comic cop: Sanjay Dutt in his next film Chatur Singh Two Star

Q: Tell us about your role in Chatur Singh Two Star.

A: I play the role of a police officer who feels he’s doing the right things and that he’s a great detective. It’s a stupid character who will be instantly liked by all, including kids, because though Chatur isn’t doing comedy at all whatever he does becomes comedy. Though it is based on a novel called Chaalaak Jasoos, director Ajay Chandok has made a lot of changes to the original story. No, it’s not a rip-off of the Pink Panther series because not a single film in the series has clicked in India.

Q: Did you prepare for your part?

A: Have you ever seen me prepare for a role? I simply enjoyed myself. The only preparation I had to do was to put on some weight for the role of Chatur Singh. In fact, it became quite a problem to lose the weight that I put on, but I did succeed in losing 20kg.

Q: How did you manage to do it?

A: For almost six months, I did not touch a drop of alcohol or, for that matter, even salt. I survived on grilled fish, boiled chicken, boiled vegetables and so on.

Q: How happy are you with the kind of roles that you are offered these days?

A: Well, you have got to move on in your career and not have the illusion that you can play the role of a college boy forever. I have to accept the fact that I am 51 years old and can’t be a college student in every film, or dance around trees with beautiful young girls.

Q: In that case, why did you refuse to play Salman Khan’s father in Bodyguard?

A: I politely declined to do it because I was not comfortable with the idea of doing the role of his father, especially since I am just a few years older than him. But I am not at all averse to making guest appearances. I did a guest appearance in his film Ready. And didn’t I play the role of Minissha Lamba’s father in Kidnap?

Q: Is it true that you are stepping into Salman Khan’s shoes in the reality show Dus ka Dum?

A: No. Salman Khan will continue to be the host because he has done a damn good job in it.

Q: Aren’t you co-hosting the next edition of Bigg Boss with Salman Khan?

A: Salman will be my co-host only in the first two episodes of the show. After that I will act as a friend, philosopher and guide of the inmates of the Big Boss house.

Q: Do you think actors are unfit to be in politics?

A: Whether it is Amitji or Govinda or I, we actors are basically emotional fools, whereas in politics you need to be shrewd to the core.

Q: Then why did you join politics at all?

A: When I joined the Samajwadi Party, I regarded Amar Singh not as a minister or a politician but a dear family friend. Even now I consider him to be my big brother. I remember the first time he asked me to give a bhashan, I told him I was an actor who needed dialogues. He told me I should recite a shayeri and, in fact, wrote the lines for me in chaste Urdu. Then he said I should narrate Gandhiji’s story about the three monkeys. However, when he himself went on stage, he coolly stole all my lines. He not only sunaoed the shayeri but also talked about Gandhiji’s three monkeys — that he had asked me to tell. That’s when I realised I was not cut out for politics.

Q: Do you still dream of remaking Padosan with you playing the role that your father Sunil Dutt did in the original?

A: I did once think of remaking Padosan, but right now there’s no such plan. If any producer wants to remake the film, I would suggest Ranbir Kapoor be cast in Duttsaab’s role. It needs a young romantic hero. I would be happy to do Kishore Kumar’s role in the film.

Q: Which film of your dad would you like to remake with yourself playing his role?

A: I’d give my right arm to produce and act in a film like Mujhe Jeene Do, which I feel was my father’s all-time best film.

Q: Would you like to do Mother India too?

A: No. It would be blasphemy on my part to try and remake a film like Mother India. I just cannot measure up to my father’s sterling performance as Birju.

Q: Why didn’t you invite Shah Rukh Khan to your wife’s birthday party?

A: I did invite him, but he couldn’t make it because he was not free. He did come to my house the next day. The media just likes to pit one star against another.

Q: If you are a good friend of both Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, why don’t you try and get them to kiss and make up?

A: Who am I to ask Salman and Shah Rukh to forget their fight and patch up? I believe that each person should have his own space. I don’t think I have the right to intrude in their personal space, since I would not like others to intrude in my personal space.

Q: Do you plan to take up direction like your father did?

A: Frankly, I am not fascinated by the idea of direction, though I am open to producing films. In fact, after Rascals, I am planning to produce another film with Rohit Shetty, starring me and Ajay (Devgn).

Q: Which are your forthcoming films after Chatur Singh?

A: After Chatur Singh, watch out for my films like Karan Johar’s Agneepath, Ramgopal Verma’s Department, Kabir Kaushik’s Zilla Ghaziabad and my own production Rascals. I have also done a special appearance in Ra.One for Shah Rukh Khan.

Q: Which are your five best films as an actor till date?

A: Naam, Khalnayak, Munnabhai MBBS, Sadak and Saajan.

Q: How would you evaluate yourself today?

A: You learn from every film you do. When I watch some of my old films today, I wonder how I ended up performing so badly. However, all said and done, I have no regrets, though I have undergone some harrowing times. There is no animosity between me and my dear sisters now. Not only do I get good work but I also have a good wife who dotes on me and two cute little children Shahraan and Iqra. I couldn’t have asked for more.