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 Reel-life villainy poured into a real-life one when he got embroiled in some unsavoury controversies. But, fortunately for Shakthi Kapoor, the badman of Hindi films, he managed to bounce back with renewed vigour and signed, as he says, a record 15 films when his morale was at its lowest. Ask him anything and he's candid to the point of indiscretion. Here's a peep into the mind of the man as he talks of
his three-decade-long career and the controversies that dogged him.
With few exceptions, it's once a villain always a villain. Did you feel yourself in the image trap?
I agree that an actor tends to get trapped in an image... Initially, when I entered films, I started as a villain. I would have done about a 100 films with almost the same dialogues and situations when I started getting bored with the sheer monotony
of it. I was trapped in an image. But then I was lucky to get 'Sathe Pe Satha' and a chance to shift to comedy. The film was a big success and I found myself enjoying it, and very comfortable doing comedy too. It's from there on that even when I went on to do villainy, I added a comic touch to it.
And then again you got trapped in the new image?
Yeah...it all started when director Raghavendra Rao saw 'Sathe Pe satha' and offered me 'Thofa'. It was an amazing role and gave me the image change I was looking for. I was signed for a lot of comedy roles and then came a stage where I got bored doing them. I wanted to return to hardcore villainy again. But, as you said, in this industry it's very difficult to break an image. It was really difficult to get back
villain roles, I was stuck with the new image! People, in fact, started asking me why I wanted to go back to villainy when I was doing comedy so well. It's a tragedy that when a good actor tries to do something different he's stuck in an image trap. But I'm very happy today that people love comedy and it is back again. And I'm enjoying this phase, doing films with Priyadashan who does a very different sort of
comedies. Though frankly, I still would like to do some villain roles, but they're not coming to me. Because my image now is that of an actor who makes people laugh, an entertainer.
Has this image trap stunted your growth as an actor?
You do get stuck at times. And you're not able to do what you really want to do... to explore your calibre further. There is a lot of unexplored avenues still left in me, in
today's scenario too. Like I could play a godfather, a business tycoon, a don. But I'm not getting to try them out because the film-makers think I've gone too much on the comic
side. So I'm not able to explore a new avenue of myself.
Coming to Priyadashan, you seem to be a favourite of his?
'Bhagam Bhag' is my fifth film with him. We've struck a good rapport over the years. I've done his 'Hungama', 'Hulchul','Chupke Chupke', 'Malamaal Weekly'
and now 'Bhagam Bhag'. He's amazing. I think he's one of the finest techncians and directors we have today. Because the subjects he does are varied and different and it's a difficult genre he's chosen. There are emotional flcks, romances and action, but he's taken the toughest genre, the comedies. Believe me, it's the toughest to make people laugh! Directors who have earlier handled comedies have all faded out,
because they couldn't do films to go with today's style and trend. But Priyan has had a log innings, and I'm happy to be a part of his films.
Shakthi and controversy seem to be inseparable! The sting operation and then the allegations of sexual harassment by participants of a talent contest?
It's probably my earlier Casanova image that's making me vulnerable and the target of the media! If you ask me, today the television media has become more a gossip media. They need to enhance their ratings and in the bargain they forget that they are ruining families. I was a judge at the talent contest in Bangalore. I was there just for a day, and flew out by evening. So, I was really shocked when this news about me came in the papers. How did this story happen when I was not even in the city at the time when the alleged attempt was said to have been made? As for the sting operation, I've put it all back as a bad dream. Do you know, the BBC did a 40 minutes coverage on me after that? They had got the feedback that when the sting operation was being telecast on TV, people were sitting at home and watching only
Shakthi Kapoor that Sunday. It was even more watched than a 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'! They wondered who this actor was, who made 70 per cent of the country sit at home and watch him. They called up and asked me for an interview. They initially called it 'The uncrowned star of India'. They were in India with me for 4
weeks, accompanied me to all places, and shootings, and talked to my colleagues too. And they came to the conclusion that this guy was targeted only because he
was a mass figure, that it was done by the channel to increase it's rating and that it was not in good taste.
