`Daddy Cool` is not a brainless comedy: Suniel Shetty

Suniel Shetty spoke to Tanu Talwar of Spicezee.com about his forthcoming films and love for comedy.

Think Suniel Shetty and the first image that comes in the mind is that of a kick-ass macho man. But though his angry on-screen persona made him a huge hit with the ladies, it was his awe-inspiring transformation into an oddball bumpkin that justified his acting finesse. Out to romance the junta before his yet another comic caper ‘Daddy Cool’ hits the screens this Friday, the casually dressed actor spoke to Tanu Talwar of Spicezee.com in the Capital.

Tanu: What is ‘Daddy Cool’ all about? Suniel: It’s a comedy. But it’s not just one of the films that are made as comedies. It becomes hilarious because of the situations and extraordinary circumstances that take place in the film. The film is set against the background of a funeral that takes place in Goa where friends and family come together to bid good-bye to the family patriarch. But things don’t go as planned and everything ends up in a mess, creating chaos and confusion, resulting in some extremely comical events. There are many twists and turns in the script that are bound to send the audiences laughing. Tanu: Tell us about your role? Suniel: I play the role of the eldest son. Unlike all the other characters in the film, who attend the funeral for some personal gain, he is heartbroken and sad. Being very close to his father, he is shocked by the attitude of other family members. My character becomes funny as he tries to put all things together in a funeral that’s going miserably bad. Meanwhile, my character is also shown avoiding his nagging wife, who can’t stand her mother-in-law and wants to get a place of her own. But what’s extremely hilarious is the way the son deals with his father’s gay lover. Tanu: The movie is widely speculated to be a copy of the Hollywood flick ‘Death At A Funeral’ Suniel: Yes, it is! We got the copyrights from them for this Hindi version. And I only agreed to do this film after I saw the original. I feel that ‘Death At A Funeral’ is a beautiful movie but ‘Daddy Cool’ isn’t an exact replica. We have made several changes and added new characters; also we have tried to add depth to all roles. Tanu: Your favourite part… Suniel: My personal favourite has to be the climax. The last 15 minutes are a tearjerker. If I am able to make the audience cry with my final act then I’ll feel that I have got my reward. Tanu: Do you feel India is ready for a comic film that has a funeral in the backdrop? Suniel: Well after ‘saas bahu’ serials, I feel, India is ready for anything. Tanu: From doing action flicks to comedies...what do you feel is more fun? Suniel: Comedies are much more satisfying, if you ask me. I feel that there is nothing better than making people smile. I love doing action films but comedies have their own charm and what people don’t know is that they are much more difficult. Tanu: So, when do we see you in the next big action film? Suniel: Two power-packed action films are being planned as of now and will get on the floors by the beginning of next year. Tanu: There have been talks that you backed out of ‘Blue’ because of your differences with Akshay Kumar? Suniel: There was nothing like that. The fact is that my dates didn’t work out for the film. Akshay and I share a good rapport. I would like to know from where these reports come from. Tanu: So after ‘Daddy Cool’, what’s the next big film you are excited about? Suniel: It is ‘De Dana Dan’ with Priyan and it is very special to me, like all the other movies we have done together. Tanu: The film has the classic ‘Hera Pheri’ team. What do you think makes the four (Akshay, Paresh, Priyan, Suniel) of you click as a team? Suniel:The four of us are very comfortable with each other. We understand each other’s body of work and are well aware of our strengths and weaknesses. With me, Akshay and Paresh onscreen and Priyan behind the camera, we hardly have to worry about anything. And every time one of us goes overboard; someone tries to balance it out. The best part is we all look at making the team click than just pushing our own acts. Tanu: Your weight loss show ‘Biggest Loser Jitega’ won rave reviews. When will we get to see the next season of the show? Suniel: It’s going to come out early next year. The show is one of its kind. It is already recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. And the next level of the show will be even more exciting. There will be tougher challenges and many more spy cameras. Tanu: Your film ‘Red Alert’ has been on hold for long now. Why? Suniel: Yes, there were some glitches but now the film is being shown in several film festivals. It is going to go for the English film festival and also for the Toronto film fest. I have a very serious role in the film. I play a farmer, who in order to survive joins the negative forces. Its inspired by a real life incident and shows the life of burdened farmers, who are forced into taking raucous steps. Tanu: Being a fitness expert, which actress do you feel has the best body in Bollywood? Suniel: I think Shilpa, Katrina and Bebo look fabulous. I really don’t care what a person’s size is as long as they look good in their body. Size zero doesn’t necessarily suit all. So before youngsters think about shrinking their bodies I would just like to say that your body should suit you.