'I practically tried to force a kiss on him'

Actor Prashant Chawla on playing a gay casanova and scaring Abbas Tyrewala's brother-in-law

Prashant Chawla, who plays John Abraham's buddy in Jhootha Hi Sahi is bound to grab attention. His character is unabashedly gay. Prashant, who was earlier seen in Waaris on television, didn't think twice before accepting the role. He reasons, "What was playing on my mind was the fact that the director Abbas Tyrewala was making a 40 crore film. I didn't dwell over whether the role would affect my image."



Also, Chawla gamely accepted the role because "the character I play is unlike the stereotypical gay characters shown in our films. Except in Onir's My Brother Nikhil, I have not seen any film in which gay people have been projected well." Elaborating on his character, Chawla says, "My character is real and suave. He talks normally, like anyone else. He is not a pansy, he doesn't keep touching guys, but he is unapologetic about his life. He dates a new guy every week."

Before flying off to London for the shoot, Chawla visualised a life history of the first 25 years of his character, Uday. He says, "In London, I went to gay bars to check out their style of dressing. I was surprised to see that they dress casually, like other men. The only difference was they were on the lookout for a guy, not a girl."
Of course Chawla is quick to defend his sexual preferences. "I'm too crazy about girls to hit on guys. I have not kept count of the girls I have datedu00a0-- I like this trait of mine," he says.

On a lighter note, Chawla recalls that Omar (Tyrewala's brother-in-law who plays Amit in the film) got angry with him because Chawla tried to kiss him. Chawla says, "I told him that I wanted him to know what it would feel like if a gay guy were to kiss him. He deterred me with 'Yeh sab tu mere saath nahi kar sakta.' I practically tried to force a kiss on him; he got a shock of his life."

However, co-star Raghu 'Roadies' Ram, gave Chawla a taste of his own medicine. At a recent promotional event, Ram threatened to plant a kiss on an unsuspecting Chawla's lips but let him off lightly with a small peck on his cheek.

Bollywood News Service