An angry old man

The collaboration between Amitabh Bachchan and Ram Gopal Varma has often created sparks. Be it the remake of Sholay, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag or the more successful Sarkar franchise. Twelve years after the release of the first installation, the recently released trailer of Sarkar 3 is gathering traction on social media. In a chat, the Big B shares his love for the franchise and dispels few myths of powerful men and politics. An edited excerpt from the interview:

What was the one thing that prompted you to do Sarkar 3?
It was almost as if someone was doing a mental countdown and waiting for me to say ‘yes’ to the film. When Ramu (Ram Gopal Varma) asked me for it, I couldn’t just resist the thought of being part of yet another Sarkar film.

How did you prepare for the role?
Many a time, we come to the sets with a certain notion of our characters. But when the shoot begins, we notice that we’re completely wrong. Therefore whatever discussion or debate we had to have about the character, Ramu and I did it before we actually came to the sets. It’s thanks to these agreements or disagreements between Ramu and me before the shoot began, that I was able to successfully play my character  — to the best of my ability. Having said that, I also believe in finally surrendering completely to the vision of the writer or director, because they are the ones who conceptualise things.

The film is a tale of politics of power. Does that intrigue you?
I was intrigued by one aspect of the tale — how the lives of politicians, despite being under the scanner all the time, is not as transparent as we think they are. They are individuals at the end of the day, with a home and family. They lead ‘normal’ lives within the confines of their homes. But they do have access of extraordinary power outside of it.

How was it playing (yet again) a powerful man with strong family ties?
This powerful man has a family and a home too. No home is known to be perfect or free of problems. Sometimes the slightest trigger can spark a big reaction. A dinner conversation with his wife, son or daughter about the colour of one’s shirt or one’s car can lead to a full-blown argument. If the powerful man in question goes to a meeting in that state of mind, it affects his decisions at the meeting. It is details like these that Ramu has incorporated beautifully on screen.

You’ve had a brief political stint yourself. Did you draw from that experience?
I have played over 200 characters and none of those have had anything to do with my real life. These are characters and lines written by the writers, and performing them on reel —true to that vision — is my job.

What do you do when you go home after a long day of shoot?
After a day-long shoot is over, I do not have the time to do anything. I just go home, relish my food and go off to sleep!

As a celebrity who is active on social media, how do you handle the brickbat?
Well, if you are on any social platform, you should be prepared for the abuse as well. I enjoy it!