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'Wait and see what my character is all about'
Bad guy encore for Suniel Shetty in Farah Khan's directorial debut
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Subhash K Jha
A few months ago, choreographer Farah Khan flew down to Chennai to sign Kamal Haasan for her directorial debut, Main Hoon Na, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Zayed Khan (actor Sanjay Khan's son and Hrithik Roshan's brother-in-law) and Boman Irani of Let's Talk fame.
Farah wanted the Tamil thespian to play her film's chief antagonist.
Evidently, Haasan is busy with his latest Tamil epic Anbesivam and can't get away in time for Farah's winter schedule in Darjeeling. Contrary to a recent report, the actor did not turn down the role to 'humiliate' Shah Rukh Khan (who had done a brief but pivotal role in Haasan's Hey! Ram), but only because of date problems.
In stepped macho man Suniel Shetty.
This will be Suniel's second film with negative shades after Suneel Darshan's Dhadkan. "It is a role with shades of grey," he says. "But I do not play a villain in Main Hoon Na. I play a person of the people, and for the people. I can understand why Kamalji did not want to do it. For him to do something like this in Hindi cinema would not make sense whereas I can afford to experiment with roles. I am happy with my role and the entire project. I think Farah has done a great job with the script."
Suniel started shooting for Main Hoon Na from December 7. Even as he walked into Haasan's role, did he walk out of Dharmesh Darshan's multi-starrer Bewafaa? "I did not walk out of Bewafaa," Suniel clarifies. "I never signed the film. It required a lot of date juggling. I did not want to walk into a situation that would inconvenience other cast members. The money I was offered did not excite me, but it was a good role."
Manoj Bajpai will play the role Suniel was meant to essay in Bewafaa.
Suniel, who had complained about being given a raw deal by [producer] Firoz Nadiadwala and Akshay Kumar in Awara Paagal Deewana, is back to working with both men in Madhur Bhandarkar's Aan (earlier titled Police Force).
"That is because of my faith in the script," he explains. "Madhur narrated this subject to me long before Firoz stepped in as producer. Madhur always said he saw me as the character in the movie. So I decided to do it. I doubt there will be any problem. The script has no room for alterations. It can only work with the three of us -- Shatrughan Sinha, Akshay and me -- doing what we have to. My character comes to a fabulous end. The script is an absolute original."
Currently basking in the fabulous opening of his latest film, Karz: The Burden Of Truth, Suniel seems pleased with the turn of events. "Karz has gone from strength to strength all over India," he says. "Now that Kaante has been shifted to December 20, Karz has another week to make hay.
"I always said Karz was a crazy film but it will do well. It opened to almost full collections," he says.