooting ko, batao,’ that’s all I said. Because he had called me and offered me another script, which I heard, and I told him, ‘Sir, this seems interesting. Whenever you develop it fully, let me know.’ Then he said there was another idea he wanted to do later and that I should listen to it. That’s how he pitched the idea (of Ki & Ka).

BOI: This was over the phone?

AK: No, we were in his office. Shamitabh had not done well, Tevar had not done well, so we were two depressed people trying to figure out what we had done. Shamitabh had released in February and this was in March or April. We were talking and he said, ‘Every boy grows up and wants to be like his father, but what if you met a boy who wanted to be like his mother?’ I wanted to meet this boy because he sounded unique. So I said I would love to hear more. When a character awakes the viewer in you, you know you should do the film.

I didn’t think about the fact that I was experimenting or taking a risk. The excitement was so fresh and he (Balki) is a very trustworthy director, so I knew he wouldn’t trivialise it. He was going to explore why the boy was the way he was, and that’s exactly what the film does.

This man has issues, demons. He is a graduate who chooses to be this way, he is not a guy who has failed or is lazy. Balki sir was excited when I said ‘yes’ because I am a typical guy. I am never clean-shaven. He wanted a typical man to play the role because he wanted to show that men can also be this way. It is not about being womanly; in the same way, he wanted the woman to be a corporate executive but he didn’t want her to be masculine. So he cast the most apt woman in the country. She represents feminism, softness, beauty and yet she has personality and charm. A story slike this needs to have the correct intention because these are conversations we need to be having in our country, conversations that are long overdue.

BOI: But most husbands become house husbands, every Sunday!

AK: How would I know? I’m not married. You tell me, Vajir (Singh), do you make breakfast in the morning? I don’t even know how to cook, so I don’t know what I would be like as a house husband. I think I would have to learn to do laundry… But I think, yes, every man has that quality. Sometimes, you get so caught up in your life and work that you don’t make the effort, and if you do, you are not willing to tell the world about it. You’re not proud of it. It is almost a, ‘Let’s keep it between us that I sometimes do house work’ kind of thing. Why should you not flaunt it? Your husband is just appreciating what you do all week by making you a cup of tea in the morning. What’s the big deal? I think there are people who are talking about these things, it’s just that thoda time lagta hai change aane mein.

Essentially, this film deals with a very simple thought – you should always be allowed to choose. What happens in our society is, people still say to girls, ‘Tum ladka thodi na ho, ki bahar jaake kaam karogi.’ Once you finish your graduation, you should get married, then let your husband decide what you should do.’

Our point is, she has studied and graduated so that she can work and be an independent human being. Why should she not be allowed to have that chance? Mindsets need to change when it comes to women. And as far as men are concerned, nobody needs to be ashamed. Running a house is a full-time job. It’s just that you don’t have a visiting card or a designation. That doesn’t mean it’s not important. It doesn’t mean we should take it for granted. Hopefully, this film will start a good conversation.

BOI: In the movie, how does Kareena Kapoor Khan’s character react when your character tells her that he wants to be a house husband?

AK: She is shocked, like anybody would be. For a while, she thinks he is joking, but she gradually begins to understand where he is coming from. She understands why he is the way he is and loves him for it. She always thought a man would curb her ambitions, which is what happens to a lot of women. That’s also the reason women now get married later, so that they can work for a few more years before they settle down, make a home and have babies.

So Kareena’s character realises she has found the right guy, someone who won’t prevent her from advancing her career. She laughs, she is hesitant, but eventually she loves him because of who he is. And she becomes even more successful after marrying him. She has no pressures of housekeeping and, by the end of the film, becomes the president of the company.

BOI: This will be the first R Balki film that doesn’t feature Amitabh Bachchan as the lead character. Did that thought ever cross your mind?

AK: Amit sir is in the film but he is not playing the lead. I think that’s purely down to the film’s material and it’s nice to know that the director is constantly evolving and wants to work with several other people too. Knowing Balki sir, I am sure they will be back together in his next. This was a younger film. But the way Balki sir has included Mr and Mrs Bachchan (Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan) into the movie is phenomenal. It’s in the pre-climax, but it will bring the house down. It was just a one-day shoot but we had so much fun. They play themselves in the move and it is hilarious. It really showcases them as a unit. They are superb together. One scene is enough for that combination to work.

BOI: Now we know why Balki sir wanted you to play the male protagonist. But why did he want Kareena to play the female protagonist?

AK: Because he wanted someone who is all-woman. He didn’t want her to come across as main mard ki duniya mein ghoom rahi hoon. She is proud to be a woman. She is ambitious. And I guess she is the right age to play this character because she suddenly realises that she had spent all her energy on the corporate race and hasn’t given her personal life enough attention. This man, kind of, gives her that moment of realisation that she can be with somebody who respects her and loves her. So we needed her to have that gravitas of a woman. I think we have only two or three women who could have played this role, and I also think we look good together. Whatever abstract thought Balki sir had in mind, he pulled it off as a director.

The post Ki & Ka Will Start A Good Conversation appeared first on Box Office India : India’s premier film trade magazine.


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