‘Indians living abroad are more Indian than Indians living in India’

z Now that your movie Shiv Shastri Balboa is releasing, are you feeling curious or excited about it?

Anupam Kher: First of all many thanks to you and the team of Bharat24 that you called the cast of Shiv Shastri Balboa and that we got a chance to speak with and through you, we would like to tell the viewers that the word ‘Balboa’ in Shiv Shastri Balboa is a ‘Tamga’ given to it. A famous movie was made on Rocky Balboa, and Shastriji in the movie runs a boxing club and two boxers from the club have won national and international awards and so, in the movie, everyone calls him ‘Shiv Shastri Balboa.’ So, this was important to be cleared before the audience. As far as excitement is concerned, I feel nervous also, because in 38 years, I have done 534 movies. Earlier, it was not too difficult to take the movies to the people. If you have made a good movie, then people would watch it and tell others about it. However now, there are several modes of entertainment, so many OTT platforms, so many TV channels, multiplexes and malls, so if in today’s time, we have to take the audience to theatre, then we have to come on your show and talk about the film. It is a good film and has been shot in New Jersey, where a lot of Indians live. It is the story of a man, who after retirement goes to his son in USA and his journey there. There, he comes across Else, played by Neena Gupta, who is working for someone as a house help and wants to come back to India and then I help her out and then come Sharib and Nargis. It is a beautiful story. Yesterday, we held its first screening in Delhi and the reaction has motivated us further. It felt nice that the people loved the movie.

z It is being said that considering your popularity across the nation, this movie will cross Rs 200 crore on box office?

Not at all! See, first of all, we will have to stop analysing movies on the basis of money. Ten years back, you would have never heard this and people would always say that either the movie is good or bad.

Now movies are being analysed on the basis of raking in Rs 50 crore in first week or Rs 100 crore. Business is important for film, but the factual base is also important. Give me names of movies that did Rs 100 crore in business, you won’t remember any. Although, it is good that movies nowadays, run for a longer time & are doing better; We wish that our movie does good business, but it should also be liked by people. It should win hearts. z So what inspired you to make this movie?

Ajayan’s story. It is the movie of a 60 year old man inside whom is a ‘hero.’ You are not 60, you are younger than that. (JC interjects: I am 72). Then you can say it is your story! You mentioned you established this channel six months back. I am 67 years old. So writing off people at 72 or 67 is not correct because ‘rishte mein hum tumhare baap lagte hain’. We know how we have to act or make the movie. This is actually the story too. We all have this ‘Balboa’ in all of us. Balboa could be understood as a tiger in everyone. It is in you and we need to learn this from the younger generation. See, I sport a tattoo in the movie. Well it is a motivating movie. It is a ‘happy film’ about ‘unhappy people.’

CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Bharat24-Vision of New India and First India; CMD, First India News, Dr Jagdeesh Chandra speaks to the cast of upcoming movie ‘Shiv Shastri Balboa’ - Anupam Kher, Nargis Fakhri, Sharib Hashmi and director Ajayan Venugopalan - and how they think the movie will fare. Dr Chandra also speaks about the impact of Anupam Kher’s other movie, Kashmir Files and how it has impacted the movie industry and the nation as a whole. Kher reveals how Indians living abroad have hailed the entire cast of the movie when they were shooting the movie in New Jersey. Excerpts… come actors by fluke. We have seen struggle in life, seen difficulties, have flopped, have failed, but haven’t been bogged down. Secondly, the movie has romance, as a 65 year old elderly man runs away with a 60 year old woman, and he does not take the woman due to romance, but because he wants to send her back to India. It is a movie of courage. z Nargis what is your role in the movie? z So what is so charming, attractive and specific that I should buy the ticket and watch this movie? Have you seen my record of the past 38 years? Do you like me? If you like me, then you should definitely watch my movie. I would ask a question that what is so special about Bharat24 that we have come here and we have heard your name. So, reputation is important. We have Nargis in our movie and although she can’t speak much Hindi, but she is a good actress. Sharib is the ‘Badshah’ of OTT and made a successful series, ‘Metro Park.’ See the story of this film is the ‘Hero.’ You should see this movie because it has me and Neena Gupta, who have made a track record after all these years in the industry, and we have not be- z Are you satisfied with your role? z I have felt that over the past few years, there is a wave of nationalism in Mumbai film industry, where you have become a ‘symbol’ and movies are going super hit. How do you see this phenomenon?

Nargis: I play Siya, who is an Indian-American woman. She is fun loving, bright and a bubbly character, who is also the girlfriend of Cinnamon Singh (movie character) and we go on this journey with Shiv Shastri Balboa and Else in the film.

Very satisfied. I think it is a wonderful story, a story that’s relatable and original. When I read the script, I instantly fell in love with it and my character as well. I love how there are so many topics this film touches upon. Earlier, Sir has said a line that you don’t stop after retiring, rather it is re-tiring. You are putting on new wheels so you can have a new journey in your life. I had mentioned that there are a lot of stereotypes on people that are older and its as if they have labels and they are supposed to be doing something, but in reality you can do anything you want.

This film is the story of the courage of an Indian. See people from sports background, get the chance to represent the country officially when they visit abroad. Whenever I do any role abroad, I feel that I am representing my nation. When I do an American film, I chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ in my heart because I am representing Bharat and I have to keep the Tricolour high. All of us want to do that.

Also, anything you do regarding nationalism has to fit in the story. You can’t just put things here and there, it has to flow in the story. I will say a dialogue from the movie here. ‘The question isn’t how hard you fall, the question is whether after falling you get up or not?’. Second dialogue is when the son says that you have retired and why are you doing all this. So in the movie my character says, ‘Son, I have retired from work, not from life.’ I will tell you something. Indians living abroad are more Indian than Indians living in India. During our shoot in New Jersey, it was really hot and these Indians living there used to treat us with cold water, tea and what not. They used to come watch our shoot when we shot on roadside etc and after every shot, they would clap, so the director would get confused if he should reshoot, since the people are already clapping. You spoke about ‘Tiranga’, when PM Modi started the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, the number of Tricolours that were unfurled in Kashmir, I have never seen that in my life. z Kashmir Files was a super hit movie of yours. What was the thought behind it?

I think the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits for 32 years, could not reach the people due to some reason. The politicians were behind it, media and journalists were behind it. But Vivek Agnihotri interviewed 700 families world wide. I was in New York then. And after this, for the next two-three years, research was conducted and thereafter, the movie was made. See, that movie was made on a smaller scale. Now, if history of Indian cinema will be written 50 years from now, it will be mentioned as before Kashmir Files and after Kashmir Files. Another aspect is that a Rs 17 crore movie did business of Rs 350 crore, because somewhere people rea- ligned with that thought. That movie gave many people a way to tell their stories. It did not have songs or romance or traditional heroes, but the truth was told in the movie. But such has been its connect, that it has reached everyone’s heart. It is a story of my relatives and my own people. The reality of the movie is one part, but the encouragement it would give to people to tell their story is another aspect. Three of my movies were super hit last year. All three were ‘story based’ movies. This movie Kashmir Files has showed us that such movies can work and help us connect with people. My acting teacher used to tell me that the ‘Madari’ has to sound his drums only then people gather around and not merely by doing good work. JC Sahab you could have sat at your home and say that one day I will make such a channel that will be famous. Your thought would have remained with your relatives, but you have established a modern studio because you worked on it and then promoted it. We have made a good movie and now you have to promote it and bring people to the theatres.

During the show #JCWithAnupam trended top All-India on Twitter