INTERVIEW WITH SANJAY SURI - II

Who : Sanjay Suri
About : Very underrated actor, model and producer of films like My Brother Nikhil
Website: http://www.sanjaysuri.com/

How it happened : Interview with Sanjay Suri
Interview Date: March, 2005
Place: Sanjay Suri's office, Above Zenzi's(Bandra), Mumbai
Pics: Interview Pics

Nikhil Taneja(NT) : You must be on a major high right now after all the critical acclaim you have got post the release of your movie, ‘My Brother…Nikhil’. Did you see this coming ?
Sanjay Suri (SS) : Well, the first thing is whether I am on a major high or not. You definitely feels a little more accepted. Actually this kind of critical acclaim and appreciation is extremely encouraging. Though you don’t base your happiness on critical acclaim, it definitely helps in your career. What happens is that with encouragement and acceptance, people take you more seriously, whether in the trade or even the audience in general. Because the audience reads the reviews and bases their decisions on them, I mean at least the discerning audience does.

Whether I saw it coming or not… I did not, really. Actually my approach towards work is that you put in your effort in whatever you do and don’t plan that this will lead there and that will happen done or something. The result cannot be planned because it could go the other way as well. It’s just that you have to put all your energy and focus into what you are doing and how you are doing it. That’s about it. So I did not really see it coming… like this. But I definitely thought that the intention and the honesty put into the movie will get noticed… it will not go unnoticed. So I did see that much, but beyond that, nothing ! (Chuckles)

NT : So how different is life post the release of the movie ?
SS : Well, only as an actor, I could have ‘chilled’ and ‘relaxed’ and enjoyed the acclaim and all. But since I’ve also produced the film, post release the work doesn’t end. You’ve got to still promote the film and keep the buzz on, keep it all afloat. And apart from that, there are a lot of technicalities as a producer that you’ve got to look into. So I really haven’t had the time to sit back and enjoy the appreciation. Messages are coming in on my phone and on my email and on my website also, from all over. And this is the first time I haven’t even read most of my interviews because there is simply no time. Normally, I would do that after ever film because I keep uploading all this on my personal website. But right now, I have just got the time to read film reviews. (chuckles).

NT : You swam in the Mandovi river along with the Goa state level champion to get in touch with your swimming instincts for your movie. How did you research on being HIV positive ?
SS : As far as swimming is concerned, I used to swim as a kid and I also self trained a little for 10 days before the film started. But swimming in monsoon waters was a little dangerous. I did have lifeguards around me. The Goa champion was really good and was much, much faster and quicker than me (smiles) but we asked him to slow down for me (laughs). But generally, my strokes were fine and it looked authentic. Swimming in the sea was little difficult since the waves were too big and the undercurrents were very strong.

Regarding the research… over the net – I read a whole lot of articles. (Pauses) ..Apart from that, my director had also researched about the reported cases of the earlier days of AIDS in India. We also spoke to people who have been running or been in touch with HIV organizations and spoke to a few patients as well. So information was available to me in plenty. How we approached the role and the look was decided by me and Onir (the director of My Brother.. Nikhil). AIDS could result from a variety of symptoms and we chose what would be doable. I also lost about 6-7 kilos for the film and shaved off my hair at that time. So there was a definite look change. The research helped in the sense that the patients voice gets affected, he gets fever, there is a loss of memory and he gets legions. The immunity basically breaks down and the research did help me understand all this. But over all, the role was written very well and that helped as well.

NT : What made you get into production at such an early stage of your career ?
SS : Well, I never wanted to be a producer and it was never on the cards. But when Onir wrote this film and we decided to do it, we were taking it to other producers but then everyone wanted to, you know, put forward suggestions, which didn’t fit with the film and its sensibility like… (ponders for a while)

NT : Like song and dance numbers ?
SS : Yeah, for instance five songs and dances, which would have disturbed the film. So we decided that moment that we’d it ourselves. We’ll keep control over the production and we’ll end up making the film the way we want to make it and at least we will be honest to the script, without having to worry too much about commercial viability and things.

NT : How difficult is it to juggle production with acting especially when you are new at the field of production ?
SS : (Smiles wistfully) Oh, it’s been a tiring experience ! (Chuckles) It’s been about 9 months. Acting in fact came very easily to me in this movie. One of my most difficult roles came very easily in comparison to the great amount of production work ! If I’m drained out, it’s because of production and not because of acting. They are both two completely different things and I think I did a pretty decent job by completing the movie within budget and releasing it on time. But beyond that, I could not switch off any moment. You know, one moment, if I was acting, the next moment I was handling production, co-ordinating the dates, designing, marketing, taking care of sales, etc. I would say, involvement was in every department which took a lot of me, i.e., a lot of my energy and a lot of my time. So if anyone asked me if I have done anything else in 9 months, I would say no ! Because I hadn’t done anything else. It was literally like a baby coming out ! I did not even take up other acting commitments because whatever you do, you should do it well and give it your best shot.

