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Exclusive: Kunal Kapoor on working with Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat in Jewel Thief:

Kunal Kapoor, who plays a dashing and stylish officer in the recently released film Jewel Thief, spoke about his equation with co-stars Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat.

Kunal spoke at length in an exclusive conversation with Money Control about his character in Jewel Thief, why he chose it, and why he isn't seen on screen much.

Kunal also shared his enthusiasm at portraying a tough officer in Jewel Thief, which premiered on Netflix last month.

He said that this role is a departure from the peacemaker roles he has previously played in his earlier movies. The opportunity to explore a new genre, particularly a heist film, made him choose this role.

The Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana actor also discussed the changing landscape of Indian cinema, the influence of OTT platforms, and his path in the film industry.​

Kunal Kapoor also discussed the evolution of storytelling and the notion of an Indian hero, which he says may now be a person with gray hues.

Kunal also said that when he began his career in 2004 with Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities, performers were pushed to fit into a predetermined mould, but now 'misfits' are welcomed in the industry.

He went on to say that the advent of OTT platforms in India has brought about positive changes.

Kunal said that the current viewers are gravitating toward storylines that are more deeply ingrained in the country's cultural ethos, such as stories from rural areas and other states.

This trend reflects a rising desire in discovering true stories that speak to the different origins of Indian society.​

Kunal Kapoor spoke about the changes of 'hero' in Bollywood, stating that while the traditional definition has evolved, the public continues to want protagonists with larger-than-life personas.

Addressing the issue of typecasting, Kunal stated that the business frequently assigns similar parts based on an actor's prior work. He stated that he has had to 'pass on' countless ventures that did not provide something fresh.

He also spoke about nepotism and openly addressed the benefits of being an insider as they have easier access to top banners and significant parts.

Excerpts from the exclusive conversation 

A major change in Indian film industry

Kunal: I think there's the big shift because of the OTT platforms and there is a bigger possibility for different kinds of stories. When I started off, there was a very kind of typical mould that, a lot of films were made in. India was going through a sort of journey where we were moving towards being more aspirational. Today, the movies that are doing well are the movies that are more rooted in the cultural ethos of the country, that come out of rural areas, because as a country we are shifting towards wanting to be aspirational and wanting to be like the West, to more being rooted into, where do we come from. I think that's a really interesting shift to see.

Misfits are welcome

Kunal: The other is, obviously, as an actor, I think, you know, when I started, you were expected to fit in, to look a certain way, you had to have a certain kind of body, you had to dance, fight, ride a horse, do all those kinds of things, right? So it was more about fitting in, who's the sort of person that can fit in the best in that kind of mould. But now there's a lot of room for the misfits. Even as filmmakers, even as audiences, we're looking for that person that we've never seen before. Somebody that surprises us in the way they act, the way they look. So we're looking for something that is different and unique. I think that there's a lot more opportunities for people that are not conventional anymore, as opposed to years ago.

Bollywood hasn't done away with the hero tag

Kunal: I think the definition of what a hero has changed a little bit though. The hero was supposed to be a certain kind of person, say 20 years ago. But now the definition of what a hero is kind of is changed. As an audience, you're also exposed to cinema from across the world, you have heroes that are gray, that are false, virtuous, but you have heroes that can also be morally sort of gray. So I think the sort of idea of what a hero is - has changed. But you still need that sort of larger than life kind of persona or character to draw people to the theaters. Because you want to go in and see this person and you want to see this character in action. And that draws you to the theaters. So the definition may have changed but But we're still looking for the heroes.

Playing a tough cop in Jewel Thief

Kunal:  I've have been offered a very similar kind of parts in the past - where I was the peacemaker in the group, I was trying to put people together. Right from then, those were the kind of parts that have mostly been offered. Maybe my look lends itself to that, which is more sort of the poet or the philosopher or, you know, the keeper of peace, that kind of part. So most of the scripts that have come my way have been those. I've had to choose from those and find the ones that are not similar, which has been kind of difficult because the industry wants to sort of typecast you and put you into a certain way. But with the Jewel Thief, it was just a very different kind of part that I was offered. I got a chance to be the tough guy that goes around slamming a few people. So for me, it was exciting that I was offered something that was new in a kind of genre that I enjoy. I really enjoy heist films and some of my favorite films have been heist films. So that was obviously one of the reasons that I wanted to be part of this.

On being typecast and choosing good roles

Kunal:  It's tough because people see you in a certain way, it becomes very difficult for them to see you in another way. And the thing here is that nobody really wants to take risks, They're like this works so let's just stick with what works. Let's stick to the fact of winning formula. It's been hard because I've had to pass up a lot of work which would make me lots of money or which would mean that I was seen a lot more. But I didn't want to do it because it just felt that I'm just being offered the same stuff over and over again. So it has been difficult. But I've in between all that I managed to find roles that I feel are different from each other.

Not away from screens deliberately, but not offered good roles

Kunal: Not deliberate at all. It's definitely not out of a lack of desire. It's out of a lack of good work coming my way. As an actor, the one thing that you want is to be seen, you don't become an actor because you want to go away from the audience. You want the audience to see as much as possible.People keep telling me I am being too choosy, it's just that the choice of work that's coming my way is not kind of work that is exciting. And given a choice, I'd love to be on a film set all the time.

My Dream role

Kunal: I'm writing some stuff. The roles that I'm quite excited about are the heroes of the film that are flawed. And it's the flaws that make them interesting. I'd love to do a comedy. I've never been offered a comedy, actually. An out and out like absurdist like over the top comedy, I'd love to do one of those.

Working equation with Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat

Kunal:  If you watch the film, you'll realize that I'm off the five minutes late. I'm that cop who's like the 80s cop that always ends up, everything's done. Even on set, the call sheets would say 9-3 - Jaideep, Saif and Nikita, then 4-7 Kunal. So we were only meeting each other while coming or going because I'm just chasing them. I'm really not in the film with them. But the little work I've had a chance to do with them was amazing. I think they're both great actors, and really fun people to be around. Saif is such an interesting guy, great sense of humour. Stars always want the spotlight to be constantly on them but Saif doesn't want the spotlight on himself. But he's an amazing guy and such an interesting guy that everyone's attention automatically shifts to him. He has the ability to do that. I really hope that we can do more work together.

Jaideep is Authentic 

What's really interesting about Jaideep (Ahlawat) is he's very authentic, off-screen and on-screen. And I think because he's so authentic off-screen, it shows up in everything that he does on-screen as well. All of us had very kind of different characters and, we played very different kind of parts, which is why it looks interesting together.

On the nepotism debate

If you're from the industry, you obviously have access to everybody in the industry. And usually more often than not you start off right at the top. You start off with the best banners and they give you the best launch that they can give you. It's like taking the lift to the top floor. Whereas if you're from the outside, you've got to take the stairs upright, which might take a really long time. But once you get to that top floor, then people don't really care, right? Whether you're from the industry or not, then it's only your talent that kind of sustains you.

Kunal Kapoor is seen with Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Nikita Dutta in Jewel Thief - The Heist Begins. The movie directed by  Siddharth Anand on Netflix offers a complete package: a simple but engaging plot with unexpected twists, song and dance, romance, comic moments, and fast-paced high-octane action and has all the elements of a true Bollywood masala film and viewers have responded positively to its mix of entertainment elements. It is streaming on Netflix.

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