'I must apologise to my fans'

Straight talk

Actor Anant Nag is disappointed with the outcome of the recent Sandalwood release ‘Plus’. Admitting that he is clearly unhappy with his latest release, he says that he never had to explain himself so much for any project before. “The script seemed perfect and thoroughly engaging when it was first read out to me with nothing pretentious about it. It seemed quite competent but when the movie was finally made, there was a lot of makeover that was required,” the actor explains.

He has always promoted young talent and that is why he decided to play an industrialist in Gadda Viji’s ‘Plus’. Giving it his all, he underwent a complete makeover for the film where he has donned three different looks. “It was Viji’s idea that I change my look for the film. Not only was the script very different but there seemed to be a lot of attention paid to the look of the character,” he adds.

Anant’s character is portrayed in two different phases — as a young man who struggles to make a mark and later as a successful industrialist. “Different emotions and body language were required for the two roles. The character had to switch fast according to the moods of the moment.”

He says the conceptualisation of the script seemed impressive but the story fell flat on screen. “There were so many sub-plots within the main plot and there were a lot of scenes that were lengthy. I had suggested the director and producer to cut a few scenes but none of my suggestions were taken in the right spirit. I talk from experience and I wish they had listened to my suggestions,” he says.

He points out that the film raised a lot of unnecessary hope among people, “I must apologise to my fans for having disappointed them. While my portions have come out well, the character loses its strength when viewed as an overall product,” he adds.

He feels ‘Plus’ lost out because the makers hadn’t paid enough attention to the smallest of details, which could have gone a long way in tightening the loose ends.

Anant has had a pretty long and impressive career but he feels his career will be incomplete without playing certain roles that he has in mind. “I would like to play the role of a person affected by Alzheimer’s disease. This is common among the older people both in our country and in the West. I’ve never really played such a role but I think it will do well to touch many lives in a similar situation,” he adds. In yet another interesting project, Anant plays the role of a jailer. “The shooting hasn’t started but I prefer to concentrate on one project at a time,” he says.