Dad’s the word

[1]

People often ask me about Sikander’s future in Bollywood. While he is the best person to answer the question, from a teacher’s approach, there are some tips I would give him and other actors his age.

But before that, I must say that this generation is forthright. They are confident and know what they are doing and are dedicated towards it. Coming to the advice part, I would begin with the urgent need to practice, as this is the only road to perfection. There are secondary challenges too, like the stress of grooming which is pushing actors towards six or eight-pack abs or zero figures, and what not.
To me, all these are not important for one’s survival or success. The person must groom his heart and himself as a person. In India, we all are trying to make clones out of ourselves. I am thankful that Sikander realises this and sticks to his own personality.
I am quite confident about Sikander’s acting skills and the success of his future acting ventures. He’s not only an honest person but a mature actor and his work speaks for himself. Being a child of two senior good performers — a fact he recognises and greatly appreciates — he is grounded, respects the art of acting and keeps on honing his skills.
Bollywood is a tough sector, if I may say, for any budding actor. And that’s what I keep telling the students at my acting school. New entrants should have strong beliefs, the ability to learn faster, have a clear point of view, and try and keep themselves away from stress and trauma. I have the same advice for Sikander.
A few people also tell me that like his parents, Sikander should take up theatre. But theatre could only be a stepping-stone for an actor as it still has not delivered itself in terms of consistent earnings and thus can’t sustain its artists. However, I would leave the decision to Sikander and would like him to make his own choices.
As a person, Sikander is an intelligent and mature boy, and so tries to find the solutions to his problems himself. Now these problems could be anything from career to relationships. I don’t give my opinion on any of his matters, and children these days prefer to have it that way.
Having said that, whenever he wants to discuss a problem with us, he feels free to come to us. He is closer to his mother, and so discusses such issues with Kirron. But yes, whenever there is something he wants to get done his way, he comes to me. I agree with him, always!

As told to Jyoti Verma