Tusshar Kapoor will soon be seen as a no-nonsense cop in his upcoming production venture Maarrich. The whodunit also stars an ensemble cast of Naseeruddin Shah, Anita Hassanandani, Rahul Dev, Dipannita Sharma and Seerat Kapoor. It is the directorial debut of Dhruv Lather and will hit screens on December 9. The Free Press Journal caught up with the actor for an exclusive chat. Excerpts:
How did the transition from a successful producer to comeback on screen happen?
I never planned anything. In fact, both of these happened by chance. When I was offered Maarrich, I thought it would be a nice opportunity to do something different. I did different things in the past and they did work for me, be it Gayab, Shootout At Lokhandwala, The Dirty Picture or Shor In The City. So I thought, why not try a thriller? Also, it’s my favourite genre too.
What does the unusual title Maarrich mean?
Maarrich means what you see isn’t the reality; it means deceptive. I am playing a cop in the film and his confusion is to reveal the real killer amongst so many suspects.
Being a producer and actor together on the film, how do you take the whole marketing module these days?
People these days have a short memory span so concise marketing is the key to it. There’s no point to sustain the campaign for too long since people switch off very fast. I feel, one should just come, hit and run, this should be the way forward. We don’t have to test the audience’s patience, we have to keep giving them something fresh fast.
You have done thrillers back in the early 2000s. What difference do you see in the style of making them today?
I think it was a different time altogether. I was young back then… Kucch To Hai was more like a college campus thriller, in a very I Know What You Did Last Summer zone, while Maarrich is more mature, darker and intense. There are no comparisons but this is my first-ever real murder mystery film. I would love to do action films in the future but the roles have to suit my personality.
Go on…
We kind of introduced a new genre called campus slashers. In fact, from the year 1998, when Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the whole trend of college romance and bubblegum entertainment started. But now the trend is very different, it is about realism. Even commercial cinema has to be real. The audience wants to be surprised, shocked and honestly, we actually don’t know what they want (laughs).
Do you believe that parenthood has made you wiser personally and professionally?
Definitely. It has made me much more wiser, happier and confident. It has surely made me a calmer person. For me, my son (Laksshya Kapoor) is my biggest stress buster. I become more grounded and focused when I am with him.
