Samir Soni was in Guwahati for the GPlus Guwahati Theatre Festival 2024. Samir took the stage alongside Mandira Bedi, performing the play ‘Anything But Love’ on the festival's second day. In this special conversation with Sidharth Bedi Varma, he opens up about his journey from banker to Bollywood star, his experience in Bigg Boss, being part of ‘Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives’, how he handles fame, thoughts on the evolving entertainment landscape, Bollywood parties and more.
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Sidharth: Have you come here with any pre-conceived bias?
Samir: I don't know what to expect at all. I have been very keen because I have been in North, Maharashtra, obviously in Mumbai. We performed in Bangalore and other places as well. I feel Calcutta has this vibe of being very intellectual. I don't know if that's true but that's the vibe they have. Here, I don't know what to expect. Some come with an open mind and that's the fun of it. Whenever the play starts, we hear the laughter and then we get to know what kind of audience we have.
Sidharth: You have been doing this play for almost 20 years now. And there has been a hiatus in between.
Samir: Due to COVID and personal reasons, this lasted for about 2-3 years. However, it's the longest-running play in English theatre we have in India. We're the original cast and the cast has not changed. Inevitably, whatever happens, the play is successful. Mandira and I have been doing this for 20years non-stop.
Sidharth: How do you evolve the play? I took note of one feedback that says, “I listen to the audience and then tweet things around”; the same script, the same dialogues for 20 years.
Samir: Our play is extremely different and challenging. In a sense, we don't have time to focus that much on the audience because it's a two-hour play with two characters and onstage all the time. They might be talking to imaginary characters so you have to be cued into what the other person is saying. If concentration goes haywire even for 10-15 seconds, you'll get lost. Although we have done it for 20 years, you're never 100% sure because it's all about timing. There are scenes where she's talking to somebody else and I'm talking to somebody else. We don’t look at each other, yet I have to listen to what she's saying and take my cue from her. Similarly, where I end, she has to take off. There's no eye contact, so I have to figure out if she's over or taking a pause. It is a unique play otherwise I wouldn't do it for 20 years. A lot of plays came my way and nothing matched up to this. The catch is a basic pulse of the audience. The play is slapstick funny while also conveying a serious message about relationships and said in a very fun way. I love the play and don't get bored. Since the play is about relationship, it will not change. One hundred years from now, we'll still be discussing the same topics.
Sidharth: Can you tell me about your experience working on the series ‘Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives’? We've seen many inside stories in that show. What was it like for you?
Samir: The last thing she (Neelam Kothari, wife) did was in 2000. She was concerned that if she made her comeback now what would people say because obviously, you age in 20 years. She kept saying she’s not the same anymore. She was scared of that so I told her, “People's memory is very short”. I was in Bigg Boss, which is a hard-core reality show, they will rip you. Because their job is that people who are watching they're looking for something to entertain them. If you're prepared for that, it's fantastic. I thought who's going to watch this show? Because I don't watch reality shows. I don't watch the Kardashians or the Housewives of LA kind of shows. I kept thinking- what is this? Who will watch this? From a guy's perspective, I don't want to watch that. So, I was taking it very lightly from the first season. I decided whatever happened, I was going to be myself, wearing pyjamas and no makeup because the idea was that people should know me as a real person.
Sidharth: Since you were in a reality show, Bigg Boss, how real are reality shows?
Samir: Depends on the show, as well as, people. I was being pushed for Bigg Boss every year from the first season and kept turning down their call. I was simply scared. After all, I am very conscious about it because I believe that credibility takes time to build up. I don't want to do tacky things and bring myself down; that's something I'm against. I was a little shy about the whole thing. I kept turning down their offer and then in season four they called me again. That was the time I was about to get married so I told Neelam about it and asked her what should I do. She said, ”Why not do it?”
Sidharth: I’d like to hear from you about one misunderstanding regarding Bollywood.
Samir: This would be a very political thing to say. I think one misinformation is that there's this tendency to group Bollywood as if it's one industry, so to speak that everybody's together. I don't think it's like that. I think it's a very simple business plan. Because it's a film industry, i.e., film business. For instance, If I'm a producer, and I think I can make money out of signing you for my movie as opposed to another guy, I will sign you. It is as simple as that. It's not like I have not seen actors struggle. Then suddenly the whole industry will say, “the poor guy is struggling let's get him to work”. I don't understand this concept. Because it implies that the whole Bollywood industry is as if it's a homogeneous thing, everybody says that. You often find small groups of people with similar interests, no matter the industry. Whether there are 4 or 15 members, they tend to gather in the same places, sharing likes or dislikes. There are artsy people as well who would probably fit in a theatre but there's not one industry so to speak to consider it as one whole. They should treat it more like a business.
Sidharth: What new movie or role can we expect to see you in? It could be for OTT or a series.
Samir: I’ve worked on a really interesting film, but I’m not sure if it will be released on OTT or in theatres since theatres are starting to get empty again. It's a film which is called ‘Jab Khuli Kitab’ with Pankaj Kapur and Dimple Kapadia. I'm playing their son and it's a very interesting movie. It's a slice of life, humour and it's been something I have been looking forward to. I would give an example of that; we were shooting somewhere on top of Moosoorie, Ranikhet, in the evening and went for a walk; had all my scenes with Pankaj sir. Dimple ma’am and I were going and her manager insisted on escorting us. Dimple Kapadia, for me, is one of the prettiest actresses. Those people who were around approached me and I was embarrassed, I told Dimple Kapadia was also here. Because that's what people thought I was. I felt bad for her because, in front of her, I'm a kid. She has done bigger work. That's one thing I'm looking forward to and there's another web series show in which I appeared as a bad guy. I love playing the role of a bad guy. I have played enough good guys.
Sidharth: Can you share an overview of the future of ‘Anything, But Love’?
Samir Soni: Well, the future of ‘Anything But Love’, if it's left on me, it will go on as long as we can play it because I think it has that many things to offer. And unless Mandira and I don't kill each other. Because we have almost become half-husband-wife since we’ve been doing this play for 20 years together. I think it's a very interesting play and I wouldn't want it to stop.