Ahead of the release of another one of his rib-tickling comedies, Riteish Deshmukh speaks about his empathy with the audience, his thoughts on vaastu and his plans on working with wife Genelia in the future. By Aakriti Narang

Much-loved actor, producer and architect (in case you did not know)  Riteish Deshmukh is known for his spontaneous and witty remarks, his jolly nature and warmth as an individual. We caught up with him before the release of his film Bank Chor. But a little warning – be careful, if you say the two words out loud in a public place you are sure to be greeted with frowns. For it is a suggestive pun. But Deshmukh assures us it is all good. “The film is about a bank robbery. It depicts the journey of a guy caught in an awkward situation. Yet he still retains the faith that he can come out alive from the mess. Unfortunately, everything goes wrong on that particular day. The entire bank is taken hostage. Afterwards, some hysterical negotiations are proposed. The events unfold in a funny way. The film’s humour is based on a slice of life of a middle-class person.” The film brushes upon the theme of the essence of life, particularly that of a middle-class man and the daily struggles that he undergoes. He adds, “One thing remains constant in this film, and that is the humorous take on the entire situation.”

Deshmukh has with time established top-of-the-mind recall as a comic actor with his clever wit, a lively presence of mind and light-hearted frankness. For example, though a bank robber, he is a regular god-fearing Marathi man who looks up stars and vaastu before the big heist. He also has his regional biases. “He hires two north Indians to help him rob the bank. Throughout the robbery, he tries to convince them that Mumbai is better than Delhi. So there are two conflicts going on: the bank robbery as well as this regional debate.”

A small portion of the trailer’s comedy is derived from Deshmukh’s character being a strong believer of Vaastu, the traditional Hindu system of architecture. The complication arises when vaastu becomes wrongly linked with superstition. It is believed that such a link was established by the colonisers, who were not able to comprehend the logic and reasoning behind the architectural principles. Deshmukh affirms that, “Vaastu is not a superstition but a science. There is a certain logic to it. People request me to design their houses according to vaastu and I have no problem with it. Of course from a designer’s point of view, it limits you with regard to where certain things need to be.”

But Deshmukh also believes that one shouldn’t disturb anyone’s belief. “In that sense, religion can also be considered to be a belief rightIJ If I believe in Allah, Christ or Guru Nanak Sahab, then that is perfectly alright. These are belief systems that need to be respected. Superstitions are slightly different. They can be eliminated,” he says. “Many people adhere to vaastu and there is a need to respect their opinion but the problem lies in taking any belief system to an extreme. “Vaastu in an extreme proportion becomes illogical and religion in an extreme is dangerous too,” he adds.

There is a reason why Deshmukh decided to do this film. He says, “It was the script that encouraged me to take up this role. Whenever I read a script, I ask myself whether the film would work or is the film worth working in. Would people want to watch such a filmIJ Once I am convinced that I would love to watch a film, I look at my role. I debate whether my character is fun and if there is something new and unique that I can offer to the character’s outlineIJ If I am satisfied with the answers, then I’m on board.”

Deshmukh’s undying passion for movies was evident when, responding to which genre of movies is his favourite, he keeps repeating, “I love movies. I don’t think I can confine my love for movies to particular genres or categories. You could give me a thriller, a horror or a drama film I would love to be a part of it. I have no favourites in movies. I love acting; that’s my favourite part. I look at films from a broader perspective and not at a microscopic level.”

At the same time, he is conscious about not being preachy. A film is not pre-destined to educate you about lofty subjects. “Not every film needs to have a message. I mean there are certain films that you watch to have a good laugh. That’s it. Evoking laughter, while giving out a message is something that the Munna Bhai series achieved very beautifully. It made you laugh, think and ponder all at once. Rang De Basanti also made you think about what we are doing. Entertainment is not strictly linked to laughter. It can be achieved through a drama, a thriller or an action film all the same,” he says. Bank Chor, while ensuring that the audience has a good time, touches upon a lot of middle class issues. And that’s the subtext.

Deshmukh enjoys everything about his work. If there is one thing that he doesn’t like about the movie-making process, it’s the time gap between the shoot and the release. “Sometimes this gap extends to six or seven months. I just wonder what it would be like if we could finish shooting the film today and present it to the audiences the next day itself. I feel this about every film. I am so excited about the content that I can’t wait for people to see it. I do understand and appreciate the importance of taking time to edit the film to ensure that the audience can enjoy it to the maximum. Sometimes I get impatient with the time lag time involved,” he says.

So far, Riteish and wife Genelia have only worked in three Bollywood movies together: Tujhe Meri Kasam, Masti and Tere Naal love Ho Gaya. Would they do a repeat actIJ “I would love to see her back on screen. I love her work and I really enjoy watching her onscreen because she is such a fine actor. Currently she’s looking after our two children. So hopefully in the near future she will take some time out for herself and do a movie. Nothing has been planned so far.”