In conversation with Abbas

By Pradeep Kashyap

After having worked in as much as 34 films, made in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, the southern star Abbas is all set to make a debut in Bollywood with his first Hindi film Ansh . Earlier to this, his only appearance on the Hindi screen was Duniya Dilwalon Ki , which was a dubbed version of his debut making film Kadhal Desam . The actor was shooting in Silvassa a few days back and we accosted him for a conversation.

Excerpts from the interview

How did your first film happen?
(Smiles) I never intend to be a hero. In fact, I yearned to become a pilot in the Indian Air Force and my second option was to become MBA graduate. However, Kadhir, the director of Kadhal Desam  is a friend of mine and he asked me to do the lead man in Kadhal Desam . Initially, I was hesitant but later gave this a thought. Rest is history.

So are you the first in your family to enter the film industry?
No. Prior to this my grandfather, Farukh Mirza, I heard, had acted in 3-4 Bengali films. He had also worked in a couple of Hindi films. In one of them he played the father of late Madhubala. That’s it!

What made you to opt for Ansh  as your debut film?
I always go by the script of the film. I liked the script and I opted for the project. I did consider the script and also my role, when I was totally convinced by it, I thought of going ahead. I have taken a shot in the dark.

What prompted you to say YES for this project?
The high point of Ansh  is its versatility. It has clearly demarcated role for every actor. The beauty of the whole script is the intermingling of actors with diverse but unambiguously defined characters. The bottom line of the film is that the underworld gets everything it wants but it is deprived of one precious thing, the freedom.

Tell us something about your character?
I play an innocent guy who comes from Delhi to Mumbai to seek a job as the hero’s family has fallen on bad days. I am conned into coming to Mumbai with the promise of a decent job. Here, I face the harsh realities due to the prevalent system. My employer frames me and the innocent young man gets sucked into the world of prime crime. Despite this fact, I keep my principles intact.

Are you happy with the way the film has shaped up?
I got to show my talent for whatever it is worth and I must thank writer-director Rajan Johri for giving a substantial role in my first-to-be-released Hindi film.

How do you see the prospect of the film on Box-office?
I pray to Almighty that Ansh  does more than the expected business at least for the sake of its producer Suresh Sharma for fully lending his resources for a bold venture like this.

So, if the film works, will you shift your base to Mumbai?
Well, if the audience accept me here, I will accept some offers here. But I will not leave my base i.e. South. I will continue doing South films too. I will never forget my roots.

Are you doing any more Hindi films?
I keep getting offers here, but I don’t want to take any decisions in a hurry. I recently left one film because I didn’t like the script. There was no scope for me as an actor. I am doing one more Hindi film with Mohan Baggad and the title of the film is Pyar To Hota Hai Pyar .

Lastly, till date none of the south star has been accepted in Hindi film industry?
Well, you can’t help it. Here star sons are accepted and the media showers a lot of attention on sons of the big guns. I am thankful to Rajshri for introducing me to the Hindi viewers through their music album Yeh Hai Prem . Thankfully again, they did not label me as a young man from South in their publicity (smiles).