'Shanghai
Is
One
Of
My
Best
Works
On
Screen'
Q.
You
have
done
a not-
so
commercial film
like Shanghai and
then,
there
are
several
commercial
films
like
Baadshaho,
Jannat.
Which is
the
space
which
excites
you
the
most
as
an
actor?
A.
Each
film
has
its
own
bonuses.
I
would
definitely
pick
the
one
that
goes
out
to
the
wider
audience.There
is
a
very
clear
divide
in
our
country,
that
is
the
masses
and
classes.
The
mass
audience
wants
escapist
cinema.
They
want
a
film
that
helps
them
forget
the
stress
in
their
life.
Masses
don't
want
to
see
a
film
like Shanghai as
it
is
about
corruption
and
very
close
to
the
reality.
Baadshaho is
a
mass
film,
which
appeals
to
a
wider
set
of
audience.
Classes
on
the
other
hand
like
the
evolved
cinema.
They
want
certain
logic
and
aesthetics
in
the
film.
Milan
has
managed
to
hit
the
sweet
spot
here
as
I
think Baadshaho would
suffice
the
need
of
both
audiences.
Shanghai
is
one
of
my
best
works
on
screen.
Without
undermining it,
I
would
pick
a
film
like Once
Upon
A
Time
In
Mumbaai and Baadshaho as
they
appeal
to
wider
audience
'There
Is
A
Perception
In
The
Industry
That
The
Mass
Audience
Is
Diminishing'
Q.
Do
you
think
in
today's
times
especially
the
Indian
directors
are
ignoring
the
mass-centric
films
which
are
being
made.
There
are
very
few
directors
who
are
attempting
this
genre
any
more..
A.
There
is
a
perception
in
the
industry
that
the
mass
audience
is
diminishing.
There
were
certain
directors
who
used
to
make
such
films,
but
slowly
the
business
diminished
in
those
pockets.
A
film
like Baadshaho doesn't
only
target
the
masses,
and
it
would
have
been
in
a
trouble
zone if
it
was
just
a
mass-centric
film.
The
number
of
people
watching
a
film
in
the
mass
centers
might
be
a
lot,
but
the
figures
are
not.
Probably
20
people
in
a
mass
section
might
mean
2
people
in
a
multiplex.
If
you
want
to
make
a
film,
target
it
to
both
the
sections
of
the
audience.
A
very
few
film
makers
can
do
that
and
Rajkumar
Hirani
is
one
of
them.
'A
Megastar
Without
Content
Is
Not
Going
To
Get
People
In
The
Cinema
Halls
In
The
Long
Run'
Q.
Do
you
think
content
has
taken
over
the
concept
of
stardom
given
the
fact
that
a
few
superstar
films
in
the
past
have
failed
to
do
well
at
the
Box
Office?
A.
I
don't
think
it
only
depends
on
the
content.
Yes,
content
comes
first,
but
there
has
to
be
a
face
value
attached
to
it.
Even
the
films
that
have
not
done
well
of
late,
if
you
put
a
new
comer
in
it,
the
films
would
do
1/10th
of
the
business
they
did
with
the
stars.
So,
you
can't
undermine
the
fact
that
a
star
like
Shah
Rukh
Khan
does
not
get
the
people
in.
Right
now, it
is
legit
that
a
megastar
without
content
is
not
going
to
get
people
in
the
cinema
halls
in
the
long
run.
Nowadays,
the
audience
has
so
many
options
to
get
entertained
like
Netflix,
Amazon.
With
all
these
things
coming
up
and
with
so
many
choices,
they
don't
want
to
see
anything
mediocre.
Mediocrity
worked
probably
five
years
back,
but
not
anymore.
Earlier,
the
audience
didn't
have
so
many
choices,
but
now
they
can
go
to
YouTube
and
watch
a
short
film.
There
are
so
many
things
to
do,
so
I
think
they
are
less
tolerant
to
the material
which
isn't
very
evolved.
Q.
But
a
few
years
back,
the
films
used
to
sustain
for
at
least
three
days,
but
that's
not
the
case
today...
A.
The
word
of
mouth
spreads
faster
due
to
the
social
media.
Earlier,
it
used
to
take
time
for
the
word
of
mouth
to
spread,
but
now
due
to
social
media,
it
is
out
at
12.30
pm.
People
who
initially
used
to
watch
the
night
show
of
a
film
irrespective,
now
decide
that
based
on
the
reviews
on
social
media.
So,
content
is
to
be
blamed
for
everything.
'There
Is
Nothing
More
Important
For
Our
Longevity
As
Actors
Than
Box
Office
Numbers'
Q.
How
much
do
box
office
numbers
matter
to
you?
A.
We
work
for
box
office
numbers
and
there
is
nothing
more
important
for
our
longevity
as
actors than
box
office
numbers.
If
we
invest
a
certain
amount,
it
is
done
with
the
intent
to
recover.
We
work
in
an
industry
where
there
is
90%
failure.
So,
this
is
an
industry
with
90%
failure
rate.
In
any
creative
process,
you
have
to
be
ready
for
failure.
As
a
creative
person,
I
have
to
be
slightly detached from
box
office
numbers,
but
it
does
matter
a
lot.
It's
a
little
bit
of
mixed
bag
for
me.
That's
what
I
didn't
set my
foot
in
this
industry
for. There
is
certain
innocence
in
acting
which
is
deviod
of
box
office
numbers
which
is
when
we
had
to
most
amount
of
fun
as
actors.
I
don't
think
you
can
gauge
a
film
only
by
box
office
numbers.
I
don't
want
to
lose
the
fun
of
film
making,
by
thinking
about
numbers
all
the
time,
but
on
the
flip
side,
I
don't
want
my
films
to
lose
money.
'I
Had
To
Shift
To
A
Certain
Kind
Of
Cinema
Because
Of
My
Fan-Following'
Q.
Because
of
the
number
of
years
you
have
spent
in
the
industry,
you
have
a
vast
know-how
about
film-making
along
with
a
good
exposure
to
outside
content.
Does
this
also
reflect
in
the
choices
of
films
that
you
make
now.
A.
People
have
created
a
perception
of
me
from
the
kind
of films which
I
used
to
do,
but
when
they
met
me,
they
realized
I
was
a
completely
different
person.
I
did
the
films
that
I
personally
never
used
to
consume.
Because
of
my
fan
following,
I
had
to
shift
to
a
certain
kind
of
cinema
more
that
I
didn't
know
much
about.
I
just
went
ahead
with
the
team
and
conviction
of
the
director.
and
the
writer. I
think
right
now
is
a
great
time
because
how
cinema
literate
people
have
become.
Now
,I
think
this
is
the
good
time
for
me
to
explore
with
films
that
I
always
had
a
personal
liking
to.
Most
of
the
films
that
I
did,
I
found
a
big
disconnect
from
what
I
wanted
to
do.
I
did
them
just
because
there
was
an
audience
for
such
films.
I
have
never
seen
mass
films,
I
just
act
in
them.
I
used
to
just
read
the
script
and
then
do
what
the
director
used
to
tell
me
to
do.
I
never
saw
films
that
way.
I
never
consumed
those
kind
of
Hindi
films.