Veteran filmmaker, actor Viveck Vaswani, who played an important role in shaping Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s early career, is known for speaking his mind.
In an exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol recently, Viveck who is credited for making SRK become 'saleable' in the early ’90s, spoke about the ongoing debate on nepotism, film industry privileges and why stardom cannot simply be inherited or handed over, no matter who launches you.
Viveck Vaswani also spoke about how the business of cinema has evolved over the years and why hard work, knowledge and discipline still remain the cornerstones of success.
“I’ve seen a lot of other people being launched. I’ve seen Salman Khan trying to launch Zaheer Iqbal, Mohnish’s daughter Pranutan, Sooraj Pancholi, and his own brother-in-law Ayush Sharma who married Arpita. But why aren’t they stars?” he asks pointedly.
Viveck Vaswani pointed out on the fact that the answer lies in understanding the difference between a launch and a career.
"They were not taught the business. They won’t be able to understand what saleability is. Without Salman, they won’t be able to do anything because they have not learnt the business. But even if they do learn the business, that won’t automatically make them superstars," he added while speaking with us over phone from Mumbai.
Viveck Vaswani said that success in Bollywood whether for an outsider like Shah Rukh Khan or an insider with powerful connections ultimately comes down to intelligence, adaptability and sheer perseverance.
“It’s the same business for everybody. The same textbooks, the same history, the same understanding of Raj Kapoor, Vijay Anand, Bimal Roy, and Guru Dutt. Finally, knowledge and qualifications are going to take you to success. Nothing else really," he added.
He also revealed that back in the days, he and Shah Rukh would go to filmy parties in normal clothes as their focus was more on interacting and getting work. He said but nowadays the youngsters are more trained and well groomed.
While he doesn’t dismiss the advantages star kids may have, he did stress on the fact that stardom can never be gifted.
And said Shah Rukh became a star because he really worked hard and achieve super stardom.
“Being launched by a superstar is an opportunity, not a guarantee. Shah Rukh Khan became a phenomenon not because someone gave him a film, but because he worked relentlessly to make himself saleable, bankable, and irreplaceable. That’s the difference between being helped and helping yourself," he added.
“When I helped Shah Rukh, my job wasn’t to give him one film. My job was to give him a career. The launch is only the beginning; what you do with that opportunity determines your future," he said.
Viveck Vaswani highlighted an uncomfortable truth about the industry that access alone doesn’t sustain a career. He said: “You can’t survive on someone else’s name forever,” he says. “The business is ruthless. You have to earn your place."
Viveck is now a Dean of Pearl Academy and has launched many faces in the industry. Dhoom director Sanjay Gadhvi was his prodigy.
He told us: "I have launched enough people when I did Pathar Ke Phool – Sanjay Gadhvi (who made Dhoom 2) was my assistant. Sanjay Gupta (Kaante Director) was my assistant. When I did Gawahi, Ashutosh Gowariker was young and new and I gave him a lead role with Zeenat Aman. When I did Dil Vil Pyar Vyar, it was Anant Mahadevan’s first film as a director. I've spent my life working with new people. I teach them and they've all become successful. So that's terrific."
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