Bollywood actor John Abraham had an army of women swooning over him and was flooded with “I love you John” chants, but it was veteran character actor Nana Patekar who won the audience with his caustic wit.
We were at Diff’s ‘In Conversation With...’ segment with the stars of Bollywood film Welcome Back, a ticketed interactive session on Friday where their fans paid Dh30 to see the actors of the much-anticipated action comedy up-close.
“Jealousy … intense jealousy. That’s the only emotion I feel when I hear and see women declaring their love for John Abraham. It’s such a simple question,” said Patekar, staging a mock walk-out, when one of the women stood up to ask him about not being in as much demand as the former model.
Even a request to repeat his iconic dialogue from one of his films was met with a sardonic ‘show me the money first’ retort.
“I am not used to talking for free. The voice just doesn’t escape my throat until I hear a ticket being issued and the cash register starts ringing. I will do it … but at least ask my producer to pull out some money from his pocket now,” said Patekar in Hindi. His every comment was met with roars of laughter and clapping. While Patekar had to be switched on and employ his grey cells to charm everyone, Bollywood’s eternal eye-candy Abraham had it relatively easy. All he had to do was wave at a fan or shrug those fabulously buff shoulders, and the entire auditorium dominated by women erupted into deafening cheers.
“It’s easy for an actor to be consumed and say that people are your fans, but I look at them as a strong support system. It’s easy to be narcissistic in our job because we hear nothing but compliments and can’t take any sort of criticism. But it’s important that fans speak their mind and we listen to both sides of the story,” said Abraham, thanking his fans for goading him to be better at his job. While it was Abraham’s first time at Diff, Slumdog Millionaire star Anil Kapoor did not miss an opportunity to underline that he’s a festival regular.
“Coming to Dubai is like a homecoming. I have been fortunate that it’s my fourth opportunity to showcase my films here. In a way, this festival is my lucky charm. Hopefully Welcome Back becomes as loved as all those films that were shown here,” said Kapoor. At the inaugural Diff in 2004, Kapoor had screened his paranormal sci-fi blockbuster Mr India, followed by Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire and more recently Hollywood blockbuster Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
His colleague Patekar didn’t spare Kapoor either as he took a swipe at the actor’s fleeting role in the Tom Cruise-starrer.
“I don’t understand English films much and rely on reading those subtitles. In Mission Impossible, by the time I finished reading the subtitles, his [Anil Kapoor’s] role was over,” said Patekar in Hindi, adding that he was just being funny. While it was tough to say whether Kapoor appreciated his brand of humour or not, the 58-year-old actor-producer made clear his stand: “There’s no role that’s big or small. It’s the actor who’s big or small.” His mantra remains unchanged for decades.
“What keeps me going is that I love my work and I always have the audience in mind. They may be sitting in some corner in a small village and they have paid money and they expect something from the film. So no matter what happens … there might be a problem at home or some calamity or some problem, I still give my best shot in front of the camera,” said Kapoor. Abraham and Patekar couldn’t agree more. As Patekar puts it: “actors wear masks — even if they are having a terrible day and want to curl up and cry in a corner, they can do so only once the cameras are switched off. It’s a price we pay.”
But on Friday, their moods weren’t remotely grim as they indulged fan requests such as hugs and selfies (mostly directed at Abraham). The actors didn’t miss an opportunity to speak highly about the UAE-set action drama Welcome Back produced by Firoz Nadiadwala, which is scheduled to release in May 2015. Over the past few months, the stars were stationed in the UAE and were spotted filming in various locations including the Margam desert and around plush hotels in the city such as Zabeel Saray and Sofitel.
“I play a gangster in Welcome Back and hopefully you will fall in love with him. He doesn’t kill anyone and he’s the most lovable character that you have ever watched … and let me tell you that comedy is the toughest form of acting,” claimed Abraham. While it’s too early to say if his role will be embraced by his fans, his fans clearly loved seeing him in the flesh.
As the star-struck fan Ishita Bansal 19, puts it: “I loved it. We could relate to all of them. I loved Nana Patekar and his jokes. John looked so good too. We felt as we were having a friendly conversation with them. It was personal and so enjoyable.”
Welcome Back will release in the UAE in May 2015.
