The action entertainer, Champion (2000), released 25 years ago, on December 22. This Sunny Deol-starrer is significant as it marked the debut of Rahul Dev. Moreover, the talented actor was presented in a massy way and hence, he got widely noticed. In no time, he caught the attention of several filmmakers in Bollywood as well as down South. 25 years on, he continues to be a dependable and fine performer. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Rahul Dev opened up about his journey, Champion and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: Rahul Dev talks on 25 years in film industry: “I signed debut film Champion reluctantly…then I had hundreds of offers”; talks about comeback in 2015: “Had to restart with Bigg Boss though I was not cut out for it”; drops truth bombs for strugglers: “Six-pack chhod, workshop kar!”
How different was the scenario then?
That world was very different from what it is today. The biggest difference was that films were shot on negatives.
Nowadays, during rehearsals, the unit keeps the camera rolling and if the take is good enough, it makes it to the final cut. At that time, when we would go for a take, there used to be some noise that would disturb us. It took me a while to realize that the sound was coming from the camera. It was like a ‘grrrr’ sound. But in the rehearsals, that sound was absent as no one would be shooting it. This is because it was expensive to roll films. Even the film processing was expensive and all these costs have gone away now.
Also, from a filmmaking point of view, things have improved. Earlier, the body of the Steadicam was 35 kilos. Today, it has come down to 11 kilos, which makes it better for the operator. Also, the camera has a self-focus option. Earlier, they had to run with the heavy camera and ensure that it didn’t go out of focus. Moreover, now it’s easy to take aerial shots with a drone. Even if you lose a couple of them, it will push you back by just a few lakhs. At that time, the cinematographer had to hold the big 435 camera, that too hanging out from a chopper. Now, it’s much better and easier.
On the other hand, actors like Sanjay Dutt used to tell me stories from the time gone by, which even I have not seen!
Lastly, the scenario when I debuted was evolving from the 90s cinema. Some of the films in the 90s were quite shoddy. By the time it was 2000, journalists had started reporting that a certain film is a direct copy (of some Western movie). Today, it’s not possible to do so due to copyright infringement, which is great.
I guess there was no system of casting directors then…
Indeed. They have made life easier as you regularly get calls now (for acting opportunities). If you have the ability, you’ll definitely prove your worth during the audition. And then if all goes well, aapko mauka milega.
I have had two phases in my career. One was before I lost my wife. I took a sabbatical from 2011 to 2015. I had done some 80-81 films by then. The second was the post-2015 career. All the projects I got, including in web series, were thanks to the casting directors. I had no work when I returned to work. I had to start with something like ‘Bigg Boss Season 10’ though I was not cut out for it. But I took the plunge as that was the only way for me to restart.
I tried to do different films even then. I did a film with Kalpana Lajmi ji called Kyon? (2003), in which I played an honest cop. That film didn’t work for even one day! Similarly, I did 88 Antop Hill (2003), in which again I played a cop. If there were more multiplexes then and if there was Netflix at that time, these films would have been consumed by the urbane audience. But such films can’t fill up cinemas like Gaiety-Galaxy. Those cinemas demanded good vs bad kind of cinema and climaxes where the shirt went off for both hero and villain!
That happened in the climax of Champion, where both you and Sunny Deol went shirtless. Also, your body was in great shape even then. Tell us about it and also if you ever took any acting classes.
Making a body has nothing to do with acting. When aspiring actors tell me, ‘I am working on my six-pack abs’, I tell them, ‘Tu six-pack chod. Tu workshop kar’!
I did a class on mime with Paintal ji, who was also a legendary mime artist. I still remember that class vividly. It consisted of 18 actors, who all wanted to be actors. He was play-acting a kid with his expressions while play-acting the butterfly with his left-hand fingers. He was also play-acting the perch of a tree. Without saying a single line, he could put across that there’s a child fascinated with the colours of the butterfly. The kid catches hold of the butterfly, places it on one palm and encloses it with the other palm. Then, the kid wonders why his wings are not moving about. When the kid opens the arm, Paintal ji’s eyes welled up in tears. Slowly, the butterfly regains strength, hoes into the air and this time, the kid lets it fly. This experience stands out as it taught me a lot.
How was your life before you got into the field?
I was educated at St Columba’s in Delhi, one of the better schools in the country. My dad (Hari Dev) was a legendary cop who had won multiple awards, while my mother was a principal. Yet, we faced a lot of financial difficulties. That’s the price my father paid for being honest.
It’s a privilege to have your own house in Mumbai. I realized that when I stepped out of my home in Delhi and arrived here. In the beginning, do cheez ki zaroorat hamesha hoti hai – ek kaam ki aur dusra paison ki. You want to do good work, but the slotting then was different from what it is today. Today, I can essay a grey role and also play the brave Anup Singh ji in Ikkis. That wasn’t the case then.
How did you bag the role in Champion?
I got a call from Sujeet Kumar ji, who produced the film. He was also an actor in Bollywood and Bhojpuri cinema. He, Rakesh Roshan ji and Jeetendra ji were the best of buddies. His son Jatin was in charge of the project. I got it because I had signed Mukul Anand’s Dus.
After working on Dus, I had hundreds of offers. I declined all of them and waited for a good offer. I was 32 when I debuted with Champion, which is not that young for a newcomer. But since I was not a trained actor, the journey was long. I was also an engineer; I worked with Tata for 3 months. The late Rohit Khosla saw me in a nightclub and persuaded me to try modelling. Honestly, I signed Champion reluctantly.
People take great pride in saying ‘Yeh picture nahin chali’. They feel good about the failure of a particular film. I don’t belong to that school of thought at all. I have seen individual producers and how tough it is for them to produce films. For Champion, Sujeet Kumar ji had mortgaged his bungalow. The rate of interest in those days was 5% a month. Today, thankfully, the structure has become very corporate. But that was not the case then. Then, if you invest say Rs. 25 crores in a film and it flops, phir aap kahan jaaoge? There’ll be a job for the actor. The director might still get a job. But what about the producer?
Who are the actors you look up to?
My role model is that guy who just passed away and will be seen in my next film, Ikkis. Dharmendra ji has got a lovely role and he has performed wonderfully. And the other role model is younger than him; you see him on KBC (Amitabh Bachchan)! Look at them. I wonder what they are saying to themselves to go to the sets everyday.
What can you tell us about Ikkis?
I play somebody who’s a legendary figure, Anup Singh ji, who is revered even today. I had to go through extensive training. I actually drove a tank.
Our director, Sriram Raghavan, is a genius. There are two directors I really wanted to work with, but I never approached them. One was Sriram Raghavan ji. And the other one is the filmmaker with whom I am working with in January. I can’t name the project as it hasn’t been announced yet. Their films never had the bad guy as such in those days and so, I felt that I don’t fit into the scope of things. I wondered, ‘Why would they cast me?’. But I am glad it finally happened.
More Pages: Champion Box Office Collection , Champion Movie ReviewTags : Bollywood, Bollywood Features, Champion, Down The Memory Lane, Exclusive, Features, Film Industry, Flashback, Rahul Dev, This Sunny Deol, Throwback
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