NT : Since you were yourself producing the movie and your friend was directing it, was the whole set up more comfortable than probably the one of the National award winning Pinjar or Daman ? Was there a marked difference in the way you had to go about acting in these films and your own film ?
SS : See, the comfort level here was much more, much more. I think rather, people had to be comfortable with us since we were managing the show. And everywhere on the set, whether it was Juhi or Victor or Purab, Shweta, Shyan, Dipannita, everyone was so supportive towards me and Onir. We worked like a family. My wife was working on the art department and everyone was doing everyone’s job, which was very, very job and very healthy. You know, everyone was doing it like it was their own film. And once you get a feeling of ownership in anything, everyone works from the heart.

NT : How did you get such a prestigious banner as Yash Raj Films to back you ?
SS : Well, there I would give the credit to, of course, the film and Karan Johar, who saw the rough cut of the film really liked it and he suggested that I show the rough cut to Aditya (Chopra). So well, when Aditya saw the film, he also liked it too and then the decision was taken that they will do all India distribution of the movie.

NT : The promotion strategy of your movie caught everyone’s eye. Who came up with such an innovative idea and how did it materialize ?
SS : See, long back, I was looking at some corporate sponsorships. And corporates, being corporates, need numbers and maths and big stars, etc. So we thought of how we could pitch it to them. A suggestion came and you know, we brainstormed that do they care for this cause or not ? So that’s where the peg line came that ‘Do you care for your brother Nikhil ?’ So we pegged it like, ‘So and so brand cares for Nikhil… do you ?’, indirectly supporting the cause. And then, when we brainstorming with the marketing team of Yash Raj, they converted this thing instead of corporates to youth icons. So I approached, of course, Karan, Abhishek (Bachchan), Saif (Ali Khan) and Yash Raj organized with sport celebrities and Mahesh Bhupati’s company helped out with Mahesh, Sania Mirza and then Rahul Dravid. So it’s been a collective team effort.

NT : An interesting fact is that you have been the national level champion in squash and state level champion in basketball. So why did you opt for a career in something poles apart from sports as acting ?
SS : Those days sports had no money in it (laughs). Plus, our country also favours only cricket and maybe, lawn tennis but other sports are not given any attention, which is very sad, very sad. A country of billion and still can’t win any Olympic medal (laughs dryly).

NT : But why acting as a career ?
SS : You know, all that was in Kashmir and I had to leave Kashmir and start afresh (His family was driven out of Kashmir by terrorists in a tragic incident where his father was also killed during a shootout). I had started modeling in the side and I enjoyed and realized that I can do it, I am not bad at it. So from not being bad at it, I realized that I was good at it (Smiles). It was kind of a realization, more than being a conscious decision of being an actor from childhood. That was never the case. But once I started doing it, I started enjoying it, I would say, realization became faith then that yes, I can do it.

NT : Is your sports background the reason why you chose the main protagonist of your movie, ‘Nikhil’, to be a swimming champion ?
SS : Sports actually gives a character another dimension and in Indian films, sports haven’t been given any importance or relevance. Swimming hasn’t been captured at all in Indian movies and plus, the visuals also look nice. We didn’t take something like basketball because for it we’d have to collect a team whereas here, I was swimming alone. So it made my work much more easier and manageable (chuckles). Plus the film was based in Goa and Goa and water go together. (smiles).

NT : You had a disturbing experience with regards to swimming as a child when you got trapped in weeds during a school championship and had to be saved. It must have taken you some amount of guts to get back into the waters again ?
SS : How did you get that piece of information? My God ! What research (Smiles) ! Anyway, yeah, the weeds were pretty tickling and I almost got trapped but no, it didn’t really have any effect on me because at that time, I was really, really tiny and I got over it that time only. Actually, Srinagar had these two lakes, Dal Lake and Nagin lake and lake water is much lighter than pool water so you are quicker in it and its fun swimming in it. The feeling of the unknown underneath you makes for some interesting swimming (smiles). Nothing is there but there is just this feeling of life underneath you. So I have learnt swimming in a lake and not in a pool. I just enjoy the water no matter what.

NT : Usually, actors cash in on commercial movies and after they have got a sufficient amount of bank balance, they get into parallel cinema. Having started off in reverse, are you looking for a change or do you want to continue on the same lines ?
SS : See, if it was only for a bank balance, then I would be doing business or something. For me, the reason to be in this line is because I get to do what I like to do. Money can follow but I should enjoy what I do. Every film, you spend about 6 to 7 months on the sets, so you have to enjoy what you are doing. It’s like coming down every night saying that ‘Arre yaar, I didn’t have a good day’ or ‘I didn’t enjoy’ or ‘I hate going to work’. I don’t want a feeling like that. So I enjoy what I do and the rest can follow. I won’t do a film only for money.

