Day 8 - 10 Ka Dum

Mr. Siddhartha Basu and his bright young team - Tanya, Aradhana and Kaveri came to my house with their laptops, the very next night. They wanted me to get the feel of it before the rehearsals began at Mehboob studio.

Boney Kapoor’s son Arjun played the first contestant and won ten crores! Computers work to precision and in my informal approach, I had to see that the elaborate arrangements were not disturbed. The first thing I realized was that in this format, man and machine had to work in tandem. Even a little turn out of sync can bring about this loud deafening noise. It’s like conducting a symphony with an invisible baton. My first session of feeling the equipment didn’t go well but the well experienced Babu (yes, I too began calling Siddhartha by the name he’s comfortable with) was sure that it was a good beginning. Probably they had seen worse or they had no high expectations from me. It’s all about comfort, that’s it. However much my cool exterior may fool everyone, I know myself. I am very comfortable with moving machines that throb with life but steel cold gigantic computers rattle my nerves! My problem was how to be spontaneous amidst all these complicated machines and mechanisms.

I follow my impulses and spontaneity is the watchword for me. Most actors tend to be conscious and competitive. I never bother about stealing scenes from co-stars or out shining others. I have done a lot of stage shows all over the world. I discuss and disclose my ideas freely. If a colleague says he’d like to use one of my exciting ideas of stage entry or exit, I willingly let them. My interest is in the overall impact of the show. Just as I think a lot about the impact of my film in totality.
But, Babu is a perfectionist. How do I convince him that my charm lies in being imperfect? And this is what connects me with people. I am as imperfect as my fans are. And nothing would want to make me change that.