'Everyone Hated Me And I Loved It'

'Mrs shows a dark side to the son and the father. I had to do things that I wouldn't dare to do in real life.'

Kanwaljit Singh, 73, had as many as three releases in February: Mrs, Bada Naam Karenge and Mere Biwi Ki Husband.

Mrs got a lot of appreciation for the film and Sanya Malhotra's performance and lots of hate for Kanwaljit Singh.

After watching the movie, the senior actor apologised to Sanya.

He tells Patcy N/Rediff.com, "At its premiere, I told Sanya when I was shooting I had no idea I was so mean. I thought I was just eating at the table. But when I saw the film, I said, 'Oh my God!'"

On February 7, you had two releases, Mrs and Bada Naam Karenge. In the first, you play a tough father-in-law while in the second, a loving father.

Mrs is a patriarchal film. These guys expect women to do everything, cook the food, clean the house and everything.

I have never lived in a society like that, so it was difficult for me to comprehend that.

Bada Naam Karenge is also patriarchal but he is gentle. He loves the family and respects people's individuality and freedom.

Mrs shows a dark side to the son and the father. I had to do things that I wouldn't dare to do in real life.

At its premiere, I told Sanya when I was shooting I had no idea I was so mean. I thought I was just eating at the table. But when I saw the film, I said, 'Oh my God!'

I said sorry to her, and meant it genuinely.

Bada Naam Karenge was fun and laughter.

We were shooting for 45 days in Indore, and it was very important for everybody to be friendly and become a family.

If you're doing your own thing, that love doesn't come across in the show.

Mere Biwi Ki Husband also released in February.

Like in Mrs, I was a patriarch. Everyone hated me and I loved it.

In Bada Naam Karenge, he is a good man. At the end of the series, he is quite emotional and loving towards his nephew.

In Mere Biwi Ka Husband, I play Rakul's father.

The first two are kurta-pajama-and-sherwani-wearing characters but here, it is an anti-thesis image. He's wearing suits and has cigars; he's a very well turned-out man.

He lives in London and his wife is played by Anita Raj.

The film was shot in Glasgow and we had a great time.

Mukesh Rishi, Shakti Kapoor, Anita Raj and I would go out, watch plays and go to museums.

You posted an Instagram reel called Mister, where the roles were reversed for you in Mrs.

People loved it; I got 6 million views on that.

I had to do something which was right.

The lady is played by the granddaughter of the great Kathak dancer, Sitara Devi. She is my son's friend.

I asked her to do the opposite of what I've been doing in Mrs and she agreed.

In real life, what kind of a husband are you?

I come from a family which was not patriarchal nor a joint family.

There were just five of us: Dad, mom and three brothers. We lived in Saharanpur.

My dad had a government job and would get transferred all over Uttar Pradesh.

He was such a wonderful man, so caring. He would make morning tea for my mother.

He would take my mom on his bike and go for movie shows.

I have only seen that side of dad, so I am that kind of a dad to my children and that kind of a husband to my wife.

Do you think your roles, these days, are only restricted to fathers and fathers-in-law?

Everybody is asking me this.

But there are different kinds of fathers.

The idea is to play different characters. They may be fathers or uncles or taus but they are different guys.

You're not playing a stereotype father like the olden days.

There is a patriarchal father, a loving father and a golf-playing father like in Mere Husband Ki Biwi.

Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Kanpur and later settled in Saharanpur.

I studied at a boarding school in Mussoorie.

Most of my schoolmates went into the armed forces and I was preparing for that as well.

I applied for the air force.

I was sent for medicals but I was hard of hearing in my right ear, which continues till date.

So I got rejected. I was very disappointed.

I applied for the Merchant Navy but didn't get through.

Then I saw a form for the FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) in Filmfare magazine at a friend's house. I filled it up.

I had a friend whose dad had a photography shop, so I went there and he clicked three profile pictures.

I didn't know what acting was and why I wanted to apply for it. I just wanted to get out of Saharanpur.

By the time I applied for FTII, Shatrubhai (Shatrughan Sinha), Jayadi (Jaya Bachchan), Navin Nischolji had become very popular.

I told my dad about FTII and that I wanted to learn acting. He said, all right.

I sent the form and they called me for an audition. I used to be a fan of Dev Anand, so I practiced in his style.

This audition was to take place in Delhi. My uncle, who was into theatre, suggested that I meet Habib Tanvir, a big name in theatre.

When he saw my audition in Dev Anand style, he got very upset.

He said I must cut Dev Anand from my system.

I did as he said and I got selected.

What happened next?

When I was selected, I came to Bombay.

I came all alone, I was just 19 then. I was a very protected child.

I got off at Bombay Central station and took a cab to VT. I had to go to catch a train to Pune to join FTII.

I saw these girls, behind bars, waving out to people across the street, beckoning them.

I said, 'yeh kya hai, bhai?'

The taxi driver told me this was Foras Road (a red light area in Bombay at the time) and that they are prostitutes.

I was shocked. For a child from a small town, I had never imagined that this was also a part of the universe.

The two years in Pune were absolutely mind-boggling.

The rest of the group was mostly from big towns like Madras, Bombay and Delhi but me and a few guys were from small towns.

Everything surprised me. It was a great learning for me.

I got my first role when I was still in FTII but I turned it down because I wanted to complete my course.

After two years, I was signed for three films by H S Rawail.

But he announced Laila Majnu and did not take me. Instead, he took Rishi Kapoor. I was very disappointed.

Then a Gujarati director came with Dastan-E-Laila Majnu in Hindi, and I decided to do it. But the actress (Anamika) looked much older than me.

H S Rawailsaab was very upset but I told him I can't sit at home. I am not from a rich family, I have to earn.

I was living in a PG accommodation at Carter Road (in Bandra, north west Mumbai) but my landlady was a bully.

A classmate asked me to stay with him at his uncle's empty flat in Shivaji Park (north central Mumbai).

You have worked with Kamal Amrohi.

Kamal Amrohi's daughter Rukhsar had a friend in the institute. She came to know that Kamalsaab was making a film called Shankar Hussain.

He called me and said Shankar Hussain had a beautiful story with lovely songs.

The first day he came for the shoot, he didn't like the sets. He said, 'Wahiyaad, todh do isse, wapas banao.'

I was ready with make-up on but was asked to go home.

I went into depression.

Finally, the film was made but it didn't do well.

How did you cope?

I used to do ads and small films.

It was a struggle to get work.

Tell us about working in your big hit, Satte Pe Satta.

Satte Pe Satta was a big film with Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha, written by Salim-Javed, directed by Raj N Sippy.

Rajsaab asked me if I would do the film. Mithun was doing the role but he got a solo film, and so left.

I grabbed the opportunity.

Amitabh stayed in a different hotel and we were put up together in another one.

Amitji and us were like real brothers. We became one huge family.

After pack-up, he would come to our hotel and chat, we would have drinks.

Amitji was not drinking at that time. Whenever Jayadidi would come, he would leave earlier and go to his hotel room.

Many a times, we brothers would get a scolding for being late on the sets. We would always say, tomorrow we will be on time but could never do it.

Amitji would always be on the sets already.

I asked him one day, 'Bhai, aap ko neend nahi aati kya?'

He was fond of me.

When my son, who is a painter, had his first solo exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery, I had requested Amitji to open the exhibition.

Did the film's success open more doors for you?

Yes. I did Shart with Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, Ashanti and Pyaas with Zeenat Aman, Jeevan Dhara with Rekha, Farishta with Smita Patil, Partner with Deepti Naval...