Your cousin, Fardeen Khan, is getting ready to return. We hear that you are also in the process of returning to Hindi cinema…
I have not seen many people for a long time and many people have not seen me either. I have been working on something really interesting and exciting. There are two projects that I want the producers to be happy to announce. I was around, working with myself. With their god, when things start to look out for everyone, we will start things up and move on quickly. We all have patience and let this terrible phase of the pandemic pass. I have been told closed words about what I do because there must be a proper approach to these things. As for Fardeen, I’m really proud of my brother.
Have you seen the work he does at Visfot?
I’m just happy for him. There are many things to do, to build and to protect. We both did our job in the middle and we are glad that there are so many other people who will move on to this mantle. There is an urge to be creative and to entertain people. When I look at Fardeen, I feel a sense of pride that he does so much work and does so much good for himself.
In the last two or three years, the activity of cinema and entertainment has changed, thanks to the OTT platforms. As an actor, how do you perceive this change?
OTT platforms are important in terms of the creativity and jobs that actors and technicians need to explore. It is definitely going to launch into something huge. But does that mean cinemas are dying? I do not think. If that were the case, cricket matches and concerts would not take place on the ground with so many in attendance. People would only watch them on their flat screens and cell phones. But people go to concerts and races, watch movies and feel a common set of emotions with people they do not know. That with us makes people and that goes nowhere. OTT is a bold step forward for the entertainment business in India, but it also means that the canvas for a movie going to the movies will get bigger from this point on. And I think it’s criminal not to see some movies in the movies, you know!
We saw you at the premiere of Tadap, which is the debut of Suniel Shetty’s son, Ahan. Did that bring back memories from the time you and Fardeen started?
One was stuck and was nervous at the time. You do not know what is in front of you. When I saw Ahan at the premiere of his film, I felt proud, but I also thought about how popular entertainment is today. It is differentiated into so many verticals. There are so many forms of entertainment that a newcomer has to struggle to make his presence felt. Newcomers now have a harder time than us. It’s incredible when they shine through it all and come out on top. Like when I saw the trailer for Ahan’s movie, I thought the boy was knocking on the door, he had the background of a good actor and all he needed was the support and love of the audience. Blessings from those who love Anna (Sunel Seti) will help him achieve everything.
