Sheena Was Afraid for Love Making Scene - Ruslaan Mumtaz

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sheena Was Afraid for Love Making Scene - Ruslaan Mumtaz

He is just one film old and still makes hearts skip a beat. His good looks paved the way for him to the league of chocolaty heroes like Aamir, Saif Ali Khan and Imraan Khan.

Although his debut film MP3 did not work wonders at the box-office, still he became famous overnight with the beautiful track from the film titled ‘Pehla Pehla Pyaar Hai Ye’. If you are still wondering whom we are talking of, then lets break the suspense. He is none other than Ruslaan Mumtaz and he is all set this time with Teree Sang to make audience sit up and witness the tremendous talent he is blessed with.

Teree Sang also stars newcomer Sheena Shahabadi, Rajat Kapoor, Neena Gupta, Sushmita Mukherjee and last, but not the least, director and actor of the film Satish Kaushik.

Ruslaan in this interview shares his experience in the industry so far and also, excitedly talks about his forthcoming film Teree Sang

You are just one film old and the second is on the verge of release but you rae already so popular among audience. How has life shaped up after films?
Touch-wood (smiles), I think both life and industry has been very kind. I think the charm of music among Indian audiences contributes a lot. MP3; although, was an ordinary love-story but the music gave the film and me recognition among the audience.

However, Tere Sang on the contrary is character-driven. I am sure audience will recognize the endeavour put-in by me and newcomer Sheena in this film. Overall, I thank my stars for a good threshold and hope I live up to the expectations of one and all.

Unlike you, the new girl Sheena has started her innings on a very serious note. In an interview, she mentioned about how you would guide her while shooting?
Oh! Guide?! I think guide is too strong a word to use here. Sheena is a very talented actor however, she gives-ups very easily. Actually, Sheena is not to be blamed because she was performing before the legend himself Mr. Satish Kaushik. Unlike me; who got an opportunity to experiment with a young director in my debut venture.

I would give my inputs and do as many retakes till the time I was not convinced. However, here, the final take was in directors’ hand and nobody could question that. Still, I tried to push Sheena and myself to give our best in every possible scene.

How does your character figure out in this kidult love story?
Well, I play a very crucial and sensitive role in Teree Sang. I (Kukko) am someone who is responsible for the pregnancy of Maahi, played by Sheena. As everyone starts pointing-out fingers on Sheena for committing such a big mistake, I realize that I am equally responsible and decide to stand by Maahi.

What would be your reaction if something of this sort would have happened to you in real-life? Have you witnessed such a thing in real?
Honestly, I would have definitely taken a stand to support the girl rather than abandon her. See, at the age of 15, one is too immature to understand the norms of the society and is ignorant about consequences of sex. The scenario has changed today, but if you see Sheena’s case; her character in the film is someone who is neglected by her family.

Thus, she happens to fall for a boy in a tender age and eventually they have sex by mistake. So, in-order to avoid such situations, a child should be well-taken care of by the parents. I might have not experienced something exactly like this; but as a teenager I too have committed mistakes like drink and drive without a licence.

And today, I realize how foolish yet fortunate I was that I didn’t fall into a big mess. However, my parents have been very strict yet supportive.

You represent today’s youth. What’s your take on latest liberation on homosexuality and live-in relationships?
Well, with due respect to homosexuality, I have no take on that. The reason why I haven’t given it a serious thought is, neither me (laughs) nor any of my friends fall in that category.

As far as live-in relationships goes, I have numerous living examples. Including my own parents; who belonged to different religions and hence had to spend seven years of their life in a live-in relationship, due to opposition from their respective folks.

I personally believe that convenience or vulnerability drives one into a live-in relationship. Like in big cities today a couple starts living together to cut down their residential expenditure.

Share with us some memorable moments during the film?
Hmm... I remember Sheena and I were preparing ourselves mentally for the love-making scene. In-fact, I was quite chilled out about it, since it was a part of our work. However, Sheena was very apprehensive about the whole romantic sequence.

And I was wondering whether I was the reason for her behaviour, or her gender brought a difference in my and her thinking. In-fact, she argued for letting me just kiss her chin, which was completely invalid because we could not fool around with audiences on that. She ended up taking almost 3-4 shots to finish the scene.