Strength of character

SEASONED ACTOR

Many a time, an actor’s abilities are rarely praised and noticed, especially in Hindi films. Vinod Khanna, who has completed four decades in films with resounding success says, “The ability to spot talent and use it to the hilt rests only with a select few directors in this nation.”

Although his latest film Dabangg was a superhit, critics  and the audience felt that his performance had gone unnoticed.

Vinod Khanna, who appears to be in a pensive mood, replies, “I will not blame either producer Arbaaz Khan or director Abhinav Kashyap for misusing my talent in Dabangg. I read the script minutely, understood my character and gave my consent to the film. An actor need not be present in every frame. If he is gifted, he proves his merit in one single shot.”

Robust screen presence

A Sunil Dutt discovery, he first worked in Man Ka Meet, 40 years ago. Vinod Khanna made his mark as a leading villain in films like Rakhwala, Mera Gaon Mera Desh and Aan Milo Sajna. He also proved to be a popular actor. Vinod Khanna worked in many films as the leading man like Achanak, Mere Apne, Aarop and later rose to the peak of his career with the blockbuster, Inkaar.

Assesses Vinod Khanna, “It was not an easy task to establish myself in the early 70’s. The era already had highly-gifted actors like Dharmendra, Manoj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna. And then came Amitabh Bachchan. From the very first day of shooting, I knew that if I could not prove my worth, I would walk away into oblivion.”

Natural acting sans style and gesticulations has been Vinod Khanna’s hallmark as an actor. Besides his excellent, robust screen presence, his expressive eyes and confident movements helped him carve a secure niche for himself in the Hindi film industry.

Vinod Khanna confesses, “Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Achanak and Mere Apne helped me exhibit my acting skills.”

Vinod Khanna, very successfully, faced all leading actors of his times and formed brilliant on-screen partnerships with Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha. He performed with ease with stalwarts like Nutan, Asha Parekh and Dimple Kapadia.

He smiles, “After I went into spiritual hibernation in the 80’s, I returned with Insaaf and Satyamev Jayate. Though hits, these films were pure action flicks and there was hardly any scope to perform in them. Talking about action, films nowadays are much more advanced in terms of technology and I really like the challenges they provide for actors.”

As Kishan Raj, the head of the naxalite revolution in Andhra Pradesh in Red Alert, Vinod Khanna performed brilliantly despite having a small role. He explains, “It was a well-written character with an objective. Kishan Raj rebelled against the system, not his nation.”

Doesn’t he feel that he was utterly wasted in Wanted? He smiles and says, “If I felt I was wasted, would I have ever accepted Wanted? You are praising my cameo in Dabangg. Why? Definitely you felt and visualised sparks of a good performance from me. I cannot always expect a script which has me playing the protagonist.”

Of course, compared to the 80’s and 90’s, Vinod Khanna has become more selective and choosy about his roles.

He says, “I will now strictly concentrate on quality and not quantity. Hindi film industry is home to brilliant directors like Prakash Jha, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Anurag Kashyap and Rahul Dholakia. I can speak more about their abilities once I work with them. And yes, I notice a lot of potential in Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Abhay Deol, Ranvir Kapoor and Vidya Balan. They are the industry’s future.”