EXCLUSIVE: Subhash Ghai calls Jackie Shroff a ‘bad actor’, bestows Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan & Anil Kapoor these tags

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai – who is well known for films such as Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Meri Jung, Ram Lakhan, Saudagar, Khalnayak, Pardes and Taal and more, recently graced the couch of The Invincibles season 2. While interacting with host Arbaaz Khan, Ghai got candid about the different Bollywood actors he has worked with and what he thinks of their acting.

From Jackie Shroff and Shah Rukh Khan to Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor, read on to know who Subhash Ghai considers a ‘good,’ ‘bad’ and ‘great’ actor.

Subhas Ghai on types of actors

Stating that there are 5 types of actors, Subhash Ghai says, “Ek hota hai non-actor, ek hota hai bad actor, ek hota hai actor, ek hota hai good actor (aur) ek hota hai great actor. Yeh paanch actors hote hai”

Explaining the 5 types, the filmmaker said, “Non-actor kaise? Ek film dekhi thi Saudagar, usme Vivek Mushran joh tha – ek ladka jisse maine cast kiya tha, woh non-actor tha. Usne kabhi camera, studio dekhi nahi thi. Toh Raaj Kumar saab ko bohot taaqleef hoti thi uske saamne dialogues bolne ki, (woh) bolte tha, ‘woh dialogue ki tarah nahi bolta.'”

Subhas Ghai calls Jackie Shoff a bad actor

Talking about the next kind – bad actor, SG continued, “Bad actor was Jackie Shroff Hero mein. Usse joh bhi kaho, woh tension mein aa jaata tha.” Revealing why he was cast in the debut film despite the shortcoming, Ghai said, “Woh mere character mein fit ho raha tha. Uska joh face tha, uski intensity joh zindagi mein thappad khaye hua hai, hog chehra tha aur uski joh honesty thi, main bola main usse sikha lunga aur usne sikhne ka koshish kiya aur seekhte seekhte woh aacha actor baad mein baan gaya.”

Ghai on Anil Kapoor’s acting

Talking about the third type, Subhash Ghai said, “Actor is Anil Kapoor. Yeh actors joh hote hai woh directors ke sunte hai.” He continued, “Anil ko bolo tumhe Lakhan ka role karna hai woh kar lega. Anil ko bolo Mere Jung mein lawyer ka role karna hai woh kaam kar lega. He’s purely a director’s actor. Usne kharab acting kiya toh samajh lena director ne kharab kiya. (Anil) kharab bhi kar sakta hai bohot buri acting bhi kar sakta aur bohot great acting bhi kar sakta.“

Subhash tags SRK as a good actor

Subhash Ghai continued, “Good actor is a person joh scene ko samajhta hai. Pure scene ke samajh se woh scene behtaar karke dhikhate hai ki thoda director bhi heiraan tha ki ‘yaar joh scene likhe tha tumne uske 25-30% uppar le gaye.'” He added that when these actors do an emotional scene it makes the filmmaker also emotional. When asked to name an actor who falls in this category, he said in Hindi, “Whichever actors I’ve worked with they weren’t stars at that time, but they had their own qualities. Like when I worked with Shah Rukh Khan in Pardesh, I felt he executed some scenes much better than how they were written. He can elevate scenes with his performance.

Subhash Ghai on great actors in Bollywood

Calling Dilip Kumar a great actor, Subhash Ghai says, “Even if you give such actors basic scenes – like eating food, they will elevate the scenes to another level. They rise much above the scene. They understand every aspect attached to the scene and perform it impeccably. Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor are actors who also fall into this category. You see, their films may have been subpar, but their performances were never bad.”

Watch the full interview here:

Also Read: The Invincibles S2 episode 6 teaser: Subhash Ghai calls Jackie Shroff a ‘bad actor’; reveals Shatrughan Sinha was ‘overconfident’