NT : So do you prefer going along the same lines ?
SS : See, masala potboilers have kind of evaded me but they never approached me and that’s why I never went that side .But I try to balance my work on my own. Like if I do a ‘Plan’, I’ll balance it off with a ‘Pinjar’, If I do a ‘Dhoop’, I will balance it off with a ‘Shaadi Ka Laddoo’. And if I do an urban film like ‘Jhankaar Beats’, I’d also do a tragedy called ‘My Brother… Nikhil’. So I do all kinds of movies.

NT : Did you do movies like Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya and Insaaf for commercial satisfaction ?
SS : Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya was my first ‘commercial, commercial’ film. So I thought it would give me that exposure but unfortunately, it did not (smiles). And as far as Insaaf is concerned, on the script level was very, very powerful but it somehow did not transform into good cinema. Actually, film making is a team effort and you cannot base it on one person. I mean, the director does hold the film together, but at the end of the day, it’s a team effort and so if a film does not work, it doesn’t for a whole lot of reasons.

NT : Even though you had acquired critical acclaim with films like Daman, Pinjar, Filhaal, etc., you got your first commercial hit with Jhankaar Beats. How much difference did the hit status on that film make to your life and career ?
SS : (Pauses) To my life, yes, it made a difference but to my work, it did not make much of a difference. Life, because since more and more people saw the film, more people know about you. But, in my profession, ideally, a successful film should open for you a bouquet of options to choose from. But unfortunately, that did not happen and I do not really know why. But otherwise, a successful film makes you popular in a particular fashion and industry people also feel that this person has a draw, so why not cast him ? So eventually, it’s all maths driven.

NT : Talking of Jhankaar Beats, what made you cast its director, Sujoy Ghosh as the swimming coach in your movie, ‘My Brother.. Nikhil’ ?
SS : (Smiles) Well, Sujoy was supporting us throughout and we have been close associates ever since his first film, Jhankaar Beats. He was there in Goa and we needed to cast for the character and someone suggested, ‘Why not Sujoy ?’. So it was a small thing and it felt like a family affair. I mean, he was there as a member to support us throughout the movie.

NT : You have a passion for photography too. Any plans of collaborating with your brother Raj Suri ?
SS : No, no. Actually, my photography started when he gifted me a camera 4 years back (chuckles). He gifted me a professional Nikon camera and then I started off with photography. He knew that I enjoyed travel photography like landscapes, traveling, animal life, etc, not photographing people. So he gifted me a camera and that’s how it started and soon enough, I started taking pictures while traveling.

NT : What made you come up with a personal website ?
SS : I was helped a great deal in my personal website by my brother and his designers in Australia. We were trying for sanjaysuri.com for a long time but it was with someone else. Suddenly there was a lapse and we plugged in.

I think, for an actor or actually for anyone at all in today’s time and age, the power of the world wide web should not be underestimated. So it’s made my job very easy. For example, if anyone, anywhere in the world wants my pictures, they have access. If anyone wants to read about me and my filmography, body of work, interests, forthcoming films, the site serves as a virtual portfolio, office, etc. I can also get in touch with my fans, whenever time allows me. So that’s why I did my website and simultaneously developed one for ‘My Brother… Nikhil’, which is very active right now since its release. So, I would say, access and availability to the world made me realize its importance. Every youth today is on the PC. So there you are, direct, without any interference in between. I get direct feedback from my fans. I get to know whether people liked or hated my performance since they give honest opinions. So it feels nice.

NT : How did you bag Brad Listermann’s international project My Bollywood Bride with Kashmira Shah and American actor Jason Lewis?
SS : Yeah, that film is also ready and it’s going to be a summer release. They did approach me because they had seen Jhankaar Beats and they liked me in Jhankaar Beats. The protagonist is Jason Lewis and they needed an Indian lead too. I, in fact, play a Bollywood actor in that. They just approached me and I read the script and I found it very, very funny. It’s a romantic comedy and I haven’t done anything like that before. So that’s going to be another milestone for me because you know, it’s been marketed abroad and for the first time I was in a film which got featured in ‘Variety’ magazine. It all just opens a few more windows for me. Outside people will sit up and say that okay, there’s this actor who is doing these kinds of films also. So it’s been all beneficial for me. The film should release by July.

NT : With this movie, did you take a conscious decision to move towards abroad ?
SS : No, no, there’s nothing like that. It’s just that they needed somebody from here and they approached me and it worked out the way it has. Actually, I have no great desire to work in the west because I am happy working here. Of course, if something substantial comes along, then I would work but otherwise, this is where we were born(smiles), this is our mitti and all, so why go sell out yourself cheap yaar… why ?

NT : So what can we expect from Sanjay Suri in the coming days as an actor and as a producer ?
SS : Well, I can say that, as of right now there are some interesting roles which I am in the process of deciding and as a producer, I think if we really like a script and if we think we can pull it off again, we will.

© Nikhil Taneja (nikhiltaneja@gmail.com)