Annu Kapoor: If content and talent were appreciated, I would have been a big star

Actor Annu Kapoor says that it’s not wrong that actors only want to earn money, since filmmaking is a business at the end of the day.

Annu Kapoor has been regaling the audience with his performances in Hindi films for almost four decades now. His distinctive performances in films such as Mr. India (1987), 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), Vicky Donor (2012) and Jolly LLB 2 (2017) created his connect with the younger generation, too.

Annu Kapoor’s best-known works include his stint as the host of Antakshari, a musical game show on TV . (Photo: Yogen Shah)

He has as well been a part of many content-driven films in the past, such as Chameli Ki Shaadi (1986) and Ek Ruka Hua Faisla (1986). Today, a lot of big actors talk about how ’content’ has taken precedence over star value. Annu, however, feels that it is the other way round.

“Yeh sab kehne ki baatein hain, star hi chalta hai bhai! Akshay Kumar Akshay Kumar hai, Salman Khan Salman Khan hai. If content really worked and talent was appreciated, then Annu Kapoor would have been a big star! All such talks are rubbish, stars will always remain [important],” he says.

“There are some filmmakers who try to give content, but they have to face a lot of hardships, and such people can be counted on fingers,” he says, adding that their films don’t get made because everyone is looking for monetary gains.

“Star hone ka matlab hi yahi hai ki unko paisa kamaana hai, seedhi tarah se! Yeh galat baat nahi hai. Now they (stars) know ki dhishoom-dhishoom karne se nahi chalega, and have thus changed their modus operandi. They have got content, no doubt, but Indian cinema will only change once the Indian society changes. Cinema and film industry is a part of the society, and the society still has to progress a lot. This is why our cinema is so regressive,” says the 62-year-old actor.

Seemingly, the latest fad among Bollywood actors is to carve a niche in the West. Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra have been shining examples. About it, Annu says, “People in Hollywood give you a little push, you begin to think that you have a big hold in Hollywood now! Abhi bohat time lagega miyaan... Also, the reason Indian actors are going to Hollywood is because of the exposure and money. There is nothing wrong in it,” adds Annu, who was last seen in the psychological thriller Missing with Manoj Bajpayee and Tabu. He played the character of a Mauritian police officer.

Interact with the author on Twitter/ @RishabhSuri02