EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW! Pavail Gulati On Taapsee Pannu, Amitabh Bachchan, Rejection and Nepotism

Q. This is your second film with Taapsee Pannu. How was it working with her as a co-star?

A. (Laughs) Taapsee bullied me the whole time during the first film (Thappad) and during the second film too. But she is my best friend and cares for me. We had a tight bond since the first film itself and it is very rare that you work with someone and that friendship lasts for such a long time. Mostly it happens like you finish the film, after that the friendship hardly lasts for a month or two. Then your paths part ways. So we are happy that our friendship is getting stronger with time. This is also because our backgrounds are very similar. Both are from Delhi and have reached here after struggling for so many years, so we understand each other very well. I share a lot of my problems and pain with her. So yes, working with her has always been a wonderful experience. Also, she is a role model for so many people. There have been very few actresses who can carry a film on their shoulders. Also, the way she experiments with her characters is worth learning.

Q. It is very rare to find such friendship in the industry. Do you consider yourself lucky?

A. Of course, in this case I have been lucky to have some very good friends. Some are from the industry, some are from outside. I am happy that I found Taapsee here. The film Thappad has given me a lot, not just success or recognition, but also very loving relationships.

Q. What attracted you to Dobaaraa?

A. The only attraction for me behind doing this film was Anurag Kashyap. If he had given me any other film, I would have done it too. He messaged me after watching an episode of Made in Heaven. When I met him, he simply said, "I am doing a film, Taapsee is in it and you will have this part, I will send the script to you, you read it, then tell me." To tell the truth, I was sweating even sitting in the AC room at that time. I could not understand anything because what I had desired to hear for 13 years seems to be happening suddenly. I think that day my life changed. And all this happened even before the release of Thappad.

Q. Dobaara is the Hindi remake of the Spanish film Mirage. What was your reaction after watching the original film for the first time?

A. Actually, after we got the script and we had done all the readings, Mirage was released. The rights to the screenplay had already been bought. We all saw the original film much later. By then our screenplay, pre-production everything was done. After some days I just casually watched it, as I didn't wanted to adopt anything from it. Because I knew that Anurag sir is making his own kind of film. As you read a story, you imagine it differently, someone else imagines it differently. So here we were going with just Anurag's imagination.

Q. You have also worked with Anurag Kashyap in Yudh?

A. He was the creative director of Yudh, so did not get the chance to meet him at that time. I then did a small part in his film in Ghost Stories.

Q. Once you said that Anurag Kashyap has been the backbone for your career. Would you like to share something about this?

A. He has always inspired me. He always tells me that you can do better. There are some people who talk negative about you behind your back. But Anurag is just the opposite. I used to hear from many people that Anurag has said very good things about me. And he didn't even know me at that time. We never even talked. I am grateful to him that he has always encouraged me as an artist. That's why I say that he has been an important part of my career.

Q. Talking about Yudh, you shared the screen with Amitabh Bachchan in that show. And now you are also doing Goodbye with him. Tell us about your experience with Big B?

A. While working with him in Yudh, I was very nervous. But this time it was a little easier. I am playing his son in Goodbye. I could never have imagined that a person of his stature and stardom would be so childlike on the sets. There is so much energy in him. I can't even describe how hungry he is as an actor. He never gets bored. He writes blogs, shoots for KBC and brands, listens to music, tweets and then during the shoot of the film, rehearses for every scene as well. I think he doesn't sleep at all. Sometimes I get jealous of his energy. Big B has proved that 'age is just a number'.

Q. You have also taken training from Naseeruddin Shah?

A. Yes, Naseer sir was my teacher in film school for two years. After that I did theatre with him for two-three years. To be honest, my parents would not have sent me to film school if Naseer sir was not my teacher. It was a big deal for them that I am about to learn something from Naseeruddin Shah. He was a very disciplined and very loving teacher. Whatever I know about acting, I know because of him. I remember he told all of us in the first class itself that no one can teach you acting, but you can learn acting. At that time the student in me woke up, that you have to learn from everything in life. It was a wonderful experience for me to do theatre with him. And the good thing is that when he saw Thappad, he had messaged me that he is proud of me. That was more than any compliment to me.

Q. At the beginning of your career, you also worked as an assistant casting director. How that experience helped you in shaping your career?

A. After completing film school, I had no money and I could not sit at home. I felt that I should keep doing something or the other, from which I could get to learn something and also earn money. Then I started working as an assistant casting director, so that I would know how the casting is done, what does the producer-director like, how should I talk and present myself. I have learned a lot from that phase of life. My first job was in Dharma and I was an assistant during the film My Name is Khan. At that time I was 20 years old and I am glad that everyone was very good with me. That phase gave me the courage to stay in the industry and keep trying.

Q. There is a lot of discussion about insider-outsider in the industry. What do you think about this?

A. I actually have a very different take on nepotism. It's everywhere, it's in every field. But at the end your talent is what takes you forward. Obviously star-kids can get a few more chances, but you have to prove yourself. The biggest superstar of the world today is an outsider, Mr Shah Rukh Khan. I think it is because of Shah Rukh Khan that we are all sitting here today. Everyone comes into the industry thinking that I will become Shahrukh Khan. I also came thinking that I want to be Shah Rukh Khan, and not the star SRK, but the person he is, the way he speaks, the way he chooses the characters, the way he manages himself. His own journey has been so amazing, perhaps that is why he has been an inspiration for all of us.

Q. How do you deal with rejection?

A. There have been many rejections and yes it broke my heart. It felt like a break-up. I used to cry so much. Then after two-three years you get used to all these things. You have to keep a thick skin in this industry. One or two rejections especially broke my heart badly and one of them was Manmarziyaan. I worked very hard for that. I auditioned for Vicky Kaushal's part, in which he also did a wonderful job. For that I had prepared for 6 months. Now, Anurag sir also knows that I auditioned for that film. Taapsee still teases me a lot about this. During the shooting of Thappad, she used to show me Manmarziyaan in the vanity.

Q. Thappad has been a turning point for you. Are you now satisfied with the kind of movies and characters that are coming your way?

A. Yes, I am very happy with the kind of offers I am getting today. The makers with whom I am getting a chance to work with is a big deal. Today I have films of directors like Vikas Bahl, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwary, Anurag Kashyap. I consider myself very lucky that I am getting these opportunities. But, in the last 13 years, I have struggled a lot to reach here. I have learnt a lot, and worked very hard. I am doing comedy for the first time in Goodbye. I myself did not know whether I could do comedy or not. But I enjoyed it a lot.

Q. Do you have a wishlist of directors you would like to work with?

A. I have worked with Zoya Akhtar, but I want to do a feature film with her. Then there is Rajkumar Hirani, Shoojit Sircar, Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap; I want to work with everyone. (Laughs) My list is very long.