That talented actor Vinay Pathak, not seen much lately is best remembered with his 2007 satire Bheja Fry. As the film completed 18 years, Vinay took a walk down the memory lane and shares experience working in the fun project. “Bheja Fry is the coming together of very like-minded people. My co-star Rajat Kapoor, myself, director Sagar Bellary and Ranvir Shorey have known one another for years and have worked together," he tells us.
The crew thought it would be an art house film. But the spirit of the common man clicked, Pathak shares. "It's the story of a very ordinary man, but it became interesting once fifty people sat down to watch it. My knowledge about Hindi film songs gathered from years of listening to the radio helped develop the character," he says.
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Vinay Pathak started his career with a walk-on part as a tourist guide at the Taj Mahal in Deepa Mehta's Water. Since then, he has come a long way. He recalls, "If you remember, I was part of a chest-baring competition with Salman Khan in Sanjay Bhansali’s Hum… Dil De Chuke Sanam. I wish I could enact that scene now."
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Pathak says he had been practicing 'pranayam' (breathing exercises) for one full year for the role. "That's the basic formula. Plus, I had to exert strict control over my diet. Fortunately, I have always been a vegetarian. Despite having a sweet tooth, I always stay away from sweets," he adds.
So, no fried stuff for the Bheja Fry guy! The crew of Bheja Fry did not acknowledge Francis Verber's The Dinner Game as the source for their movie because of "copyright hassles".
Vinay says, "I realised this when Parvati Balagopalan and I were adapting Laura Esquivel's novel 'Like Water For Chocolate' for Indian television. We tried to track down the author. Believe me, it was an ordeal. It would've been much easier to just go ahead with our serial 'Margarita' quietly. The 'Bheja Fry' sequel was far more original.”