Suniel Shetty’s explosive revelations on KL Rahul-Athiya Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Govinda, ‘Hunter’ – Exclusive Interview – Times of India

ETimes caught up with Suniel at his office for an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW. Click on the video below to see it:

Here are the excerpts from that:

What is it that makes people connect with you?
I have been very honest with everybody. Be it success or failure. Haven’t I been vocal about the wrong choices I made when my films didn’t convert to ticket sales? So yeah, I took a break. And now even if I am older and slower, I haven’t let that come on screen. I am so happy that people have realised this and I have loved what I have done in ‘Hunter’. But believe me, when Sa Re Ga Ma decided to back it saying they will put their might behind me, I asked them ‘How come?’.

Did you?
Yes, and I thanked them. And they said, ‘Why are you thanking us? We believe in you Anna. There is maturity and character in you’.
I am very excited the people are excited at my new arrival. I think my Karma has helped me all through my life.
Directors Alok and Prince, cameraman Jackie, the dialogue writer- it was all a beautiful combination They got the emotion so right. They brought the cameras closer. The background music added to the whole thing. And, we took it a step higher.
I did a major underwater sequence in ‘Hunter’- the highlight of the show. I got unwell for three days after that; I might have swallowed something in water. It was a lifetime experience for me. Sound sunai nahin deta when the director calls ‘Action’ and you have to shoot a bullet; that scene was very, very tough.

You spoke about emotion. I think it was very heavily pronounced in your entire portrayal in ‘Hunter’ and most so, when you really looked in pain as you walked in the concluding portions of the screening…
I was shown having the memories of losing my daughter. I was running into the problem and not running away from it. I said I wanted to be messy and dirty. I didn’t change my clothes.

No body double used?
Nope.

Was a body double offered?
Body double is always around, but to ensure that he gets his bread and butter. Body doubles stand for you as well, they teach you as well. But when the camera rolled, it was only me. And it has always been that way for me.

You have tremendous goodwill in the industry. Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Rohit Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan tweeted, praising you in ‘Hunter’. We have never heard that you had a problem with anyone…
No, I have never had a problem. If I might have had a problem with someone, I might have said ‘sorry’ also.
We are a small industry. This is what yesteryear’s heroes shared with each other- love, respect. This generation doesn’t know that. If you say you are genuinely good, it is ‘Ha ha ha’ but if someone sitting God-knows-where criticises, they are affected. They are living in a virtual world. You need to be real with your emotions. If I don’t get my idli, dosa and ussal on Sunday, main behosh ho jaunga. My salad is a normal salad, bahar se nahin aata. Why shouldn’t I be open about that?
Let us be what we are. Else, people will not connect with us. They are not interested in your cars. They are not interested in your holidays. They might not have the money to travel abroad, so if you show them how to earn that money they might be interested in your holidays. But let us understand what the people want and what we are not giving them.
The four years I spent with my Dad without connecting to the outside world taught me a lot.

That’s one of the reasons why you took a break- to look after your Dad…
Not to look after him, but to be with him. He looked after me until his last day. He was in pain. He was frustrated. But I was selfish. I didn’t want him to go.
Everything I did, I asked him. And he would nod, and I would be thrilled.

Even his nod of consent was a blessing…
Absolutely. My Dad has always been my hero. You cannot take away the role of a mother but you never appreciate the father; there are differences with the father at times- how to run the business, etc.

You spoke about working with other heroes. Today, we don’t see that in the young generation…
That’s why we are in trouble. The so-called bloody agencies need to realise that old will always be gold. Brands will come and go. The young actors of today need to understand that kamake thoda industry ko bhi dena hai. Ads karoge etc, khud ki kamai ka sochoge— lekin what about the industry? If we start thinking about the industry and the federations, won’t that be good?

Do they have personal insecurities as well?
No. They are taught that way. People around them even tell them what to talk about, how to walk, what to post on social media. They are also told what to not talk about. Okay, don’t talk on controversial topics but why not work together with colleagues?
Working together is so much fun. Sunny Deol’s power in action was a treat. Ditto for Govinda’s dance and comedy, Akshay Kumar’s action. And say if I was there in that film, char khambe khade ho jaate the, aur ek building ban jaati thi. Audience ko every 30 minutes kuch milta tha, abhi inki dushmani ho gayi, abhi inki dosti ho gayi… there was so much to look forward to in every story. Abhi to action bhi ek hi actor kar raha hai, comedy bhi karne ki try kar raha hai…

There’s hardly a supporting cast. Many movies don’t have a mother and a father…
Other than that, there are so many characters around that people have stopped forgetting. But our audience is simple.

Why has stardom start waning?
Because I am on your phone, every single day, saying what the world is doing, dancing to my own songs. Arre, I am a star! Value kya hai meri? We have done it to ourselves. Sabki galti hai.

Doosron ke gaano pe naach rahe hain…
Yes, even top actresses. I am shocked. Even now, we look at them and say ‘they are so pretty’. I don’t think that’s necessary. Less is more.

