Saturday, Oct 16, 2010
The best part about acting is that I still feel insecure when there’s a serious role, says veteran actor Om Puri, who reprises the role of George Khan in West Is West
Indian thespian Om Puri, who played a temperamental Pakistani patriarch settled in Salford, UK, to perfection in the acclaimed comedy East Is East, says he has quit his “rascal act” in its sequel. In West Is West, which premiered last night at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Puri plays a mellowed-down George Khan.
“I was a bit of a rascal in East Is East because my character demanded a certain aggression. But in West Is West, there is lot more complexity … lot more emotions. Imagine, I am going back to visit my first wife in Pakistan whom I abandoned 25 years ago,” says Puri, who has straddled both Indian and international cinema with aplomb.
If the first instalment of the ensemble comedy showed Puri as a strict father struggling to keep his brood together with their cultural roots intact, the second instalment will take you on an emotional roller-coaster ride, he says.
“The emotions — the laughter and the pain — will have a universal appeal. Imagine, here is man who abandons his Pakistani wife when he leaves for the UK and who eventually goes to confront her. He realises that his close friends in Pakistani hate him for betraying his own family — all that conflict and identity crisis is captured beautifully.” Even though Puri, 60, has managed to survive and thrive in Indian and international cinema for over two decades, he admits that such challenging roles are hard to come by.
Indian cinema
“British cinema is going through a tough phase with the recession and you know how Bollywood functions. In Bollywood, the films are more about glorifying the hero and the heroine. Look at what happened to Kurbaan — they sold it as a love story when it was actually about a serious subject like terrorism.” In Kurbaan, starring Bollywood’s real-life couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, Puri played a hardcore terrorist who masterminds a bomb attack.
“One of the flaws in Indian cinema is that there are not many meaty roles for character actors. It’s very rare for a film like Kurbaan or Gupt to come by.”
The situation is not as grim in the international cinema circuit, adds the actor. Apart from battling the occasional stereotypes attached to an Indian actor in Hollywood, the going is pretty good.
“Unfortunately there are these stereotypes attached to us. I remember when Shabana [Azmi] and I were shooting for City Of Joy with Patrick Swayze, there was this scene where the director had envisioned Shabana doing a mouth-to-mouth CPR. We argued that an Indian woman would never do such a thing in public — so yes often there is research lacking,” says Puri. But he is not willing to be bogged down by these setbacks.
“The best part about acting is that I still feel insecure when there’s a serious role — especially if it’s a complex character. I remember, when I was shooting with Jack Nicholson in My Son The Fanatic I had a scene where I had all the lines. I was nervous but the thrill kept me going.”
ila speaks
Singer and actress Ila Arun makes her debut in international cinema with West Is West. tabloid! caught up with Arun to speak about her launch vehicle, acting with Puri and more: ?Tell us more about your role: ?“I play an abandoned wife who is emotionally strong and resilient. I represent all those women who don’t have a voice but have a large heart. I couldn’t have asked for a better break in international cinema.”?On acting with Puri: ?“He is such a powerhouse of talent. Watching him on screen was a learning experience in itself.”
On singing in the film: “I wish I had sung in West Is West, but I don’t think breaking out into a song would have suited my character. Maybe next time.”
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By Manjusha Radhakrishnan?Senior Reporter
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