As I walk to sit right next to Farhan Akhtar to speak to him about issues that are both thought provoking and critical to the society, his knack of being gracious - something he hasn't learned and practiced, but been born with - puts me at ease. With a warm smile and a delightful 'Hi' he creates a welcoming impression, and within minutes comes across as an interesting speaker. He harks back to his childhood, gets fidgety when asked about 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' and can't hide his childlike nervousness on being questioned about his interest in playing the role of Christian Grey. Excerpts from an interview:
In one of your recent tweets, you mentioned - 'instead of empowering women, the silence of the state seems to be further empowering the fascist patriarchy'. This tweet was your reaction to Atul Kasbekar's recent tweet, which read 'Some Scary Hindu Taliban- girls over 10 should be covered head to toe - no mobile phones 4 girls - no figure hugging salwars'...
It is always worrisome when I see people, who I don't think have followers, but they still have enough strength to be featured on TV debates to defend something that is truly indefensible. It is very depressing to see that there is no system in place to deal with such people. A lot of things have happened in the past about promises made about empowerment of women and efforts invested to create an equal India. And when you see such things happening, you feel let down.
You recently did a project that was based on women empowerment and with MARD too you spread the message of equality. Is training your daughters to be mentally strong and determined to combat issues of gender bias a part of their upbringing?
It isn't a question about training. We just tell our daughters to be proud of who they are and the choices that they make in life. As parents we allow them to make choices in which they have faith as opposed to what other people are telling them to do. On a mature level, I hope this is a part of their DNA as they grow up.
Considering the time and age we are living in, safety for women had become a matter of grave concern; does it make you feel worried and over protective of your daughters?
Not just my daughters. But we all feel worried for everyone - for so many little girls, they are daughters of my friends and family members. With MARD we often go to different colleges to speak about same issues. And it is shocking to see that boys and girls have to stand separately in assembly lines. As if there is a barrier between the two of them! It's shameful to see that such segregation is permitted within a college. Boys and girls can't even interact with each other. All this creates an atmosphere which will only add to the problem. I believe they all need to be more aware of each other. It is needed to ensure girls and boys can be friends. Such an attitude will help them realize they aren't looking at someone in the zoo. They wouldn't be fascinated by each other either? And such changes are possible only when the society and the system work together to achieve it.
Regional cinema is often seen as a domain where the soul of the common man lies. Even though its contribution is immense, it plays second fiddle to Bollywood. But in the recent past we have seen commercial stars, including you (he was part of 'Por Bazaar) contribute to Marathi cinema, helping it not to be overshadowed by Bollywood...
There has been a re-emergence of Marathi cinema and we all should be happy about this. Till now we have only talked about the great works of V Shantaram. But there was also a phase wherein the impact of Bollywood was such that Marathi cinema took a backseat. It is interesting to see how Marathi cinema has begun to rely tremendously on its content to find its space. I appreciate Marathi cinema for the way it depends on actors' performance to find several takers. They are doing all this in a smart way. Since Marathi cinema is restricted to a particular budget level, it can't be pitted against Hindi films. I agreed to be part of Marathi film 'Por Bazaar' because it was about child trafficking. And if my association could help the film and play a key role in spreading the word, why wouldn't I have done it.
There has been widespread internet chatter about Renee Zelwegger's look. Do you think actors have undue pressure to deal with of staying young forever?
Actors grow up but fans just don't. To each is his own. I'm happy being fit. And honestly speaking, I don't know how long I'll remain fit. Die-hard fans just need to do some soul searching.
Since we are at an event which talks about colours, there has been a lot of buzz about 'Fifty Shades Of Grey'. If an Indian adaptation is ever considered, would you want to play Mr Grey, the man of our fantasies?
I will read the book and get back to you. But a lot depends on who is making it and how they will treat it.
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