Interview : Rajat Kapoor

As his latest film PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA hits the screens, filmmaker & actor Rajat Kapoor in a candid interview revealed that direction happens to be his first love and he doesn't care about the Box-office performance of a film. What really matters for him is the film has to be good enough to excite him.

What kind of a film is PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA - is it a spoof or mockery of a character or a situation?
PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA is a situational comedy. It's a black humour. Normally, when I watch a film I don't laugh much but in this film I had a hearty laugh, which is quite rare. It's difficult to make me laugh.

Don't you feel the similar pressure of making audience laugh
No, because you work with a script. You have to believe in the script. If you're trying very hard to make somebody laugh that doesn't work. It's when you try less it works. I am confident PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA will have people in splits. It's very funny.

What do you really look for while selecting or doing a film? Also what lured you to sign PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA?
My role, director and the script these are three essential things that work together for me to do a film. Director Subhash Kapoor's passion was more than enough to sign up PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA.

CHECK OUT: PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA Movie Review

PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA must have been effortless as playing sophisticated, suave characters come easy to you or we can say it has become your forte
You identify because you have seen few films like that. That image has become persistent with people as they perceive it's me. For me to get stereotype is a problem. In real life I am not so.

What's happening on direction front? Your film A RECTANGULAR LOVE STORY is stuck from long time what's the reason for the delay?
You have to ask the producers PNC for that. Direction is what I want to do. That's my first love. I have written three scripts in last six months...

Most of your films are with either Neha Dhupia or Vinay Pathak or Ranvir Shorey & others. Why it is so? Do you also believe in camp system in Bollywood?
I don't understand the term 'camp' in Bollywood. It's the director who does the casting. Certainly there is a comfort level with people, there are friends.

A film is made with lot of people. There's a whole unit of 100 people. So it's not only that you get along with the actors but you have to get along with other crew members also. And that's what makes a film. Unfortunately we keep asking how's Vinay Pathak or Neha Dhupia? You know the film is beyond that but the audience only sees actors and nothing else. I have worked with hundreds of actors but you don't become friends with everyone.