Anil
Kapoor
is
a
happy
father.
“Sonam
couldn't
have
worked
in
more
capable
hands.
Sanjay
Leela
Bhansali
is
a
genius.
I
haven't
had
the
opportunity
to
work
with
him.
But
my
daughter
worked
with
him
in
her
very
first
film.
I
wonder
if
she
knows
how
lucky
she
is.
Fortunately,
whether
at
home
or
on
the
sets,
passionate
workaholics
surround
her.
Today's
kids
need
to
be
more
focused.
Sonam
feels
I
push
her
too
hard.
I
was
taken
by
surprise
when
Sonam
said
she
wanted
to
be
an
actress."
Anil
has
a
full
year
ahead.
Apart
from
his
daughter's
debut,
he
has
turned
producer.
While
his
first
production,
Gandhi,
My
Father
was
released
earlier
this
year
Anil
moves
forward
bang-on
with
his
second
production
Shortcut.
“Shortcut
is
a
remake
of
a
Malayalam
film
which
my
friend
Anees
Bazmi
is
directing
for
me.
Akshaye
Khanna
and
Arshad
Warsi
will
play
the
lead.
I'll
only
be
putting
in
a
cameo
appearance.
It's
impossible
for
me
to
manage
acting
and
production
at
the
same
time."
Talk
veers
to
Anil's
blue-eyed
boy,
Akshaye
Khanna.
"Why
just
Akshaye?
I
also
think
Hrithik
and
Abhishek
are
damn
good.
But
yes,
Akshaye
is
the
best
thing
about
Salaam-e-Ishq,
and
I'm
not
saying
that
only
because
he's
in
my
two
productions.
As
for
me,
I
really
like
my
track
with
Juhi
Chawla.
In
our
heydays,
Juhi
and
I
just
did
three
films
together.
We
should've
done
a
lot
more
films
together.
We're
really
compatible." Remind
him
that
he
was
equally
enthusiastic
about
Mallika
Sherawat
in
his
last
release
Darna
Zaroori
Hai,
and
Anil
screams,
"Arrey
yaar,
tu
marwayega.
Please
don't
compare
Juhi
with
Mallika.
But
yes
I
was
really
impressed
by
Mallika's
performance
in
Murder.
She
has
a
lot
of
spirit."
Spirited
comedy
is
what
Anil
hopes
to
achieve
with
friend
Anees
Bazmi
in
Welcome.
"We
had
a
laugh
riot
in
No
Entry.
We
hope
to
achieve
the
same
degree
of
humor
in
Welcome.
I
thoroughly
enjoy
working
with
directors
like
Nikhil
Advani
and
Anees
who
are
so
full
of
innovative
ideas.
But
I'm
also
having
a
ball
working
with
Subhash
Ghai
again
in
Black&White.
I
have
done
five
films
with
him.
Still,
this
one
feels
like
the
first.
I
like
people
who
can
match
my
level
of
enthusiasm.
Subhashji
is
one
such
person.
Black&White
is
a
very
intimate
and
compact
story.
We're
all
having
a
ball.
It's
meant
to
be
a
small
film.
But
knowing
Subhashji
it
will
become
big
by
the
time
it's
released." Anil
plays
'white',
meaning
the
good
guy.
The
bad
guy
is
played
by
an
NSD
graduate
named
Anurag.
"He
has
immense
intensity…Speaking
of
which,
Abhishek
was
fab
in
Guru…
I
like
the
way
he
has
worked
on
his
physique
in
Guru
to
transform
into
character.
When
I
tried
something
like
that
in
Viraasat
years
ago,
people
sniggered
that
I
was
growing
a
moustache
and
my
hair
because
I
had
no
work.
I
just
work
and
focus
on
nothing
else.
I
'm
now
reaping
the
harvest
of
the
work
that
I've
done.
I
always
concentrated
on
playing
characters
rather
than
being
a
star.
Over
the
years,
I've
tried
not
to
dilute
my
vision.
I
still
have
a
lot
to
do.
I
love
to
work
with
newer
directors
like
G.J
Philips
in
My
Wife's
Murder
and
Nikhil
Advani
in
Salaam-e-Ishq.
They
give
me
an
incentive
to
match
up
their
energy.
The
last
few
years
have
been
great.
God
has
given
me
everything…well,
almost."
Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2007, 14:36 [IST]