Interviewer: Rakshanda Khan (RK)
Interviewees: Kay Kay (KK) and Prashant Narayanan (P)

RK: Today we have in the studio, Kay Kay and Prashant who are here to talk about their new movie Chhal. Kay Kay is quite an interesting name, what does it mean?
KK: Kay Kay basically means victory in Chinese. Vijayee bhava.
RK: Moving on to the simpler name, Prashant. What is the full form of Prashant. What comes after Prashant?
P: Prashant Narayanan.
RK: One more South Indian.
P: Actually, Narayanan is the Pacific Ocean with the blessing of the Lord.
RK: Allright so we have a lot of blessings going out to people. Stay with us we'll be back with you right after this break.

RK: Today we are talking to Kay Kay and Prashant about their new movie Chhal. So Kay Kay you were going to tell me, what is the basic premise of Chhal.
K: Chhal as the name suggests basically means deceit and you have the story of a police informer planted in the underworld. One gang...
RK: A police informer?
K: That's right. One gang that the police can't crack. Prashant plays the leader of this gang and..
No, wait. Hang on. He plays what?
P: The leader.
RK: Of like a proper gang?
P: Ya.
RK: Like a gangster's gang.
P: Ya. I'm a gangster in the film and Kay Kay plays the cop who want to get into my gang and falls in love with my sister. I start liking him so much and that's the whole premise..that it's a whole world of lies. So, he comes to my gang and it's all about that.
K: And the journey thereof is the story [laughs]
RK: I still have problems believing that he's playing a gangster..
P: Ya. I really want everybody to see the film, you know. So that..
RK: So that they believe you can play a gangster. We'll have to ask director Hansal Mehta why he did this to Prashant. He's a nice sweet looking boy.
P: That's the whole world of lies.
RK: You are not trying to deceive me, are you? You're not telling me the wrong story are you? [laughter]

KK: Okay, okay...I play the gangster and he plays the cop.
P: Ya, absolutely. I've grown my hair and all. Actually I had a crew cut before, but for the film I had to grow my hair.
KK: And this wig I suppose [laughter]
RK: Why are you doing such a serious film?
KK: We are seriously having fun and in this film...How did you assume it is a serious film by the way?
RK: It's a film about gangsters! The film's name is so serious.CHHAL! It must be a serious film, right?
P: It's a very exciting film. It's got nothing to do with seriousness or fun or anything..
RK: Although, Hansal Mehta's previous film 'Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar' was a fun film. I'm assuming that after a fun film, he's made a very heavy duty, hardcore film.
P: It's a very hard hitting film, but it's not a very serious film, like an arty film or anything like that. It's..
RK: It's a mainstream film apparently...
KK and P: it's definately mainstream.
RK: There is one heroine...
KK: Yes.
RK: And he's in love with the heroine [pointing to Kay Kay]
KK: Depends on who's playing the cop and who's playing the gangster..
P: Yes.
RK: See..now they're confusing me fully.
KK: But the cop sort of gets involved with the sister.
RK: So that too is a mystery. So now, you have to figure out which one of them is a cop, because the cop is the one who gets the girl. Also, the one who gets the heroine must be the hero, and the other must be the villian.
KK: And we don't know if she is the cop's sister or the villian's sister. So that too is a mystery.
P: We don't want to reveal these things.
[laughter]
RK: This means that this interview is over and viewers should now switch their televisions off and go see the movie.

RK: So tell me what was it like shooting this film.
KK: As you said, great fun. I had fun.
P: See Kay Kay has been one of my oldest friends in Bombay.
RK: How old are you? [turning to Kay Kay]
P: No, lets not get into all that...
KK: Oldest friend, as in not the oldest [mimes an old man]..
P: At that time I was assisting Ketan Mehta. So we always...
RK: In direction?
P: Yes. I've done a lot of all this before...
RK: You've tried everything before acting?
P: No, no. I wanted to do everything before, so that people think 'Hey this guy knows his stuff'. So it was really exciting when Hansal put up this proposal that there is this film happening and Kay Kay is your co-actor. I was really excited because Kay Kay is a fabulous actor.
RK: So, after 5 minutes he is expecting you to say the same about him.
KK: No, it's mutual. It's understood. My silence says it all.
P: So it was really nice to work with someone who is your friend also and a great actor.
RK: Have you worked together before?
P: No. This is the first time.
RK: Now all the films that you do, why are they so serious?
KL: When have I done serious films? Which films...
RK: Paanch is a very serious film.
KK: Yes, Paanch is a very serious film.
RK: Tell me a film where you've done this gungho fun kind of film.
KK: If you make a film based solely on fun then you're producing trash. There has to be an ingredient of something larger.
RK: No. Why? If I go to a movie where I laugh for the next three hours then that does not mean it is trash.
KK: Absolutely. But you're talking about the genre of comedy. But fun has many other definitions today.
RK: That doesn't answer my question. Why do you always do serious films?
KK: [Sighs dramatically]. Give a good fun film somebody! Hello!
RK: Do you feel that the scripts are better when they are one of those brooding intense kind of films?
KK: No nothing like that....Yes, you got me there. [Laughter]

