Star sons are shining bright in Bollywood. They are always in the news for various reasons. Fardeen Khan is also a star son and now a star in his own rights. He is all set to reenact the role played by his father Firoz Khan in the remake of the eighties film Qurbani. His other films Heyy Babyy, and  the ready to release Darlingare also in the news.

Excerpts from an interview with Fardeen:

The success of No Entry seems to have opened the floodgates of comic roles for you.

Yes. You can call it a pleasant coincidence that all the films with me doing a comic role in them have been hits. It does not mean I am into comedies alone. I am doing Hey Baby but I am doing Darling too, which is not a comedy. I look for great characters and scripts that offer unique challenges to me as an actor.

How could you get entry into RGV’s camp when others find it so difficult? What is it in you as an actor that impressed him?

I obviously fitted into his characters. I did Jungle, the second film of my career, with him. Darling is the twenty first film of my career, and the fifth film with his company. I have great rapport with him. He is very intelligent and his cinematic vision is extraordinary. He works hard on every scene. He encourages creative interaction and is open to constructive suggestions.

However, it is he who takes the final call about what will go into the final cut of the film. After all, a film is its director’s baby. I have great respect for him as a filmmaker.

Tell us about Darling and your role in the film.

I play Aaditya’s role in the film. This film defies the existing genres of cinema. It makes you laugh and cry. It also sends a chill up your spine. And it is a perfect entertainer, highly absorbing and full of life. Aaditya’s character goes through a range of intense emotions. The crux of the story is about how does he manage to survive, caught between a wife and an extra-marital affair.

Pyar tune Kya Kiya had a similar storyline.

Both the films are different. I was a photographer in Pyar Tune... who shoots beautiful models and his life is full of excitement. In Darling I am an executive in a management consultancy firm, leading a routine life, making boring presentations to clients. Things take a turn when I fall in love with my secretary.

Are there ghosts in the film?

There is this super natural element in the film. Yes, there are ghosts in it.

Have you come across ghosts in real life?

No. I have never come across ghosts in my life. And I hope the occasion does not arise. In fact, I don’t believe in these things. I don’t even believe in astrology.

Your last two films with Ram Gopal Verma did not do well commercially yet you decided to do Darling with him. Why?

Whenever I sign a film, I don’t really bother about the box office performance of the earlier films of that filmmaker. I enjoy doing Ramu’s films. It does not matter if they are hits or flops. I look at the subject, story, screenplay, and characterisations of a film and if I find them in sync with my attitude and thinking? I sign them on. Ramu has been very generous to me. He has offered me varied roles and explored my histrionic abilities like none else. People liked me in those roles. And working with a filmmaker like Ramu is a great experience in itself.

Do you approach filmmakers for roles?

I would like to work with some filmmakers. I won’t mind approaching directors like Karan Johar? Farhan Akhtar? and Aaditya Chopra for a role in their films.

Is your father planning to remake Qurbaani?

Work is going on. The screenplay is not yet ready. Punneet Sera and my father are working on it. It will not be a frame-to-frame remake of the earlier film which was released almost twenty-seven years ago. Many things have changed since then. Hollywood has set new standards as far as “action” element in films is concerned. The film will have great action sequences. Anand Raj Anand has already recorded four songs.

The hit song Aap Jaisa Koi... of the old film will also be there in the remake?

Yes. A new version of that song has already been recorded.

What are your forthcoming films?

Darling will be released in September. Dulha Mil Gya and Jay Veeru will follow. I am doing a millionaire playboy’s role in Dulha Mil Gaya. The film also has newcomer Ishita and Shahrukh Khan. I am playing a police officer called Jay in Jay Veeru and Kunal Khemu is playing Veeru. The film is directed by Puneet Sera. Diya Mirza is also in it.

We have seen a spate of films failing at the box office. Would you like to comment on the dismal scenario?

Too many films are being made these days. All of them cannot be good. Some of them are bound to fail. The real problem is the dearth of good writers in the industry. A writer is paid the highest after the stars in Hollywood. That is why there is some substance and novelty in their films. We should pay more attention to this aspect. That is the key to success.