'You Can't Fake Energy For 40 Years.' – Anil Kapoor

Anil Kapoor recently completed 40 years in Bollywood. And his inexhaustible repertoire was well summed by daughter Sonam Kapoor on her Instagram handle. She wrote, “40 years and counting... #lookingbackmovingforward #ontothenextdecade”. What’s more, recently when social media went ballistic digging out old photos for the #10YearChallenge, Anil gave it a special twist. The superstar shared video clips of his four films, spanning four decades, from Ram Lakhan (1989), Taal (1999), Slumdog Millionaire (2009) to Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019). He wrote, “Forget the #10YearChallenge, take the #AKChallenge!” Truly, Anil Kapoor, at 62, is his own competition. Fit and fabulous, he’s a one-shot edition. Excerpts from an interview with the actor, who can still create Total Dhamaal at the box-office.

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Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (ELKDTAL) and Total Dhamaal… released in the same month yet again proving your timelessness…

It’s just a coincidence. It wasn’t planned. If I like a story, I just do it. It’s a blessing in disguise that people got to see two different characters back to back. Ek Ladki… is special because I worked with Sonam (Kapoor) for the first time. I worked with Vidhu (Vinod Chopra) after a long time too (after 1942: A Love Story in 1994). Every film is special or else I wouldn’t do it. Sometimes, it’s special because I’m doing something, which I’ve never done before, sometimes because I’m doing it for a friend, sometimes because I’m working with actors I’ve never worked with before. I find reasons to stay motivated and excited on the set and in front of the camera. That’s been my aim always.

What message does Ek Ladki... give?

The film makes you laugh, smile brings a lump in your throat and makes you think. For me, that’s enough. I never view things thinking whether they’re politically right or not. I just try to do my best and make my character as watchable, as real, and as believable as possible. Firstly, my director has to be happy and then it goes to the audience. If they’re happy then that’s it.

How did you approach your character Balbir in Ek Ladki…?