Fried and stirred:Vinay Pathak

Post Bheja Fry, actor Vinay Pathak is being flooded with a variety of roles


You have a kitty full of films. Does all the credit go to Bheja Fry?

All my forthcoming releases are films that I had completed working in much before Bheja Fry had released. Aaja Nachle was an exception. In fact, that’s how I coaxed Madhuri Dixit to watch the film. Post Bheja Fry , I just have one film in hand on which I will begin work on from September. Then there is Manorama Six Feet Under, Johnny Gaddar, Via Darjeeling, Khoya Khoya Chand, Mithya and Antardwand.

How much of a difference has Bheja Fry made to you?

It has made a lot of difference to me as an actor as I am being trusted with varied and interesting roles. It is very fortunate that though the film was made on such a small scale, the visibility was massive.

There are very few people, in the industry and otherwise, who haven’t watched the film. Isn’t that an achievement?

The likes of Madhuri Dixit and even Hrithik Roshan actually SMSed me saying how much they enjoyed watching Bheja Fry. And it just doesn’t end there. Recently, I met this young boy at Jamshedpur who came up to me and said, “ Bheja Fry? Bahut accha tha, dekha maine. ” I didn’t know what to say.

With the phenomenal success of Bheja Fry, is there fear of getting more Bharat Bhushans in future?

Since my first film Fire in 1996, I haven’t got too many noticeable characters. Jism was a huge hit but I was just a part of the story. The same thing happened with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam . The excitement tends to disappear and I chose to stay away from such films consciously.

But aren’t there fewer risks involved if you get into a certain mould and deliver?

It’s more like a Catch-22 situation. Of course, a Bheja Fry can never be repeated but at times, there are hardly any choices and you have to make do with what you have in hand just to remain in the business.

It’s reported that you have doubled your price after Bheja Fry. Is that correct?

See, in this industry I’m not the one who decides my price. It’s the distributors who decide the saleability of a face. If film-makers feel I have mass acceptance, then that’s the remuneration I receive for it.

Did you know Bheja Fry was a copy?

Bheja Fry was adapted from a French play, that was later made into a film. People still make films like Maqbool and Omkara. Aren’t they adaptations? Bheja Fry was just inspired and adapted from a story that we all liked and we enacted the story in our own way, keeping the context in mind. And if an adaptation could be so successful, then I’m sure we all want to see many more.