Salman will always be the original Prem
By:
Upala
KBR,
Mid-Day
Tuesday,
November
07,
2006
For
a
guy
who
is
only
25,
Shahid
Kapur
portrays
maturity
beyond
his
age.
His
Vivah
releases
this
week.
We
cornered
the
actor
for
a
chat.
Here,
he
talks
about
learning
from
Kareena's
performances,
about
being
compared
to
the
orginal
Prem
-
Salman
Khan
-
and
growing
up.
Tell
us
something
about
Vivah.
As
the
tagline
in
Vivah
suggests,
it
is
the
journey
from
engagement
to
marriage
for
a
young
couple
Prem
and
Poonam,
played
by
Amrita
and
me.
Nobody
has
made
a
film
on
arranged
marriage
when
over
90
per
cent
of
the
people
in
our
country
go
through
arranged
marriages.
This
is
the
first
time
where
two
people
meet
knowing
that
they
are
going
to
get
married
to
each
other
and
start
discovering
each
other
from
there.
In
the
age
of
slick
techno
thrillers,
will
a
family
entertainer
like
Vivah
work?
Why
not?
It's
become
very
convenient
to
buy
new
clothes,
cars,
houses
and
even
get
new
spouses.
Relation-ships
have
become
like
commodities.
But
here
is
a
film
that
I
learnt
from.
I
am
25
and
will
get
married
in
the
next
three
to
five
years,
so
I
am
at
that
stage
when
I
am
looking
at
marriage
in
life
and
it
taught
me
about
marriage,
relationships
and
commitment.
Vivah
says
something
very
nice
and
poignant
about
the
institution
of
marriage.
Does
Prem's
ideas
of
marriage
conform
with
Shahid's
ideas
of
marriage?
Prem
is
actually
Soorajji's
conception
and
visualisation.
He's
a
bit
shy,
reserved,
a
dreamer
and
then
takes
on
responsibility
and
becomes
a
man.
I
don't
connect
too
much
with
Prem
as
we
don't
have
many
things
in
common.
In
the
last
three
years,
because
of
experiences
I
have
learned
to
be
mature,
calmer,
and
take
on
more
responsibility
so
I
can
connect
on
that
level.
Salman
Khan
has
always
been
Rajshri
Films'
Prem.
Afraid
of
comparision?
There
can
be
only
one
original
Prem
and
it
will
be
Salmanbhai.
I
hope
people
don't
compare
me
with
him
as
I
am
just
a
newcomer.
I
did
what
my
director
asked
me
to
do.
The
reason
that
Soorajji
cast
us
was
because
we
were
right
for
the
part.
He
needed
a
very
young
couple
and
he
needed
to
tell
a
very
innocent,
pure,
simple
love
story.
You
haven't
signed
any
films
after
Vivah?
I
haven't
signed
a
film
for
two
years
now.
I
needed
a
little
time
to
sit
back
and
assess
myself.
I
don't
want
to
shoot
for
more
than
one
film
at
a
time
though
I
know
it'll
be
difficult.
I
hate
sitting
at
home.
I'm
very
into
my
work,
I
love
being
on
my
sets
and
when
I
am
at
home,
I
am
either
hearing
scripts
or
watching
movies;
catching
up
on
good
cinema.
Films
are
the
only
thing
I'm
obsessive
about.
Have
you
perceived
any
changes
in
yourself
in
the
last
three
years?
Yes.
I
have
learnt
and
grown
a
lot
in
the
last
three
years.
I
was
an
excited
kid
when
I
started
out
post
Ishq
Vishk.
I
didn't
know
much
about
anything
or
the
way
the
industry
functions.
I
have
grown
from
a
boy
to
a
man.
I
have
learnt
one
thing
-
the
only
thing,
I
feel
an
actor
should
focus
on
-
is
the
script
he
chooses
and
how
he
performs
in
the
roles
that
he
is
given.
Has
Kareena
wrought
changes
in
you?
Of
course,
she
has.
I
have
become
more
secure
and
more
responsible,
more
patient.
In
a
relationship,
both
people
learn
from
each
other
and
grow
together.
It's
a
journey
which
two
people
have
to
take
together.
What
do
you
think
of
Bebo
as
an
actress?
I
loved
Omkara.
It
had
a
very
commercial
cast
but
had
an
original
story
unaffected
by
the
cast.
Kareena,
in
the
last
couple
of
years,
has
developed
into
an
actress
par
excellence.
Every
time
she
comes
up
with
a
performance
which
just
surprises
you.
I
always
learn
from
her
performances.
She
has
this
amazing
combination
of
beauty,
vulnerability
and
characterisation
which
is
rare.
She
was
one
of
the
best
things
in
the
film.
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