On Karan Johan show

Consistent, dependable and extremely sincere… he is all that and so much more. He has combated almost every career obstacle and always emerged victorious. He is a critic favorite and a box office man… This Sunday, on Koffee with Karan meet the mega star Anil Kapoor. Karan's second guest is one of the finest actors of the generation. His real and restrained performances have made him not only an audience favorite but also a fraternity favorite. He stands out in a crowd... He stands out in an ensemble and he stands out because of his sheer talent... none other than Akshaye Khanna.

Excerpts from the interview:

Karan: I want to tell everybody as I was saying before we started rolling that you actually are my first film industry friend. I used to go with my father to all those film parties, I was all of 16-17 and weighed around 150 kilos and the only person who was nice to me at those parties was you! So thank you for being nice to me twenty years ago.
Anil: Well, Karan, I had a great relationship with your dad and I always wanted to do a film with him.

Karan: And he did offer you one really obscure film. (laughs)
Anil: Prakashji had offered me that film. But he was a great guy and I have some great memories of him. I don't want to get too sentimental but whenever I see you, I meet you...I remember your dad. He loved me, I think!

Karan: Yeah! He was very fond of you! He was exceptionally fond of you and so am I. But that doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to you on the show. First let me just tell you, it's been a fantastic innings... you've been working in the movies for how many years now...
Anil: 1978-79 ... so almost 30 years

Karan: 30 years... so you've been through ups and downs and hits and flops and always maintained your stature...always maintained your dignity...and always maintained your stardom. It must have been a tough ride. How does it feel today?
Anil: I feel honestly... god has been very kind to me and the film industry has been wonderful, all my directors and co-stars have been wonderful. I have some great friends and my family has been wonderful. I don't know what I would have done if I was not in this film industry. I've had a great time… every moment I have spent over here has been wonderful.

Karan: So how old are you Anil?
Anil: I'm 30 years old. I was born in '78 when I first faced the camera.

Karan: Fine! Great! And I'm the Queen of England (Laughs), but we just have to move on. So we'll just stick to the fact that your 30. Today how does it feel? You have done such tremendous innings, you've done such great work, you're a lead actor and your daughter is making a debut with Sanjay Bhansali in Sanwariya. Does that scare you at all? The thought of it...?
Anil: Not at all. Because I have two more children so I'm hoping to be a leading man till they also come into entertainment, because they also have decided to come into entertainment. I don't know which line they are going to choose. Sonam of course is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's responsibility so that's taken care of. The focus is Harsh and Riya. Till they come and make a mark in the entertainment world, I have to be a leading man.

Karan: Are you at all in anyway sometimes an embarrassment to your children because sometimes... and I mean that in the most positive way that sometimes if you see your dad up there you know dancing ...
Anil: They are constantly embarrassed. They're embarrassed about me, about my films, they are embarrassed about everything i do.

Karan: When you wear leather pants and a snazzy red jacket and you spike your hair, do they tell you... dad what the hell are you doing? Because I was just thinking if I saw my dad do stuff like that, I would just collapse. Is it funny for them to watch you?
Anil: See earlier I would bum one or two cigarettes... I've never been a smoker.. But I've decided that I will not smoke at all till Sanwariya releases. I haven't touched a cigarette in quite some time. For my son... he drinks a lot of soft drinks... so now the bet is… he says you can never get abs ... he's got great abs... my son… so I am working towards that... if I get abs he is going to stop aerated drinks. So I am getting abs now for my son. So now everything revolves around my family. I do everything for my children. I do it for Sonam, or harsh and for Riya.

Karan: Sounds like a perfect family - perfect husband, perfect father and very, very few stories about your philandering... actually none at all.
Anil: I'm a good guy!!! I've decided to be completely honest on the show so I'm being totally honest.

Karan: And you're saying you've been completely faithful?
Anil: Faithful? I wouldn't say that.

Karan: Meaning? What do you mean?
Anil: You got me ya!

Karan: Is this confession time?
Anil: Yeah! Absolutely!

Karan: Is this a real fact that both of you'll are really close friends which doesn't really happen... two actors being real friends… That doesn't really happen in the industry though people pretend but this is a genuine friendship… So how did that happen? How did it all start?
Akshaye: From my side it was out of respect really.

Karan: You're just making him older now.
Akshaye: No, no... It's out of sheer respect. I think friendship at any level has to start from a certain amount of respect. and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and I think 'Gandhi, My Father' has given us a chance to work in such close proximity so we spend a lot of time with each other, have a lot of conversation. When you spend so much time, it gives you an opportunity to strike a friendship, strike a connection.
Anil: At least for me, it started from Taal. Karan: You both did Taal and then Salaam-e-ishq also.
Anil: Yeah, that was more recent. But basically for me it started from Taal. I remember on the first day of shooting… I was waiting on the sets of Taal and looking at the watch and I was like, 'Subhaashji aapka hero Akshaye to aaya hi nahi abhi tak', and he said, 'woh aayega.. who aayega!' And he came after 12 o'clock and he came very casually on the set and he said, 'Subhaashji, sorry, I overslept'. (Laughs)

Karan: Well that's quite honest, instead of saying I was really sick last night and I was throwing up.
Anil: So I was completely taken aback by his honesty and he was not trying to…like hum log to kabhi kabhi jhoot bol dete the but he was one of those honest actors I had ever met. That's what I like.. What he feels... he says it. No double faced kind of personality. I'm sometimes very scared what he's going to talk. You think… pata nahi kya bol dega...

Karan: Is he scary like that? Is he going to attack me if I ask him something?
Akshaye: Especially after one or two vodka's. (Laughs)
Karan: Listen this is a family show ya... What are you doing to my show?
Karan: I was talking to Anil about his career graph. Yours has been through its own upswings and downswings. It's been a journey for you as well. You came in as one of the most hyped new comers and you saw some great times and you saw some bad times and then Dil Chahta Hain onwards there was this emergence of Akshaye Khanna, the actor. So how's it been… the entire journey?
Akshaye: I was listening to what Anil was saying also of how literally empty an actor would feel without the film industry... without the journey and this continuance of the journey you know... its such a great place to be. Up, down... whatever stage your at, its just such a great place to be... so much fun and you know... we wouldn't do anything else...


I have always wanted to know what began this remarkable friendship. Sad though I won't be able to watch it. Not unless it's posted on Youtube. The rediff version is a smaller snippet of the same thing above, so I am not posting it !