More than her screen time, being part of a good story is a priority for actress Sara Ali Khan, who says she is not in the movie industry to “compete” with her co-stars. Sara, the daughter of actors Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, made her debut with Abhishek Kapoor’s 2018 drama Kedarnath and followed up with filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s police comedy Simmba, co-starring Ranveer Singh.
The 25-year-old actor, whose last premiere was Imtiaz Ali’s romantic drama Love Aaj Kal, is returning to the comedy genre with David Dhawan’s Coolie No. 1, alongside Varun Dhawan. Women have led comedies successfully, with Hema Malini in Seeta Aur Geeta in 1972, Sridevi in the 1980s with Mr India and Chaalbaaz, Karisma Kapoor, Juhi Chawla and Raveena Tandon in various David Dhawan films during the 1990s.
Recent Hindu comedies, however, have had little to offer their female leads, with stories primarily revolving around the men, driving the film and its humor. When asked what her experience, after appearing in two large-scale comedies, had taught her about the space for women in the genre, Sara said she doesn’t compare herself to her co-actors.
“When you work with people like Ranveer and Varun, aapki aukat nahin hoti (you are not in a position) to make such comparisons. You are grateful that people like Rohit, David sir, Ranveer or Varun are working with you. You just don’t want to compare these things.
“Screen time doesn’t matter because these people teach and inspire you so much. You’re telling a good story, entertaining people, so who said what a joke is a battle I don’t want to get into? ”He told PTI in an interview.
Khan further said that he considers Us both his film and Ranveer’s, despite the title role that belongs to the Gully Boy star. He said that while working on a project, his only intention is to improve a movie as a collaborative effort.
“You have to own everything you do. I don’t think it’s a comparison, women versus men, me versus Ranveer or Varun. It is a collective experience and energy, which will be reflected in a scene and will only enhance the movie. My goal is just that. It won’t be good if I start competing with Ranveer or Varun. “Coolie No. 1, an adaptation of the 1995 hit of the same name, starring Govinda and Karisma Kapoor, will launch on Amazon Prime Video on December 25.
From her incomparable pairing with Govinda to her expressions, dance moves and comedic rhythm, Karisma’s contribution to the success of Coolie No. 1 is remembered even today. Sara said there was never a temptation to imitate Karisma, who memorably played Malti, a naive woman who is taken for a walk in Govinda’s coolie Raju, leading to chaos and comedy.
“He was more focused on being led by David Señor and enjoying the chemistry he shared with Varun. Karisma inspires me, as do most actors. She is an iconic star, I don’t think most people can do it because of the way that masala does it. But I don’t think I can or tried to copy it.
“That will be stupid because I will not be able to do justice to that and that was not our attempt either.” The actor said that although the new film has a similar setting to the original, it is completely new in terms of script and dialogue.
So, Sara said, neither she nor Varun tried to copy Govinda or Karisma. “There will be times when you will get flashes of the original, but we are not trying to make a frame-by-frame copy. We are trying to bring some freshness.
“If Varun tried to copy Govinda sir and if I imitated Karisma lady, you would immediately lose that freshness. Instead of copying them, which is not possible, we have focused our energies on bringing something new to the table, “he added.
Speaking about the release of Coolie No 1 on the streamer, the actor said that watching the movie on a digital platform like Amazon is the “safest way” to watch a movie amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “When I watch songs from the movie, I feel like it’s a theatrical movie, which means you want everyone to watch the movie together and have this collective viewing experience.
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“The safest way to do it today is by watching movies at home. I don’t want grandmothers or little kids to miss out on the movie or have a fifty percent occupation (in a theater). There is nothing better than sitting at home at Christmas with your family and enjoying the movie, ”he added.
Coolie No 1 also stars Paresh Rawal, Jaaved Jaaferi, Rajpal Yadav, and Johnny Lever.
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