One of India's current favourites, Fawad Khan, a well-known Pakistani actor who makes ladies drool with his disarming charms and a knack for slipping Urdu in his English, seems to have already found his foot in Indian cinema. He made his Bollywood debut in 2014 with 'Khoobsurat', across Sonam Kapoor. While the film failed to pass the test, Fawad certainly did and was acclaimed for his acting skills.
In an exclusive, Fawad talks about films and Bollywood with Asian Voice.
You play Rahul Kapoor in Kapoor & Sons. What similarities does Rahul have with Fawad?
I think the sensitivity that Rahul Kapoor possesses is something similar to what I do. I am a sensitive individual.
Rishi Kapoor, who plays a 90 year old in the film, recently said he could not agree to director Shakun Batra's working style. Did you face the same trouble?
I don't think I ever experienced trouble with Shakun's style of work. I really like his sensibility and his method of working. Woh bohot collaborative tareeke se kaam karta hai. Rishi Sir khud kehte the mujhe yeh nayi techniques kuch samaj nahi aati. (He works in a collaborative way. Rishi Sir himself used to say he did not understand these new techniques)
You have always stayed away from intimate scenes. Does your choice of role depend on how people back home would react to it?
It's not about back home. Jis tarah ka maine television ka kaam kiya hai, not just in Pakistan, also India, logo ko pasand aaya hai. (The kind of work I have done in television, people have liked it) I feel they are comfortable right now and they would get uncomfortable with my intimate scenes onscreen and it might become an obstacle between me and my audience. So, right now I am comfortable with not doing them because I think it might make my audience uncomfortable.
Is there a semblance between the Pakistani movie industry and Bollywood?
Pakistan mein filmein bohot kum banaa karti thi bichme, kuch arsein tak (very few films were made for quite some time in Pakistan) and television was the only form of entertainment. Ab recently jo cinema reboot hua hai, there is a lot of stuff that is coming around. It's not very different, the expressions, as compared to Indian cinema. Obviously, itna advanced nahi hai (it is not as advanced), but you cannot call it conservative.
Has Bollywood warmed up to you?
I have had great relationships with the people I have worked with, and I have great conversations, made some really great friends.
