Life is looking up for Sanjay Suri after the success of `Jhankaar Beats’

SANJAY SURI is on (you got it) a song these days after the success of Jhankaar Beats. And it is no mean achievement for the non-filmi Delhi boy. “It is extremely tough being an outsider in Mumbai,” Sanjay says. Meeting Sanjay makes one realise that this wonderful chunk of eye candy has definite opinions that he is not particularly shy of airing.

“Star kids say that only getting the first film is easy and that they are given only one chance. That is definitely not true – I feel they are given zillion chances while if you are an outsider you have to prove yourself every single time.” Not that Sanjay is complaining, “It is a challenge and I am fine with it.”

Sanjay prefers to be “tight-lipped about forthcoming projects. I am doing a thriller for PNC. And there is an English project, which is a joint venture. That is all I am going to say.”

Though Sanjay clams up about future projects, he is expansive talking about his multiplex poster boy image. “You really think so?” he asks laughing. “It has been a conscious decision, I would rather be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond. Jhankaar Beats and Pinjar gave me what Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya did not. I would like to strike a balance between niche films and the mainstream.”

“If you look at the film scene these days, there are hardly any films that are liked pan India. Films succeed when they are made with a target audience in mind. This is an exciting time to be in the industry as there are so many different things happening and people are willing to experiment.”

Experimenting brings to mind the current crop of “bold” films. “These films always existed. Remember we had topless women in Ram Teri Ganga Maili in the 80s. Now these films are better packaged. The adage jo bikita hai, woh dikta hai (what sells, shows) holds true and the fact that these movies are successful means there is a market for them. I believe in to each their own. Personally I would not act in such movies. I would rather do a role that I can relate to.”

Sanjay believes in the importance of marketing – he was in town to promote his latest film, Shaadi Ke Ladoo where he unites with his Pyaar Mein Kabhie Kabhie (his debut) director Raj Kaushal. “Good marketing helps a film get an initial and it surely helps if the film is good. There are a lot of good films that do not find an audience because they have not been marketed well and then there are indifferent films that draw crowds simply because of a good marketing strategy.”

Sanjay, who is a national level squash and basketball player is fiercely against the superstar status cricket enjoys in the country. “I am not a cricket buff and do not support the game because other sports have got a bad deal. I think cricket should be declared the national game. I mean what is the point of making hockey the national game when we do nothing about it? Cricket is just a game and not a religion!”

“It really gets my goat when cricket and cricketers are worshipped while something like Valentine’s Day provokes violent reactions from our moral police because it is a western concept. I mean, hello, cricket is a game of the British! Why should something harmless like a day devoted to love trigger violence and burning down of card stores? Will they burn down a stadium because cricket is a western import?” Are the culture vultures listening? The ball is in your court!

Credits: Hindu