But why you?
It was not just me! They had about 20 actors trapped in their sting operation. But I was the scapegoat. I happened to be the opening film, the premiere! By then the power game had started, they managed to crush it and further telecast was stopped.
There are 2-3 heroes who are emotional and vulnerable. But the media blows their actions all out of proportion. But as I said, somewhere your past image
does catch up with you!
Surely all this would have had it's reprcussions on your personal and professional life?
It did create a lot of mental turmoil and damage initially. Imagine sitting with your grown-up daughter and watching yourself so negatively projected on TV! But my family stood by me and supported me. Initially, the reactions of my colleagues too was very negative. The actresses whose names were mentioned were hurt. I called them up, met each of them personally, apologised to them, and sent them bouquets
with my regrets. And they did understand. The industry stood by me. Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai, Mahesh Bhatt, all were later supportive and understood that I was
inadvertently trapped in a situation and not at fault. It did take a little time though. But there was a blessing to it too. Professionally things started working to my advantage. I signed 15 films in five days! People who've never worked with me approached me with offers, said
they felt bad for me and expressed their desire to work with me. What I would like to
say here is that if you're not in the wrong ,and you are true to yourself, God will save
you and give you something you wouldn't have even expected!
Actors being role models, don't you think they should be more responsible or at least discreet and not flaunt their personal life?
Agreed. But the media too has to be equally responsible. There has to be some limit too for the media when they encroach on someone's personal life. Actors are human too, emotional, have their vulnerable moments and can get hurt . But the media
goes a little overboard at times, highlighting very minor incidents, and blowing them out of proportion.
Coming to a more pleasant tuning...that of you and Khader Khan. You two were an inseparable pair once.
Our tuning was amazing. I do miss it a lot, the Khader-Shakthi jodi of father and son. He's taking it very easy in life these days. He's in semi-retirement and into too much of religion now. I remember when films with us were released, the popularity of our teaming j; was such that there used to be separate banners of 'father and son' apart from that of the hero and heroine. Never has it happened with character
actors! Here I would like to tell that for the past eight years, I have not seen any good looking guys with the potential to play villains. Who could be paired with a Preity Zinta or a Rani Mukherjee, the way I was paired with Sridevi or a Smita Patel where I played their husband? So, we have heroes playing villains too these days!
So are you satisfied professionally when you look back? What sort of roles would you like to play now?
To an extent I'm satisfied... I'll call it good, but not very good! But I'm thankful that after working with four generations of actors I'm still around to work with the new lot. With technical advancement, there is no limit to villainy. I want to play the
'evilest of evil', a villain with unlimited powers to shake the world. I would like to fly like the villain in Spiderman, play an evil magician, a guy on a computer holding the world to ransom. Villains with super powers that children too can enjoy. I'm physically fit and there's a lot still left in me.
Finally, what's your tuning with the south, specially
Chennai?
South is like my second home. I love Chennai food. When I'm in my Mumbai home, I ask my cook to make me dosa, idli, uthapam and badas. The place has improved, much cleaner and modern, it's subways and shopping complexes are wonderful. I always buy some clothes when I come here. Professionally too
Chennai has been a supporting factor in my career, I've been coming here for the past 18 years and have done over a 100 Hindi films shot here. About 70 per cent of them were major blockbusters - for prestigious names like the Padmalayas, K Bappiah, T Rama Rao, Rama Naidu, Raghavendra Rao and Rajender Singh Babu. Discipline I learnt in the south. Punctuality and commitment too. Chennai work has been a very major contributing factor to my growth, because of which I am today comfortably settled financially too. I bought my first home with the money I earned here. When I got married ,it's these people who helped me out. Not many may remember, but when Venkatesh debuted as a hero in Telugu, his father Rama Naidu and director Raghavendra Rao roped me in to play the villain to him. I remember, it was Khushboo's first south film too. I've done two Telugu films, but not in other south languages. I wish someone would offer me roles in Tamil or Malayalam.
You have some of the best technicians here!
Malini Mannath
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Villain Shakthi Kapoor
