To be the daughter of two superstars, both of whom reached dizzying heights of super stardom is a daunting task in itself. To try to follow in their footsteps, and live up to the high expectations, and not set the screen on fire is a double whammy.
Her debut with Bobby Deol in “Barsaat”, after much publicity and hype, didn’t do much for her. Recently she has been more in the news for her personal love triangle involving actress Shilpa Shetty, herself and actor Akshay Kumar whom she finally lassoed in matrimony this past January, but Twinkle Khanna, the older daughter of Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia is slowly and steadily making her presence felt on the silver screen.
The first thing that strikes you about Twinkle , who was visiting Atlanta as the lead heroine of the play “ All the Best” is her simplicity and down to earth demeanor, and how utterly terrified she is of the press. As she warmly agrees to the interview, she is wary. “ Where will this be printed? What kind of questions will you ask? I don’t want to discuss my personal life. Stardust recently published a five page interview with me which I never gave.”
A few minutes and many assurances later, she slowly opens up and talks about everything including her personal life!
How has the experience been, from celluloid to stage?
A lot of people don’t know that my father has a stage background, and that when I came in to the industry, whatever training I had had in acting was under the famous theatre personality, Satyadev Dubey. My sister has done a lot of plays, and I was always so envious of her, for being able to have this wonderful experience. Getting an immediate response from a live audience gives you such an amazing high, and you learn so much, especially in voice projection.
In films we tend to get lazy, with our pronunciation, our projection because you know you can always correct it in dubbing. It’s been a great experience. I do have my heart beating hundred times faster just before I go on stage..I wonder how healthy that is! After that I am fine. I think it’s a lot harder for me to just walk on stage to say a few words at functions. My legs feel like lead, rather than dancing and acting on stage. I have done so many stage shows, and in the play I am more concerned not about forgetting my line, but that I do a good job.
We do improvise on the spot a lot of the times..the last time we performed the play, one of the props, a mirror, which the guy has to look in to and speak seven whole lines, was missing. We had no choice but to improvise and skip the entire lines.
It has been a wonderful experience so far. We have managed to raise a substantial amount in Dubai for the Gujarat earthquake victims, though I wish people were more charitable even when there wasn’t a calamity.
A lot of people do not know that you were an exceptional student. So did you still want to be in films?
Actually I wanted to be an accountant, which I was studying for or a physical therapist. I used to injure my legs quite often and would be in a cast a lot. I would see the physical therapists helping patients, and though it was being like a doctor, it was so much more personal. It was not about money but helping people. In fact a lot of my teachers used to say to me, do anything but don’t become an actress. But I guess eventually your environment does influence you, and I grew up watching my parents and their friends acting all my life. When I was offered “Barsaat”, it was not with the intention of really staying in the film industry. For me it was, Well I have been given this chance and I don’t want to look back at 40 and regret not having given it a shot. For the first three years of my career, I was too young and too naïve to realize that this is a full time job, just like any other and requires a full time commitment.
Your career so far has not seen the meteoric rise as that of your parents, in spite of acting with the cream of the crop as far as your directors and co stars are concerned. “ Mela” with Aamir Khan was a complete disaster. Perhaps the only film even though it was not a major box office success where you seemed comfortable was the comedy “ Badshah” with Shah rukh Khan. So how do you go about choosing roles?
Well, eventually of course the choice is up to me. Either I wait for the right role to come to me some day and stay at home, or I take whatever comes my way and watch out for the lucky breaks. Like every one else I have a house to run. I would prefer to keep on working and keep my foot in the industry. I am choosy about the number of films I do..I barely do 3-4 a year. As far as the quality goes. Often the role looks wonderful on paper or the way it is narrated, and after the finished film, what shows up is entirely different. Mela was a regressive film, I am not denying that, but Dharmesh Darshan, the director had given the hit “ Raja Hindustani” before that and “Dhadkan” since then. He is an excellent director but in “Mela” we made a bad film and there are no two ways to that. On a personal basis I prefer doing lighter films. I realize I don’t like crying so much. So it was fun doing films like “Badshah” with Shahrukh Khan. You really have to be on your toes with him. He is so full of energy.
