Nagesh Kukunoor

It was only Bollywood calling Nagesh Kukunoor, for why else would he have left LA to move to India and churn masala curry for the soul through films like Hyderabad Blues and Rockford.

Nagesh Kukunoor iis best known for his success in alternative cinema. His Hyderabad Blues, promising more fun, a bigger budget, music and of course coffee.

"Coffee and tea keep me going. I can guzzle gallons," says Nagesh, sipping his favourite at Food Court, Lajpat Nagar in the heart of Delhi. "My day starts with black filter coffee. Post breakfast, jasmine or green tea is a must, and I finish the day with a mug of black tea. And in between it can make an entry."

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With Hyderabad Blues, in which he played the lead role of Varun Naidu, we got a director whose dreams are not grandiloquent but his plot striking, an actor who doesn't require greasepaint and padding to emote and above all a complete entertainer, which the critics termed as genre bender. So is there anything left to be told?

"Yes. I didn't want to make the second part. But six years later I thought there are things, which can be told to the viewer. We have maintained the same flavour, the same earthy empathy. Even when we changed the female lead, we could have signed a leading Bollywood actress. But I wanted a girl who could look as real, as part of the script." In came Jyoti Dogra, a theatre actress from Delhi to play Ashwini Naidu. "This time we could afford it, so we have some good background songs including the punch line of the first part 'Dil Par Mat Le' by the Hyderabadi group, Alter Ego."

Slim Nagesh surprises when he asserts he loves food of all kinds, including the fast food his crew is savouring at the Court, where the ambience is perfect to spend a sweltering afternoon with shopping centre and silver screen in close proximity. "I am not feeling well, otherwise I can finish it all, especially the burgers." Joking? "No, I work out a lot, and my metabolic rate is such that it doesn't show. Though with age catching up, now I have to put in some extra effort. I love every kind of Indian food, especially Hyderabadi and Konkani. Tandoori pomfret and Hyderabadi biryani are my favourites. Then come hamburgers and Thai food."

This chemical engineer, who left his secure job in Atlanta for the celluloid world, also loves to cook. "Though I used to adore my mother's cooking, I learnt it out of necessity, because once you are in foreign territory it becomes a matter of survival. It started with mother telling me the recipes, and today I know a million dishes. I can cook a variety of chilly-based chicken dishes and Thai food. However, I particularly like barbeque cooking."

No wonder one of the scripts he has in hand is Tandoor. "It is going to be an English film about an Indian cook based in New York and his interactions with an American lawyer," he says, adding Amitabh Bachchan has agreed to do the film. "I am looking for finances and a mainstream Hollywood actress for the role of the lawyer."

Coming back to mother's recipes, is she happy with his professional recipe? "She likes my films. But my parents are not happy with the lifestyle of the film industry. There are no fixed working hours. Life is disorganised. They want to see me settled." So has he found his Ashwini? For now, it's just Bollywood Calling for Nagesh.

Filmography

3 Deewarein (2003)
Rockford (2000)
Bollywood Calling (2001)
3 Deewarein (2003)
Hyderabad Blues (1998)
Mobius (1997)