It’s one thing to act out a part before a camera — however tough, over a 30-day shoot, after an 18-day workshop/rehearsal. Quite another “to watch someone who looks like you,” and wonder, then, “Damn, why did I do this [role]?”
Which is precisely what Rajat Kapoor went through, he tells me, when Mira Nair sent over the VHS tape of Monsoon Wedding (2001) to him — much before the landmark film’s release.
Monsoon Wedding was shot entirely in English, and Nair wanted to make it sufficiently bilingual (with enough Hindi in it), for Indian audiences. She had sent over the videotape for Kapoor to work on the translations — something he had done for Nair’s Kamasutra (1996) as well.
Only that once he pressed play, the image of the walking, talking, slimy, patriarch-like pedophile, Tej Puri, as himself, haunted him. As it did the audiences, for decades after. Kapoor never let his daughter (three-year-old, then) watch Monsoon Wedding since.
Looking far back, how does someone even play a pedophile, I wonder, when we meet, guessing that he’s probably not been asked this before. Evidently, it’s not a role he wanted — he had auditioned for other parts in Monsoon Wedding, including the equally iconic Man Friday, PK Dubey’s.
He recalls, “The biggest problem was to play someone older. It’s hard to play someone not your age; you end up faking it. I was 40, playing someone 60-plus. We took a month to figure out what to do with my hair — go orange, didn’t work; but now you can’t turn it black again; try white streaks.”
Esta historia es de la edición January 2023 de Man's World.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición January 2023 de Man's World.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Most Expensive Made-In-India Cars
From Mercedes limousines to variants of the flagship Land Rover, a surprising number of luxury flagship models are now locally assembled or produced in India
Making Noise In Quiet
Manik Handa of Eudaemon explains what it truly takes to define quiet luxury in India’s crowded retail market
Luggage Travails of a Frequent Flyer
Luxury and semi-luxury luggage are the new fashion frontier amongst the Indian jet set. Our writer though recommends extreme caution, unless you are the kind who can afford to fly in private jets
Ruling The Street
Either through imitation or rejection, streetwear continues to dominate the wardrobe of young India. We talk to those who follow the scene closely to understand its rise in status
Street Cred
Royal Enfield’s Guerrilla 450 is a thoroughly fun and exciting motorcycle—it is not that the Himalayan has just tidied up for a visit to the city
Now Serving.Indigenous India
India's culinary scene is buzzing with a quiet revolution, fueled by a vibrant comeback of hyperlocal ingredients. This movement isn't just about digging up fresh, local produce from across the nation—it's about rediscovering the deep, rich tapestry of India's diverse culinary heritage
CHAITANYA AKKINENI OF OLD LOVES AND NEW
The Akkineni-Daggubati family scion is starting a new phase, and life is looking more exciting than ever
Independence Movement
As we step into India's 77th year of Independence, we're shining the spotlight on four stunning timepieces, all designed from within the nation's borders
Precision in Motion
How Alain Zobrist and Omega Time the Olympics
The New Frontier
While India witnesses a massive growth in the number of global skincare brands entering the market, an increasing number of homegrown brands takeover the space and trust among consumers