Who are your favorite directors then? Are you a director’s actress?
I think an excellent director can extract a great performance from anyone, but at this point I am confident enough to get by on my own caliber if the director is average, and even step forward and give my own opinion, if necessary. Ultimately the final decision is the director’s. I may be seeing things just from my perspective while he may be looking at the film in its entirety. I think the best director I have worked with is Raj Kumar Santoshi, who directed me in my first film “ Barsaat”. I didn’t realize how good he was because I was too young and didn’t know any better. I enjoy working with Abbas Mastan also. My selection of the director is often based on instinct, sometimes it is based on the reputation of the director, and of course sometimes you fall in love with an amazing script.
A lot of people don’t know that you have a thriving candle making business…
Yes, it was one of those times when I was laid up again with my leg and just thought about what a great idea it would be to make these beautiful candles. Mom was not interested, but I persisted. Just before our first exhibition, there we were all sitting on our dining table along with our many friends and neighbors, helping us pack the candles. It was a great bonding experience for my mom, my sister and I. We would often talk about things closest to our heart and so the experience has such special memories and significance for me.
Has it been difficult being the daughter of such amazing actors. They are obviously a hard act to follow.
Well it is advantageous only to the point that my first film was given to me on a platter. After that I have had to struggle and fight on my own to create a niche for myself. What can I say? My mother is perhaps the most beautiful woman in the country. She is very laid back, and has never been fiercely ambitious, or materialistic. The amazing things that have happened to her have only been because she is such an extraordinary woman, not because she really went out and worked hard to make it happen.
My dad on the other hand is an amazingly skilled actor, and also fiercely ambitious. I sail in my mother’s boat. It’s funny that people will never compare any other new comer in the country, but they will compare me to mom. At the same time, her fans and my father’s, have been so kind to me, and so warm in their appreciation, that it really makes it all worth while. I don’t let it bog me down though.
You recently married Akshay Kumar. There have been several controversies about his dalliances with Raveena Tandon and that he was seeing Shilpa Shetty and you simultaneously. You have known him for a long time. Is it easy being married to an actor, and what makes this relationship work?
Yes, I think it is better to be married to some one in the same profession especially when it is in the field of acting. Your partner understands your problems. I got married on the 17th of January, and the very next day I had to catch the 6 a.m. flight to judge a beauty contest, and he was okay with it. When he says it’s a 9 to 6 shift, I know he will be back by 7.30 and not before that. Had it been any body else, he might have said, but we just got married, how can you leave on assignment a few hours later? As to what makes this work, I think Akshay and I are two very different people, but we balance each other. He has what I lack and vice versa. For example, I am very disorganized and he is very meticulous, so it seems to be working. So far so good.
So what movies are you excited about in the near future?
I quite enjoyed “Jodi Number 1” directed by David Dhawan. It’s not a film where I have a lot to do, but I think I am looking very good, so I was very happy with. My next film to be released is “ Jackpot” which I am really excited about. It is a very different film- not arty but very unconventional in terms of the plot line. Also, I have a very well defined character.
So how have you evolved as an actress and as a person?
Well, I have been in a boarding school since the age of 11, and I have grown up to be extremely independent, a little too independent perhaps for most people, but I feel that because of that you can throw me in any place on earth and I will survive. Of course what you go through as a child, affects the way you view life, but then you have to go beyond all that and realize that there is so much more to life. I think good and and things happen to every body, but every time you fall, you have to dust yourself and move on. I am a pessimist by nature. If I see a glass of water standing on the edge I will be so certain it will fall. My sister is the eternal optimist, and its great to be able to be that, but. In the long run being a pessimist has saved me a lot of grief.
As an actress, I feel it is very important for you to know who you are yourself before you start trying to play other people. It’s very important to be comfortable in your own skin and that involves a lot of growing up and that’s where I am right now. I am a lot more comfortable with who I am and what I am. I play myself and that is showing in my performances. It is a big tragedy for most Indian actresses that by the time they are really comfortable and ready to evolve and do a good job, its time for them to quit. I am still young, but I see slightly older actresses who are considered over the hill, when in reality they are in the prime of their lives.