INTERVIEW! Pulkit Samrat: I Don't Take My Failures Ahead

'I Felt Like Jumping Off From The 48th Floor...'

Q. Fukrey was quite well appreciated by the audience, and now it's a franchise. How excited are you about its sequel- Fukrey Returns?

A. It feels great! We are excited about this film not just as actors but also as audiences, because this is one of our favourite films. So it was very exciting to know that finally it's happening and this is what the story going to be. In fact, the moment when I got to know that the narration of Fukrey Returns is happening, I was at the 48th floor, and I was so excited that I felt like jumping from that floor.

Q. When Fukrey released, people didn't expected it to be a super-hit movie. It started slowly at the box-office, and then it showed some big numbers. So what was the reaction after that? Any feedback or anecdote you would like to share?

A. The reaction after that was something we were hoping for, where the slow-start was something which we were not hoping for. So the reaction was more to the slow-start. But then from Monday or Tuesday level, it went to just another level. And we were happy with that finally!

'The Trend Of Slice-Of-Life Comedy Started With Dil Chahta Hai'

Q. From Fukrey to Fukrey Returns, many films have dabbled with more or less similar theme, and so we can say that it started a trend. So what kind of change you see in the scenario of such films released after Fukrey in terms of content?

A. There should be a great balance between a content, cinema and commercialism. The trend started actually with Dil Chahta Hai, where it changed the content scenario in films. Writers then stopped using those slapsticks elements. Similarly with Fukrey, I think the comedy started turning towards slice-of-life comedy rather more than towards gags and slapstick kind of comedy. And this is what people have started making film with such elements after Fukrey. But when they tried to do that, they must have realized that it's not an easy content to work with.

'We Tend To Generally Emphasis More On Star Power Than The Content & Characters'

Q. Fukrey is also best remembered more for its characters than the story. So what's your take on that?

A. We generally see these things happening in world cinema, but when it comes to us, we emphasis more on star power than the content and characters. I believe that if the content and characters are not working, than nothing else is going to work. And that we are quite lucky with Fukrey and hoping for the same in Fukrey Returns.

'Fukrey Returns Is A Sequel In The Truest Sense'

Q. It's been said that the essence of first film has been completely retained in this one. So did you expect any pressure as an actor in terms of performance?

A. Firstly, in our industry we've not been witness to a lot of sequels. We've been witness to a lot of series, where a film comes out with a totally different setup and just the original cast retained. Maybe, one of the cast members also changes. We tend to forget the difference between a sequel that takes the first film forward and a series on the same theme as the first film. A series can be similar characters, similar kind of environment, but in a different setup. In a sequel though, the story moves forward, and that's what we've done in this film. This is a sequel in its truest sense, where we've moved forward from where we left Fukrey."

So when you work on a sequel, there are different kinds of expectations. But if you concentrate on the core, then it's quite a sorted film. For me it was quite simple, where director and the writer narrated the situations and I have just acted according to it. And that's why I didn't felt any pressure. As long as you have grasp of your character, it just goes very smoothly.

'If I Am Working On Something With Passion, Today Or Tomorrow, It Will Definitely Work'

Q. Your last film didn't quite work well at the box-office. So how do you deal with such kind of failures and what motivates you to keep going in such times?

A. Not every article penned down a journalist will be read by everyone. So that doesn't mean you have failed. I generally maximize my enthusiasm on my passion. So if I am working on something with passion, today or tomorrow it will definitely work. Also, I don't take my failures ahead; I take my success ahead to a certain point. Because after that point, if I take my success ahead, then it becomes ego, and if I take my failure ahead, then it becomes a burden. So I just want to concentrate on my work and passion.