20 REASONS WHY...

TUSSHAR KAPOOR RECENTLY COMPLETED TWO DECADES IN THE FILM INDUSTRY. HE TAKES A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE WITH ANALITA SETH

- ANALITA SETH

In 2001, a gawky, fresh-faced youngster played a boy next door in Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, which was a remake of the Telugu hit Tholi Prema (1998). Much has changed since Tusshar Kapoor played that boy perpetually smitten by Kareena Kapoor. Tusshar evolved from playing nice-guy roles to complex characters in films like Khakee (2004) and Shootout At Lokhandwala (2007) to being part of Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal franchise. Today, he has created a niche for himself as a comic hero. He became the first single male celeb from the industry to become a parent through surrogacy. While there’s no Mrs Kapoor, Tusshar loves being both father and mother to his doting son Laksshya, born in 2016. Last year, he turned producer as well with Laxmii. While the film received brickbats from the critics, it was later touted as one of the most-watched films on the OTT. Excerpts from a free-flowing interview with the star whose mantra is to keep moving forward in life.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE COMPLETED TWO DECADES IN THE INDUSTRY?

Two decades is not a small amount of time. I’ve pretty much had one release a year so I’ve never really taken a break since I started twenty years ago. There have been a lot of ups and downs. It’s a part of every actor’s life. I cherish both sides of that coin. The successes came after a lot of mistakes were made. I learnt from them and then just like the movies, got a happy ending. It’s been a fulfilling journey. I would want to relive it as long as films are still being made.