RK: Prashant, why did you choose this film?
P: I can't say that I chose this film.
RK: Honesty...sometimes honesty..
P: Yes. And the kind of role I'm playing in this film...
R: And as I said earlier, if someone saw you for the first time, it's unlikely that they think of you as an underworld don. That's not the impression you get. So what was your reason for taking a character like that.
P: When the script was narrated to me, I asked Hansal whether I could play the role of the cop. So, he was saying that it would be too obvious if you play the cop. Like the way you said, "You can't be a gangster", you know. So, everyone would expect me to play the cop and Kay Kay to play the gangster and getting into his gang and patao-ing Kay Kay's sister or something like that. But, nothing like that...
RK: So, whose sister is she? [Laughter]

RK: A very important ingredient in a film is it's music and because the film has romance it must have songs. So tell me more abou the music in this film. Who has done the music in this film.
KK: The music in the film is by Viju Sha. Fantastic music director.
RK: So, you have a favourite?
KK: Yes..
RK: Who is singing the songs in the film?
KK: No one.
P: [in a funny voice] There is no lip synching in the film.
RK: Why?
P: It's all background songs actually.
RK: There is not even one romantic duet that the hero and heroine sing for each other?
KK: No.
P: They sing, but only in the background.
RK: It's a mainstream film?
KK: It is a mainstream film.
RK: Sure?
KK: Sure. Sure. Absolutely.
RK: Okay, so what are the songs like? Does it have those dhin-chak songs or does it have nice melodious music?
KK: Both of them. There is a dhin-chak song.
RK: Because it is a film on the underworld there must be a club song. And because it has a heroine it must have a romantic duet too.
P: Correct. Correct.
KK: Yay! [claps this hands] [Laughter]
RK: Who is singing which one?
P: He is singing the romantic song. [nudges Kay Kay, who laughs].
RK: And you are this guy who goes to this club and there is a fabulous femme fatale dancing and you sing with her.
P: No, I don't do any lip synching...
KK: More than one. Femme fatalessssss..
RK: Ooooooh.
P: Yes. Femme fatales.
RK: There must be a mujra number too?
P: I still remember most of them.
RK: Happy expressions suddenly.
P: Actually there is this 'Maut ka ek din muiyan hai, neend kyoon raat bhar nahin aati'. This is said with the beat and stuff like that and then Aashaji comes in and sings [At this point, Prashant breaks into a stunning rendition of Dil jhanjhanale]
RK: Before he was an actor he was a singer too, then he became an assistant director and now he is an actor and after that?
P: We haven't talked about art director and costume designer. After that I became an assistant director.
RK: We'll show you that in the next episode.

RK: Is this your first film with this director?
K: Yes.
RK: So what was it like working with Hansal Mehta?
KK: He's an iceberg. Absolutely cool. Coolest director I've ever worked with. He has no problem at all with anything in life. I just loved the atmosphere. He is very sedate and sombre when he explains something to you. And it seeps in very well. So I find his ice cool attitude very good.
RK: Prashant is in thought. Kay Kay has said verything, now what should I say?
P: I've done a pilot with him.
RK: You were training to be a pilot?
P: I had done a television pilot called Gumraah with him. At that time he was fat. In Chhal, he has really trimmed, he's like really hot these days. I have this really 'Let's get this over and done with' attitude, so Hansal calms me down. He has this entire persona about him. And for a film like this..it's a very pacy film. It's a very entertaining film. So one has to be at the helm with a lot of objectivity in whatever he's doing and he's a guy who has a lot of it. And as Kay Kay put it he's pretty cool and lets you do what you want to do.

