Bollywood Zone : Blog, Movies, Celebs

We all know that the whole of Bollywood is worried about Sanjay Dutt. And good friend Suniel Shetty too feels hapless. Though he is shooting in Goa, Suniel’s heart in Mumbai. And he says that right from his little daughter to his cook and his drivers have been calling him to know about Sanju’s fate. And he is as helpless as anyone. “I bumped into an old uncle in the hotel lobby and he also asked me the same thing,” he says.

It’s a known fact that the actor cut himself from all acting assignments for the last eleven months. Suniel Shetty had made it very clear that he was focusing on something that he was very passionate about – the television show, ‘Biggest Loser Jeetega’ on Sahara One. But come July 16, he hits the studio to play his role in Kumar Mangat’s new production, ‘Laxmi Narayan 123′. About the odd title, he says, “There are three Laxmi Narayans in the film.” “I love the script, it’s an unreal comedy written by the guys who script the TV show, ‘Naya Office Office’. The shooting should be completed by August. I’m looking forward to working with my co-stars, Paresh Rawal and Tusshar Kapoor.

I love Paresh as an actor – it’s been a while since I acted with him. After ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’, I also share a great rapport with Tusshar – and this, despite the fact that he beat me up in the film,” laughs Shetty.

Saying that it’s been a role reversal of sorts ever since he’s taken up anchoring ‘Biggest Loser Jeetega’, Shetty adds, “It’s a huge high to be associated with a group of people who are committed to do all it takes to reduce their weight and lead a healthy lifestyle. I’ve become the comfort factor for all the contestants.”

That said, the show has taken on the typical reality TV angle with each and every contestant playing dirty to evade eviction. About these underhanded games, he remarks, “It’s the survival of the fittest and one can’t be laidback any longer.

Natural human instincts of treating everyone with caution are coming to the forefront in the show. Groups are being formed and then broken when purposes are fulfilled. From team-based, it’s now becoming more individual-based. Each one is learning how their plans are backfiring and how fragile their relationships really are.”

Some reports have criticized Shetty for deliberately being low profile on the show. So how does he react to this? “Honestly, I’m not affected. I’ve received feedback that I’m doing a good job from people who matter to me, and that’s all that matters. Had I been as aggressive and loud as the others, these same critics would have said that I’m copying them,” he ends.

Suniel Shetty was planning to take a sabbatical for a while, but his gang of buddies had other plans for him. “Well, a sabbatical is what I had planned, because sometimes a break is much needed. However, I was suddenly called to do Shootout… and all the guys, from Baba (Sanjay Dutt) to Sanjay Gupta called me to say that I must take up the role. Since the role had been offered to someone else earlier, I first ensured that this actor had no problems with my doing the role. Since he said it was fine, I went ahead and was on board with my buddies for this movie. This is the new-age male bonding,” says Suniel. We agree!

How hopeful are you about the sequel ‘Phir Hera Pheri’ working?
We will break that myth. More than the film, it’s the characters that are going to work in ‘Phir Hera Pheri’. Besides, some great talent has been added to the cast of ‘Phir Hera Pheri’.

When was the last time you did some ‘hera pheri’?
Five years ago,when I had shot with Priyan. Otherwise, I’m not the ‘hera pheri’ kind of a guy. I have only indulged in harmless pranks.

When was the last time you did some harmless ‘hera pheri’?
On the sets of ‘Ye Tera Ghar, Ye Mera Ghar’ I conned everyone by bringing a duplicate of Chandra Babu Naidu, and everybody including Mahima fell for it.

No pranks recently?
While shooting in Goa, we dressed a male member from the team as a lady and passed him as a seer to Tania Zaetta. She took it seriously and started asking him about her future. Tania, being a sport, took it in right spirit and we had a hearty laugh.

Have you done any ‘hera pheri’ to further your own ends?
No, never. I am not Raja Harishchandra, but I do not believe in conning people either. I am a very straightforward guy.

You accused Akshay Kumar once for doing ‘hera pheri’ with your role. Hope all’s fine this time?
No, I didn’t accuse anybody. There was some misunderstanding, which has been cleared. There was never any problem now or then.

Actor Suniel Shetty has much to look forward to in the week. Not just one, but two of his films hit the screens this Friday. However, the actor is not too happy with the ‘coincidence’. According to him, both movies are brilliant and should’ve been released in successive weeks instead. Well, Suniel, the boxoffice pie is much too big and can accommodate one and all. What’s in a release date is what we say!