'In Sholay, my fingers are cut off, not hands': Mohanlal

Mohanlal was a school student when Ramesh Sippy's Sholay was released in 1975, and like most of the kids at the time, he too was fascinated by it. Little did he realise then that 32 years later, he would be a part of its remake.

In this exclusive interview, Mohanlal talks about the experience of acting in Ram Gopal Varma's version of the film called Ram Gopal Varma Ke Aag, in the role immortalised by Sanjeev Kumar.

Was there any difference in the image that you had of Sholay, the character Sanjeev Kumar portrayed, and the character you enacted in the remake?

I did not think of the original when I was acting in the film. I didn't have any plans in my mind. I don't prepare for my characters.

This is the first time you are playing a role previously portrayed by another actor.

Thirty two years is a long time. One does not remember the minute details in Sholay. Moreover, the backdrop is different. Here, the Mumbai underworld forms the background. That itself changes your costumes and the way you behave.

As this film has taken only the basic structure from the original, you cannot compare the characters of this film to those of Sholay. The name of the character I portray is Narasimha, and I am not doing it the way Sanjeev Kumar did. I have enacted the role of Narasimha the way I can. Like the name suggests, he is a South Indian with a wife and family.

What does Narasimha do in Mumbai?

He is an encounter specialist. At one point, he catches Gabbar Singh (played by Amitabh Bachchan). And unlike in Sholay, there are many reasons why Gabbar Singh is vengeful. I feel this film answers all the questions that we might have had when we saw Sholay. The loopholes in the story are plugged in this film.

Many films are remade in the world, and this is another filmmaker's attempt to remake a film that is considered as the Bible of Indian films. The main story of Sholay was the rivalry between Gabbar Singh and Thakur. Similarly, this film also essays the rivalry between Gabbar Singh and Narasimha.

Like in Sholay, did Gabbar Singh chop off your hands too?

Not hands, only fingers. You see, Narasimha is an encounter specialist and without his fingers, he is useless as he cannot fire his weapon. This film is more crude and violent. Gabbar Singh is like a psychopath here.

For an actor who uses his hands a lot while acting, how was it portraying such a character? Did you have to control yourself a lot?

Yes. I use my hands a lot while acting. I think most of us use our hands even in our conversation. But in this film, I consciously avoided using my hands. Yes, I had to control myself.