But films aren’t doing well in theatres…
Come a ‘Bholaa’ and ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ and you will see them doing well. Didn’t ‘Pathaan and ‘Tu Jhoothi Main Makaar’ garner numbers? Yesterday, I went to see John Wick. What a film!

But you did a John Wick in ‘Hunter’ when you knocked off everyone almost in one go? Did that remind you of the past?
I don’t know (shrugs). But yeah, that’s perhaps because of my characterisation in ‘Hunter’.

It would be interesting to know what attracted you to Bollywood; you come from a very well-to-do family…
One, the opportunity. Two, my Dad said ‘there’s only one life to live’. A top critic wrote me off as trash and I said I have to prove it.
Acting toh ki nahi thi. Absolute correct Hindi toh kabhi boli nahi thi. Ghar mein mother tongue and outside Hinglish. I worked on my Hindi and the craft. The love and adulation came along.

Let’s talk about some of the heroes you worked with…
(Smiles).

Jackie Shroff?
My hero. I saw him when I was 14. He is such a handsome man. Swag is Jackie Shroff. We became best friends. He is so humble. There’s so much to learn from him and Dharam ji (Dharmendra). Besides the fact that they are great lookers, I always worship good human beings. My Dad is another example.

Anil Kapoor?
Never-say-die attitude! His energy would give a young man a run for his family. How well he has held his family!

Govinda?
One of the finest performers that we will ever see. He just does a step and he makes your heart warm. He gives you a complex if he is acting with you.
But I am upset with him because he is not working enough, he’s not working every day. He is God when it comes to acting.

Sunny Deol?
People have seen only the tough side of Sunny, but he is a real soft and sweet person. He loves good food, good humour. He is non-controversial. Abhi bhi he might be sitting in the hills. That is stardom. You want to know what is Sunny doing, where is he.

Sanjay Dutt?
He is always a dude who wears his heart up his sleeve. He is a big prankster. He can trouble you with his fun, like a 6-year-old. And, you have seen during his entire career that he needs to be mothered and is constantly in search of love.

Ajay Devgn?
A true well-wisher who is always in his own world. Very comfortable in his own skin. Has held himself so well. He believes in ‘Live and Let Live’. A brilliant actor. His eyes and voice speak. He knows his craft like probably all of us put together perhaps don’t know. I am jealous of his administrative and money-making skills. I have always seen him and Akshay as an inspiration to keep going. Akshay immediately calls me when he sees something. He calls me at 7 am. He called me to say, “Ahan is a star”.

Akshay Kumar was next on my list, but you already spoke about him. How did Akshay return to ‘Hera Pheri 3’?
He was never out. It was only the Math that had to perhaps sit in. It might be that certain things were not clear to him. Firoz bhai (Firoz Nadiadwala) and Akshay cracked it. In fact, Akshay used to always tell me that we should do the third part of ‘Hera Pheri’ franchise. That franchise is magic; Paresh bhai (Paresh Rawal) said that when we shot for it.

Your best role till date?
Bhairav Singh in ‘Border’. You can’t miss him every August 15 and January 26.

You spoke about Govinda. We want to see more of you too now…
I want to do a lot more. But now, I want to take the world around with me. I want to be in movies. I want to be in sports. I want to be in start-ups.

I can never forget that scene of yours in ‘Border’ when you run into a mine…
Agreed. I have never seen such reactions which I saw for that scene. There’s so much of emotion in that film. That’s what we have extracted from movies. Yeh bache log baithenge and I am talking about the agencies here, and they will say ‘Ma aur Baap is so cliche’.

That’s not cool for them…
Yes. Toh phir raha kya? Hamare liye Ma, Bhai, bahen, bhabhi, religion… yehi sab to hai.

The interview will be incomplete if we don’t talk about KL Rahul and your daughter Athiya…
I am anxious whenever he is playing. It’s my child playing. I always wish well for him. Looking at his eyes, I have started empathising and appreciating every cricketer. When your child goes through a low, it shakes you up; he is the master of his profession but you are seeing it like a father. And then when he rises like a Phoenix.
I am a proud father. Athiya is blessed. Ahaan is blessed; he gets to learn from KL who is so calm and respect.
I was aware that Athiya and KL were seeing each other. KL comes from a place which is 3 km from my hometown. Mangalorean boy. It’s a match made in heaven and perhaps manifested by Suniel Shetty.

KL Rahul is a super cricketer. You should never bother about what the social media writes…
I am never bothered about the social media. But when your child goes through a high and a low, a father is always concerned. This happens until you get grandchildren, and then they become your centre of concern.

KL Rahul is a honest cricketer; I saw him shrugging his shoulders when the team excitedly went up for a DRS review to appeal for a catch taken by him. So he was not forcing the decision to go in his favour…
He is as very honest boy. He is the backbone of the team, there’s a lot of thehrav in him. I wanted to be a cricketer. I know my cricket and can make out what a kid is made of.
And he has a very calming influence on Athiya too. God bless them.