Kapoor to pitch the first ball for the LA Dodgers on May 4. America and the world will be watching!
Of late, Anil Kapoor has been living in LA more than Mumbai. "I feel like I'm on a vacation when I come back home," he jokes. Besides shooting for TV show 24, the actor has a lot on his platter. There's a retrospective on his work that opens with the world premiere of the English version of Gandhi My Father. He also has the honour of being the first Indian to pitch for baseball team, the LA Dodgers. Here, Anil waxes eloquent on new friend Mickey Rourke, his Hollywood connection, two betis and Salman. Read on...
Is it true that you will pitch for the LA Dodgers?
Yes. On May 4, I will be making the first pitch for the LA Dodgers. I'm excited as I'll be the first Indian to be doing this. I've never played baseball, but I'll be practising first.
What else will you be up to in LA?
I have to attend events and work-related meetings in LA. UNICEF arranged a luncheon where I will be speaking for underprivileged children this month. There was a retrospective of my films from April 23 which began with the English version of Gandhi My Father. On April 30, I fly to New York for Plan India of which I am a patron for five years. Along with the producers of Slumdog Millionaire, they've donated half a million pounds for the underprivileged kids in India.
How's the reaction to you post Slumdog in the US ?
I have travelled to LA thrice in the last few months. What I realised is: they love my story. They are very curious about India and about Bollywood. They're totally zapped when I tell them I've done over 100 films, they ask me if I started working when I was five! The other thing that zaps them is when I tell them Sunita and I have been married for 35 years.
Will you be appearing on more talk shows?
Meredith Viera, the host for the Today Show will be interviewing me on April 30 for a charity event I'm doing with Plan India. This is the third time I will be talking to her. Danny told me that these hosts are extremely popular people and no money, power or pressure can get them to invite you on their show. Being on Regis and Kathy Lee's show was a privilege because they are choosy about guests.u00a0
Why are you holding a premiere of the English edition of Gandhi My Father?
We made the Hindi and English versions of the film together. I have had screenings in LA andu00a0 New York, and had lot of people saying they wanted the English version to release. I prefer it too.u00a0 I heard the script in English and always wanted that edition to release. Everybody went with Hindi, but now after Slumdog, they think I'm right. In fact when Aamir saw Slumdog Millionaire, he asked why was it made in English? I asked him what he meant! It's an English film, we weren't making some great art film. It's was a commercial film for the masses. So there was no need to get into a trip of making it in Hindi. I told him 'you have done Ghajini, and you are a CEO of the company in it and why are you speaking in Hindi? I have never seen any CEO speak in Hindi.' Then he said, 'Sorry yaar, you are right.' He accepted that he was wrong.u00a0
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Mickey Rourke(above) is Anil Kapoor's new best friend in Hollywood |
How was Hollywood exposure changed you as a person?
Sudhir Mishra once told me, "When I see you, I can tell that hard work does pay." I have never endorsed anything, or got involved in controversies or marketed myself. Ultimately, slow and steady wins the race. I like people who work with integrity in life. Dream hard and you can fulfil your dreams. I took the toughest path among all actors and it paid off so beautifully. When I met the actors in Hollywood, I realised that they are miles ahead of me but are yet so humble and simple. Tom Hanks will come and make a cup of tea for you, a studio head will chat up with you and want to hear about you. They're very casual about their stardom. They don't have any people running around them. Clint East-wood is the biggest star in Hollywood. He had no security, we dined together, he hugged me; we had a great time. When we came out he asked me if he could drop me somewhere but I walked since the place was close to my hotel. There was no show or glamour in our meeting.
I believe you are friends with Mickey Rourke...
Mickey Rourke is a guy with a big heart. I love his personality. Mickey says he would love to do a Bollywood film. He asked me to work with his agent David Unger, who besides being my agent, is also my friend now. He won the BAFTA and Golden Globes but lost out on the Screen Actors Guild and Oscars. I remember Sean (Penn) meeting him after the Oscars and telling him he deserved the win.
Are you in touch with Danny and the Slumdog team?
Yes, in fact, I recently spoke to Danny and he congratulated me on 24. He said it's good for you but better for them.
How do you react when you read about actors signing multi-crore deals with studios?
I don't think SRK has ever spoken about money and I admire that about him. I admire the way Aamir has handled his career and built his brand. I admire Salman because despite doing the wrong things, he is where he is. He's a great guy and I am really fond of him. He's in one piece. I hope we manage to make a sequel to No Entry, because I would love to work with him again.
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