Three years ago Ali Zafar was just starting to make his name in Indian cinema. Today, he’s a household name. Some say he’s Pakistan’s most famous export to India. He hasn’t made a misstep since he sidled up on screen with ‘Tere Bin Laden’ three years ago. ‘London Paris New York’ (LPNY) has ratcheted his career up another notch. Okay, so the movie didn’t do too well. But it did well enough for Ali Zafar. He insists there’s a huge populace that loved the film. If the messages he received on Twitter are anything to go by. He smiles, “It was heart-warming when people appreciated the film, my performance and my music. It was an experimental film. It was risky to make a film with only two people.” But the risk seems to have paid off. LPNY did phenomenally well in Pakistan, he claims. It ran for four solid weeks here. The actor is buoyant at the turn of events, naturally. He seems to have tasted blood with his modest success. For now he wants to go commercial with a vengeance. “That’s the way to go,” he says. “I want to do different kinds of movies. I believe in the commercial aspect of cinema.” Well, you can’t get more commercial than David Dhawan. His next film ‘Chashme Buddoor’, a remake of Sai Paranjpe’s 1983 classic is being directed by none other than David Dhawan himself. He’s just back from Mauritius after completing a schedule of the movie and he can’t stop grinning at the experience. This is the first time he’s working with an experienced director like David Dhawan and he can’t stop singing his praises. “David Dhawan is a gem of a person. He’s sweet, fun and entertaining. I really enjoy working with him. And it’s easy working with him because he’s so experienced. Having said that, I’ve been lucky to have worked with first time directors who are so good at the craft. But again, there’s no substitute to experience.” The actor, who has just finished dubbing for the film, is well aware of the downside of touching a classic. He’s seen the original and tells you at the outset that the newer version is so much different from the original. And there was no question about copying Farookh Sheikh’s style. Says he, “Farookh Sheikh is a class apart. There was no way I could have done what he’s done. So, I didn’t take that route at all. I’ve given the character my own style and treatment. The film has been changed keeping the modern times in mind. It’s definitely more fun but at the same time we’ve kept the soul of the original intact. We’ve retained its earthiness.” The actor who’s also a singer, composer, painter seems to be minted with a special lustre. He started out by painting portraits in a 5 star lobby. His good looks caught the eye of girls who’d come to get their portraits done just so that they could chat him up. He smiles at the memory. Soon he hit the music scene with his compositions. As a singer-composer, he hit the charts regularly. He composed the music of LPNY. He discusses his love for music with giddy excitement. “In a day and age where music albums don’t make the cut, my song Jhoom zoomed to popularity heights. It had 15 lakh hits on YouTube.” That he’s the first Pakistani to actually make it in India hasn’t escaped him. But it doesn’t surprise him. “I think the time was ripe for me,” he points out. Here, his success on Indian ground is a matter of pride for the Pakistani people. He gives that trademark lopsided smile, “They like the way I have conducted my career out here. I have broken a myth that a Pakistani can’t make it big in Bollywood.” He’s married to his childhood sweetheart Ayesha. And he says she trusts him completely. Quiz him about the kissing scene in LPNY and he says his wife has no issues with it. “I had discussed the scene with her. So she knew. But I didn’t actually kiss Aditi. A body double was used.” The actor says he isn’t comfortable doing intimate scenes on the screen.
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