Sanjay Dutt as Kancha Cheena in Agneepath

Sanjay Dutt’s twins Shahraan and Iqra have started recognising their famous dad’s face every time the Agneepath promo is shown on the small screen. “They point at the screen and say ‘Papa’. Thank God, they are too young to get scared by my look,” chuckles the 52-year-old dad. While the actor is very proud of his work in the remake of the Amitabh Bachchan classic, the film doesn’t make it to the list of films he would want to show his kids. “I would want them to see the Munnabhai films first. Agneepath will have to wait till they are much older,” he says.

The actor, who many refer to as the original Cowboy of Bollywood, looked the part when t2 met him in the offices of Dharma Productions in Mumbai. Dressed in a blazer, T-shirt and denims with flame wingtip western boots, Dutt first takes permission to smoke in the room before sitting down for the interview. From Kancha Cheena’s villainy to the lovable Munnabhai, the actor talks movies.

What was your first reaction when Karan Johar offered you Kancha Cheena in Agneepath?

Karan and I go back a long way. I had done Gumraah for his father Yash uncle (Johar) decades ago and was always looking forward to working again with Dharma Productions. One day I received a call from Karan who said that he had a role for me. He then sent director Karan (Malhotra) over who narrated the script of Agneepath. I remember, Karan had these sketches of Kancha that he showed me and told me this is how I would look in the film. I loved how he had conceived Kancha. It’s a brilliantly written character.

What attracted you?

Kancha is a very dark character. He believes in the Bhagavad Gita and has interpreted it to suit his life. Every move that he makes is connected to the teachings of the Gita. He is a very complex character who is tough to understand. In the 32 years that I have spent in the industry, I haven’t seen a villain like him in our movies.

Everyone has been talking about Kancha’s menacing look. Whose idea was it?

It was all Karan Malhotra’s idea. Remaking an iconic film like Agneepath for his debut film must be so daunting but he has done a fabulous job. He knew exactly how he wanted Kancha to look, talk or walk. Of course, I did give my suggestions but at the end of a shot, Karan would make me do exactly what he wanted for the scene. As an actor, to have a director with such clarity is always a blessing.

Over the years, you have always been open to experimenting with your looks but no one expected you to go bald!

Honestly, I was apprehensive about going bald because I was still shooting other films. So Karan agreed that we would be using prosthetics to get the bald look. We did a look test with some make-up experts from Los Angeles and it all seemed fine. I even shot a scene in Mumbai with Chintuji (Rishi Kapoor). When we went to Diu to start shooting, the prosthetics would melt off because of the extreme heat. It would take three hours to put it on and in just 30 minutes it would start melting off. I had to take a decision at that stage and I decided that it was in the best interest of the film that I shave off my hair and go bald for the character. I am glad I didn’t use prosthetics because I think it would have affected my performance.

The last time you played such a dark character was in Khalnayak almost 19 years ago…

There is a big difference between my roles in Khalnayak and Agneepath. In Khalnayak, I was more of an anti-hero who became bad because of certain circumstances whereas Kancha is a completely dark character. Even in Vaastav or Naam, my characters had shades of grey but I have never played anyone like Kancha before. He is so unpredictable.

But everyone now loves you as Munnabhai. Were you afraid of how the audience would react to Kancha?

But everyone loves Kancha as well! I recently visited Nashik and Indore for the promotions of the film and the crowds were chanting Kancha’s name... I am surprised!

How different is this from the 1990 version?

Karan Malhotra has worked with the same premise where Kancha kills Vijay’s father. So, it is still a revenge film. But the setting is different. This is a very grounded film. The look and feel is very earthy and raw. Vijay Dinanath Chauhan (Hrithik’s character) is a very normal guy who stays in a chawl and dresses mostly in white shirt and jeans. My character Kancha, who is in Mandwa too, is very different this time around as he is mostly seen wearing dhotis and has a rustic look.

Kancha was played by Danny Denzongpa in the original film. Are you worried about comparisons?

I loved the original Agneepath. Every actor, from Danny saab to Mithunda and Sir (Amitabh Bachchan), was incomparable. The film probably didn’t do well because it was so ahead of its time but it remains one of my favourite films of all time. As for comparisons with this one, all I would like to say is the whole world of this Agneepath is completely different from the original film.

The last time you worked with Hrithik Roshan, in Mission Kashmir, was when he was a newcomer. What was it like working with him in this film?

When we were shooting for Mission Kashmir, his first film Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai had not even released. Even then he was very hardworking and dedicated but he was nervous about how Kaho Naa... would do and if he would make it in the industry. Today, he is so self-assured. Hrithik has really grown as an actor in these last few years.

You are currently shooting for Son of Sardar and Zilla Ghaziabad. Would you tell us a bit about them?

Zilla Ghaziabad also stars Arshad (Warsi) and Vivek (Oberoi). It’s got superb action and I am sure will shock a lot of people. Son of Sardar with Ajay (Devgn) is an action-comedy which is set in Punjab. I have a fantastic feeling about that film as well. There is also Department with Mr Bachchan and Rana (Daggubati) which is in the Satya-space. I am looking forward to all these films.

Finally, you are going to start shooting the third Munnabhai film this year...

Yes, Vinod (producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra) has told me that we start in September. Raju (Rajkumar) Hirani would be directing the film and Arshad, Boman (Irani) and myself are so far confirmed. I have no clue what the storyline is because I haven’t seen the script. I have tremendous respect for both Vinod and Raju. If they wanted to make money off the franchise, they would have churned out a movie every year because everyone loves Munnabhai. But they are not the kind. They want the audience to get the right kind of cinema, which is why it’s taken them so long to zero in on the script. I can’t wait to start shooting Munnabhai 3.