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Zee Bangla’s Dadagiri season 4 finale saw Shaadi Ke Side Effects co-stars Vidya Balan and Farhan Akhtar drop by at Rajarhat’s DRR Studio on Wednesday afternoon. From shaking a leg and talking films with host Sourav Ganguly to helping the finalists with answers, Vidya and Farhan spent more than an hour on the sets. t2 caught up with the duo just before they went on stage.
t2: Vidya, are you a sporty girl?
Vidya: No, not at all! (Smiles)
Farhan: She is sporting!
Vidya: Yeah! (Laughs) As a matter of fact, it is a wrong thing to say, but I am not too much of a follower of cricket either. But I have been on Dadagiri before and it’s been fun. So let’s hope we have some fun today.
t2: What about you, Farhan?
Farhan: Yeah, yeah, I am very sporty and I love playing sports. I am an avid cricket viewer. In fact, on many occasions I have said that Sourav Ganguly to me is probably one of the most important captains that the Indian cricket team has had. He introduced a new kind of spirit I think into the team, which was not only to be happy playing the game, but to win it. He really introduced that spirit. I have been a big fan and I have told him this on several occasions. He came to my TV show (Oye! It’s Friday!) when I was hosting it.
t2: Vidya, have you met Sourav before?
Vidya: No, I haven’t met him before, but I have a story. He had opened a restaurant (Sourav’s)… when I was doing Parineeta, he had called to invite me and I thought someone was playing a prank! I was like ‘Yeah right! You are Sourav Ganguly and I am Indira Gandhi!’ (Laughs out loud)
Farhan: This must be brought on!
Vidya: He said, ‘No, I am really Sourav Ganguly!’ I was like, ‘Then good for you!’ (Laughs) I did not believe him at all. After I put the phone down, I got a call from someone else saying that Sourav Ganguly actually called me to invite me to his restaurant opening! I felt so bad, but I did not know how to call him. I was too new.
Farhan: Are you hoping that he has forgotten or are you going to remind him?
Vidya: I don’t think he has forgotten! May be has…. god knows.
Farhan: I’ll remind him! Must. These moments… must!
t2: Farhan, you said Vidya is most sporting. You’ve just shot Shaadi Ke Side Effects with her. Any anecdotes you can share with us?
Farhan: Honestly, I cannot say most sporting or least sporting….
Vidya: But I think he pushed me down once and I was still laughing! (Laughs out loud)
Farhan: (Chuckles) No, I mean she’s got a great spirit. She enjoys a good laugh. She loves playing pranks on others and takes it very well when the joke is on her. That’s the definition of ‘sporting’ I feel.
t2: Vidya, what is the one prank you have played on Farhan?
Vidya: I told him that one AD on our film was a very famous actor’s grandson. So, he kept making references to that actor with the AD, but obviously he had no idea! (Laughs)
t2: So, Farhan, soccer or cricket?
Farhan: I am a bigger cricket fan for sure, with a deep interest in soccer as well.
t2: Who are your all-time favourite cricketers and soccer stars?
Farhan: You know there have been many. We were watching cricket from the time of Kapil Dev or (Sunil) Gavaskar. So many talents. Sourav of course, Sachin (Tendulkar), (Rahul) Dravid. Great team we had then… the Big Four… V.V.S. Laxman. Among the younger lot, Yuvraj (Singh), Rohit (Sharma), (M.S.) Dhoni as a captain now. Incredible talent. In soccer, there is no one team that I follow. For me, there is no emotional attachment to any of those names. I like watching good games… the bigger teams like Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid.
When we finally got to meet Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday, Dada was sipping a cup of hot tea after a tiring day. “The response (for this season) has been good,” he told t2. He was dressed in a velvet jacket, something, he said, he won’t “wear much of” off screen. After all, he is a “simple person”. You could almost sense a sigh of relief when he spoke about his upcoming school. “At last it has taken a concrete shape. After all the fighting for land, it has taken a concrete shape,” he said. We changed tracks to talk films with Sourav…
So, how was it having Vidya and Farhan over for the finale?
Vidya was very sporting. Farhan was different. Vidya was different. She enjoys Calcutta. My favourite Vidya Balan films are Kahaani and Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Absolute entertainers. You can actually watch it again and again. My favourite Farhan Akhtar film is Bhaag Milkha Bhaag for sure. The spirit, the way he has worked on himself. Such films you always enjoy.
Are you a film buff?
Not all films, but I watch whenever I get the time. Your earliest memories of watching a film? Sholay and Django.
What do you remember of that first Sholay watch?
Gabbar Singh. Sholay was not about Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, but Gabbar Singh and Asrani!
Who are your all-time favourite actors?
I have always been an Amitabh Bachchan fan. I am very fond of Shah Rukh (Khan), Aamir (Khan) and Ranbir (Kapoor) too.
Do you watch Bengali films?
Sometimes. I have seen all Satyajit Ray films. I have also watched Sandip Ray’s Feluda films. I am looking forward to watch Abir (Chatterjee) play Feluda. I think he has a fantastic personality. Soumitrababu (Soumitra Chatterjee) is a legend. He is 80. Nothing can go on forever. I think Abir is the right man to take over. Three right people have done it… Soumitrababu, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty and Abir.
