‘Shatrughan Never Practiced <i>Khamoshi</i> In Real Life’

Shatrughan Sinha, the Bollywood star turned politician, raised eyebrows and left BJP leaders red faced during the Bihar elections when he criticized the party’s performance and met Nitish Kumar. Columnist and critic Bharathi. S. Pradhan, 62, who authored his biography, “Anything But Khamosh”, speaks to Bula Devi:

Why did you choose to write a biography about Shatrughan Sinha out of all actors?

It is not just actors but any celebrity. Many years ago I had told Nari Hira, the publisher of my first book, that one person who would not only give the most honest biography but would be interesting is Shatrughan Sinha. This book covers the whole story, politics as well as cinema.

But there are other actors also who are in politics?

Yes, but he is one person who would not only give an honest biography but interesting also. Just honest is not enough. He has a good story to tell and he covers both politics and cinema. I must also say that it was he who chose me not the other way round. I have known the family for a long time and both his wife and he have complete trust on me. Plus, he trusted my writing.

There are many biographies and autobiographies of the present and the past. He was a little put off when he read these. He would say ‘where is the grey matter’ or ‘how can a person be all white’! Never did he try to whitewash anything in Anything But Khamosh and fully supported me to put what others had to say about him and not black that out. Even things like his secretary saying that he did not agree with Shatrughan shifting from villain to a hero’s roles. Shatrughan Sinha never asked me to black that out.

Is it that you met the right kind of voices who he would have liked you to meet?

Not at all. He did not even know I was meeting people like (journalist) Abhigyan Prakash who did not have very complimentary things to say about him. I met Abhigyan on my own because I wanted to meet a political journalist so that I could get something more objective than what politicians had to say. Politicians generally tend to be politically correct although Sushma Swaraj said that she would advise him to have patience. LK Advani was extremely sweet but he too said what he had to say and even Yashwant Sinha said something about him. Not everybody has been complimentary. Even Salim Khan said that he could not make it as big as Amitabh Bachchan and why. In fact, that has been the best part of my seven years association with the book and everyone, including the film industry people, knew that I cannot be a sycophant.

There are many voices in the book who suggested that Shatrughan Sinha is not punctual, he himself also talked about it. How fair was he with you? Any instance you remember that frustrated you?

Not at all. In fact, by the time we did this book he had become a politician and I mentioned in the book that once he turned a politician he became a bit time conscious. In fact, not once was he late; rather I might have been late by 10 minutes but not him. He has been marvelously punctual and good with deadline. He never had a problem over time, place or convenience.

It is mentioned in the book that he could have been a bigger star had he been more disciplined. How difficult was it for you to bring him in your mode?

I think there was never a moment or question of my having to change his mode or he coming to my mode. I think both of us were in the same mode that we wanted to tell a very good story as candidly as possible. In fact, the Pune International Literary Festival kicked off with our session where I asked him how honest was he in the book. His response was, ‘I think I was about 95 per cent honest’. So he was honest to say that he was not 100 per cent honest.

He is a star and a politician. But to be fascinated by politics and to be a serious politician are two different things. What impression did you derive about his seriousness towards public issues or did you find him more of a switch-on switch-off kind of a politician?

I think he is quite a hands on politician because anytime you walk in to his house in Ramayan (his house in Mumbai) or Delhi, you will find a news channel switched on, English or Hindi. I don’t think he watches anything else. Every morning he spends about three-four hours reading newspapers. He reads newspapers but not books; at least I had to read out Anything But Khamosh to him and make factual corrections. He has a very high concentration level, maybe, it is because of yoga practice and he could catch each and every word very fast. He could correct the nuances to make it factually correct.

Why did he go for a biography and not an autobiography?

I think it is because of the trust and comfort level the three of us enjoy with each other i.e. I, Promi (Shatrughan Sinha) and him.

You have written other books in the past. How would you rate this book with your earlier books?

I think this book will get the maximum eyeballs because it involves a celebrity.

How many changes did you have to make in the book after the Bihar elections?

I had kept the entire political chapter ready and spoken to everyone, but did not write it. I waited for the November 8 Bihar results. I wrote only after the results came out and read it out to him in Nagpur on November 14 so that he could update whatever he had to.

Did he want the Bihar election part to be incorporated in the book?

It was completely my idea to bring in the Bihar elections. I had gone with him when he visited Nitish Kumar and I met Pavan Varma and all. I knew how well he was getting along with them and I was aware of the kind of tweets he was putting out even though I did not agree with them. I am just the biographer and I need not agree with everything that he says.

He said certain things about the BJP during the Bihar elections. Did it come out of the bolt for you?

No he has been saying this kind of thing earlier also.

As a friend did you try to stop him, what was his reaction?

Yes, I did. He generally didn’t argue but wanted to be left alone to do what he thought was right. There was no ugliness but he knew I did not agree with it.

Did he say Khamosh?

(Laughs) Many a times.

How would you rate Sonakshi as an actor?

I think as an actor she is very confident of herself. It is fantastic to see her confidence. She is very good with the limelight; I think she was born for the limelight like her father. But the contrast is that the father worked hard to be on the limelight, to get the recognition, it was his dream. So he values it a lot more than Sonakshi does. I have seen at various stages of his life, whether he was at the top in his acting career or as a minister and he cherished his fans, admirers; he always takes out time for them. I really appreciate the quality in him that he hasn’t taken his popularity for granted which many others do, unfortunately. She is sweet but a bit impatient. The only contrast between father and daughter is that the father had to work hard to get the recognition but for Sonakshi, it wasn’t her dream, it isn’t that she came from nowhere; rather she has grown up with fame and recognition.

What is that one thing that you feel Shatrughan Sinha could do, should do and would do better?

I think he should do 100 per cent with whatever he does, whether politics or something else and perks should not bother him. I feel he should not bother about VIP treatment or VVIP security; I don’t think it should matter to him after a point of time. He should not get waylaid by perks like he got waylaid by the perks of stardom which is why he didn’t reach the peak as an actor. It would be nice if he listens to the advice of people like Sushma Swaraj.

Do you think he should not shoot his mouth off without thinking?

No let me quote Amitabh Bachchan on this. Bachchan said please don’t try to change him otherwise he will lose that uniqueness.

Do you think he is a man in a hurry?

No, he is different from the RSS discipline. Most of the RSS background politicians speak in a very restrained and controlled manner and ready to accept whatever the party gives them. But he is different.

How would you put him as a politician?

Unpredictable. I don’t think people from his party would have expected the kind of things he said during the Bihar elections but that’s the person he is. He doesn’t follow anybody else’s script but his own.

This web-exclusive interview does not appear in print magazine.