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| Edited By: Sarita A Tanwar |Source: DNA |Updated: Jul 29, 2016, 07:10 AM IST
Every job has its pros and cons. Waise toh, some people’s full-time job is to con. Sanjay Dutt told me that he met a guy in prison who has built two homes and one hotel in Pune just by robbing other people’s homes! Clearly, I am in the wrong profession. I have zero homes in the neighbouring city.
My job needs me to be a pro at sniffing out cons fed to me by actors. The dictionary defines a ‘con’ as ‘persuading (someone) to do or believe something by lying to them’. All actors are good at conning. They do it for a living, for heaven’s sake! They make you believe they are a new character every Friday.
And it’s not just actors, but also filmmakers, who spend a lot of time with actors, and become adept at this game. I hear about this producer hiring a huge star cast for his next. I call him to check the facts and he tells me, “Don’t write about it now. I promise to give you an exclusive when everything is finalised.” I drop the article. A few days later, I see the news in another newspaper. I had kept my promise. He had forgotten his.
Lesson learnt: Don’t wait to break any news. Just carry it.
This happened last month. I met an actor at the shoot of his new film and he showed me the pictures of his look from the film. “Give it to me, let me carry it”, I told him. “It’s not in my hands. the producer will take a call when it will come out.” Next morning, I see the ‘first look’ picture in another newspaper. One phone call later, I learnt it came from his team.
Lesson learnt: Ignore protests, click a picture of the actor on the set and quickly tuck the phone away in a place that no one can access.
Random call from director. Pleasantries done, he says, “Listen, I wanted to give you this news. I am starting my new film, and this is the cast, blah blah.... I wanted you to hear it from me first because you are a friend. Sure enough, we carry the news in the paper. Next morning, every newspaper carries the same bit of news. Clearly, he has many “friends” in many publications.
Lesson learnt: Never answer this PKB’s (publicity ka bhookha) call again.
This actress calls to invite me to her birthday party. I had missed her last party, saying I was unwell. This time, I really am unwell. She uses the “You can’t ditch me this year also” card. She tells me it’s a small group at her house. She suggests that I pop in for half an hour or so, and then leave. I give in. Pati Parmeshwar, a veteran in such matters, tells me, “You don’t have to make the effort. She won’t even miss you.” I snap back, “Of course, she will. It’s just eight to 10 people, so I can’t ditch.” Anyway, I feel worse by late evening and don’t end up going. Next morning, he does the I-told-you-so dance as I go through her party pictures in my mailbox. The entire industry is invited — from Khans to Bachchans. I still have nightmares about being shooed away by the security guard for trying to crash this glitzy event in tattered track pants (tissue box under my arm, held like a clutch), and being stared at by a superstar in a formal suit and his wife in a formal ballroom gown.
Lesson learnt: Listen to the man. He is always right.
Last year, when we broke the story of Anil Kapoor being on Family Guy, I called him to say what a huge fan I was of the show and that it was such a big deal that he was going to be on it. I told him that I’d like to carry his look from the show whenever it was ready. He promised me that he would give it to me. Exactly a year later, I get a call from AK and he says, “The picture has just come to me, where should I mail it to you?”
I was surprised that he remembered. But that’s AK for you. He’s one of the good ones.
