19 July,2010 11:07 AM IST | | Sheena Thomas
He is known to be a funny man but his films are high on drama. But don't start assuming that he has an identity crisis. Satish Kaushik is quite a deadly combination of quick wit, comic timing and a sense of melodrama. Excited that the screenplay of Road, Movie has been selected by The Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he talks to CS about his two sides:
Seriously funny
I guess when I'm with friends, I'm at my funniest best. And I can easily take jokes on myself. But when it comes to work, I'm a different person. My forte has always been handling drama. And that's why my films are the way they are. But when I'm in front of the camera, I have no qualms being the funnyman. I'm happy to be accepted in both my avatars.
Just joking
Bollywood humour has changed with the times. I thought I Hate Love Storys had simple jokes that were brilliant and very Gen-Next. On the other hand, the humour in Golmaal and Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge was more rooted and had something that would appeal to a wider audience. Having said that, it is unfortunate that a lot of vulgarity is being shelled out in the name of humour. Crass humour is also being well accepted.
Star power
Govinda is my favourite comic hero -- he's got great timing. I love Akshay and Salman too, though their brand of humour is very different. The former is very in your face, while the latter is more understated. When I first acted with Akshay in Mr and Mrs Khiladi, I couldn't help but notice his whacky side. I already like the way he's portraying the character of Sachin Tichkule - it's not about playing a hero, but a character. Salman's got this casual air about himself that is very endearing. Among the fresh faces, I think Ranbir has got a lot of potential as a comic hero. He has got that Raj Kapoor style that cannot be missed. We haven't seen too many women in comic roles lately, but I thought Katrina was great in Ajab Prem and Priyanka was also good in Kaminey. But my all-time favourites still remain Sridevi, Juhi Chawla and Madhuri.
