Do I Look Like Her Father: Anil On Playing Sonam’s On Screen Dad
He was considered for the role of Sonam’s father in 2012 film ‘Players’.
Anil Kapoor may be a doting dad to daughter Sonam but apparently he is extremely reluctant to continue the relationship on screen. In an interview with Film Companion, director Karan Johar recalled a story he had heard when directors Abbas-Mustan approached Anil Kapoor for the role of Sonam’s reel-life father in their 2012 film Players, which was a remake of 2003’s The Italian Job.
On being offered the part, Anil said, “You think I look like Sonam’s father?” The role eventually went to the late Vinod Khanna.
Sonam’s sister Rhea, who was also present at the interview, shared her experience of stepping out in public with her dad. “If my father is at an event with me, he just walks ahead of me. If I ask him to walk beside me, he says, ‘Why are you so jealous of me?’ AK [Anil Kapoor] is a different breed. He’s not normal,” she quipped.
Rhea also pointed out her father’s commitment to the roles he plays. “With Dil Dhadakne Do, it took him a year to say ‘yes’,” she said. She went on to describe how she’s never seen him work out so hard for a role. “His thing was: ‘If I’m playing a father, I’m playing the best father in the world’,” she added. Anil Kapoor went on to win a Filmfare award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the Zoya Akhtar-directed film.
Anil Kapoor’s commitment does have its downsides. He will be seen next in Karan Johar’s Takht for which he reportedly had to gain weight. His reaction to the news, says Rhea, was to exclaim, “Karan wants to destroy my career!”
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