RK: With you in this film is Jaya.
KK: Yes.
RK: Jaya Sheel. She's also supposed to be an actress from NSD. National School of Drama. So what was it like working with her.
[Long pause....Hmmmm]
KK: Standard answers...[laughter]
RK: What did I say about her in the last interview? "She's good." Next interview. "She's excellent." Next interview. "She's very good".
P: She's a very beautiful girl and she's done an extremely commendable job in the film and because she plays my sister in the film we've had...
RK: Because she plays your sister you can't say that she's beautiful, or that she's lovely...
P: No, no. She's extremely nice and her character works with the film because it's primarily a film about three people. The cop, the gangster and the sister.
KK: I think, the casting in the film is very good.
P: Yes, excellent casting.
KK: The moment you look at her, what was required in the film, without her even speaking you can see it on screen.
RK: Because it is a mainstream film, will it be as hard hitting as films made about the underworld in parallel cinema?
KK: This film is musically hard hitting. [laughter] Now what should I say about hard hitting?
I would say it's an entertaining film. It is a powerful film...whatever definition you want to give 'powerful'. I will keep you engaged with it's editing style, it's music and its performances for the duration of 2 hours 15 minutes..
RK: There are so many films being made about the underworld. Company, Satya. How is Chhal any different?
KK: Wait and watch.
P: Actually, all the other films don't have us. I'm sorry if I'm not being very modest. [laughter] It is the chemistry happening between all three characters in the film that will make you feel like watching the film. And the fact is that it is a very compact 2 hour 15 minute film. There is no...It's relentless. There is constantly something exciting happening on screen.
RK: So in terms of style, wold you compare it to Satya or Company. As in, this is the kind of portrayal...
KK: See, this film has very beleivable performances, but the styling of the film is very slick.
P: John Woo...that's the kind of look that the whole film has.
KK: But the performances are very believable. Normally, when you make a stylish film, the actor also goes [gives a goofy hero look]. That doesn't happen here.
RK: So it's still realistic, still beleivable.

RK: Prashant you come from television. You have also done television. What are the differences between acting in a movie and television?
P: There is no difference. You work in film as you work on television. It's not like, because it's on 70mm, it's a bigger act. Nothing like that. I did my first television serial for Zee. It was called Parivartan. It's great that Zee has bought the music rights to Chhal. So there is some sort of destiny working.
RK: Connection...

RK: Let me harrow Kay Kay some more. Your other film Paanch is also a film with realistic characters, very hard htting film. So hard hitting in fact that for a while it was stalled. Do you conciously go for hard hitting films?
KK: I usually punch very light. Its them that hit very hard. I don't know why. It's like this...I don't believe in all this 'realism' and things like that. I believe in drama that is believable. Either things are believable or not beleivable. I don't know what realism is.
P: If you communicate things properly...
RK: What is your idea of a realistic film? A film that you've seen?
K: It doesn't exist. Realism doesn't exist. Either something is beleivable or not believable. For example, in Hollywood you have these sci-fi movies which are not realistic. But yet you believe because they do that kind of work. They make you believe. They take you into that world. So, each film should endeavour to work that hard, and make that kind of a film. Whether it has to do with 'garibi' or 'ameeri' or whatever it is. Its not that you go to Switzerland and it's not believable. I'm not saying that. It can be believable but take the audience along with you.

RK: So all the people out there who want to get their hands on the music, all you have to do is write in to us at this address, and we are going to get these CDs autographed by Kay Kay and Prashant. And there is also the Zee Cinema T-shirt that you can write in for or you can email me. And all you women out there who want to get in contact with Kay Kay and Prashant, you want them to email you at?
KK: computer illiterate at zeecinema...zee, whatever.
RK: You can email us at [email protected]. He might be computer illiterate, but he does know how to read and write so we will forward your emails to him. And he'll write his replies to you via letters. What about you, Prashant?
P: Same thing.
KK: I've already done my work. [signing the last CD]
P: I have to sign this one.
K: Confusion galore. Here. [hands Prashant the CD]
RK: Thats what I like about them. They are so much into caring and sharing. Ok, people see you next week. Till then this is Rakshanda Khan signing off for Top of the Pops. And while they are signing they can still say bye!
P: Bye!
K: Bye-bye!
RK: Back to work now! [Laughter] Do you want to sign these tapes too.
KK: Yes, why not.
RK: Now that you're here, you might as well.
KK: Yes, we might as well. [Mock resignation]
RK: And this T shirt needs to be signed too. [to Kay Kay] It's a large T-shirt. You can sign bigger.
KK: Whether it's 70mm or television, acting is the same. I'll sign the same. [laughs]
RK: Okay.