Shekhar Suman | Suman who was last seen in Bhoomi talks to Musba Hashmi about the latest season of Lights Camera Kissey — anecdotes and unknow facts — his experience in the film industry what is keeping him busy these days

How was the experience with previous seasons of Lights Camera Kissey?

It was an amazing experience. Life is made up short stories and anecdotes and ever since we are born we listen to stories from our grandparents or parents. Then we go school and tell these stories to our friends to entertain each other. Hindi films are something that we all are connect to. It is interesting to know unknown facts about films and the anecdotes related to it. This show is a nice platform to tell behind the scenes stories. During the shoot when I was being told the stories so I was familiar with most of them and was able to correct the factual errors.

What should the audience look forward to in the new season?

The third edition of Lights Camera Kissey is made up of 78 short stories from the good old days, covering all the actors and singers so it is an interesting peek in their lives. Also the set is different and the costumes are more vibrant. It is a perfect combination of everything and the audience should look forward to a new Shekhar Suman and completely new and interesting stories.

Is there a story which interested you?

There are so many stories that got my interest but Sanjay Dutt’s story from Munna Bhai MBBS was the one which came close to my heart. Sanjay was initially offered a very small role in the film and Munna Bhai was supposed to be played by Shah Rukh Khan. Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a very close friend of Sanjay Dutt. One day he called Sanjay and asked him if he can do a cameo in the film and he gave him the script. So knowing that he has a very small role to play, Sanjay did not even read the script he agreed. But then at the last moment Shah Rukh backed out. After a lot of thinking Vidhu decided to give the role to Sanjay because he said yes to it without even reading the script.

The other one is about Kader Khan sahab who became one of the most famous dialogue writers who did not even know what dialogues meant. Once, when he was called by Manmohan Desai to write dialogues for his film, he was like ‘Yeh kya hota hai’? Desai explained that when two people converse you have to write that and he agreed. When asked how much time he would take — a month? Kader sahab said: ‘No, about an hour’. He went outside and came back with the one of the most perfect dialogues. Desai was shocked. When asked about the price, Kader sahab replied Rs 21,000 and Desai replied: ‘From now onwards you will take Rs 1,21,000’, which was a huge sum for that time. And that’s how his journey began. They both end up doing eight films together.

What goes behind the scenes?

A lot. This is where the real action is. You can catch a person with their defences down. A lot of hard work, toil, confusion, irritation and fights goes behind. What you see on screen is just the good part.

How has your journey been so far?

It is always pleasant but if you want to see the obstacles and the roadblocks then it will be very painful. A journey is a journey. As long as it is moving towards your destination, it is always a memorable one. My journey has been great and lovely. There were ups and downs, good seasons and the bad seasons but life goes on. You can’t always expect everything to be good because God have other plans and put you in the right one.

Which role came close to you?

The first role that you play always remain close to your heart. The first role that I played was Charu Datt opposite Rekha ji in Utsav. That is very special for me. Also the role of Sameer Dewaan in Dekh Bhai Dekh and the role of an self-obsessed actor that I played in a series.

What is keeping you busy these days?

I am writing a script for a movie and will be acting in another. Also my music keeps me busy, I do riyaaz for two hours a day and also work on my fitness.