Sanjay should be out by Feb end and we might begin shooting for ‘Munna Bhai’ sequel then: Arshad Warsi

When is the sequel of the ‘Munna Bhai’ franchisee releasing?

Raju (Rajkumar Hirani) is writing it, and I have heard that he (Sanjay Dutt) should be out by the end of February, next year. So whatever happens, my judgement tells me that by the end of 2016 we would start to work and by 2017 it should release.

You have worked with actors like Madhuri, Naseeruddin Shah, Sanjay Dutt, how has your experience been working with them, and who has been you favourite co-actor?

It’s about your compatibility with your co-actors. I have enjoyed working with each and every co-star of ine. They have been beautifully fun people, and this is how I am, I like to enjoy wherever I am. To an extent Naseeruddin Shah would be considered, he is very senior and we have had a blast. I have actually enjoyed working with Naseeruddin Shah. He is great fun to work with. I also enjoyed working with Sanju (Sanjay Dutt).

A lot is being said about ‘Intolerance in India’, even Shah Rukh Khan expressed his views on the same in one of the interviews recently, what do you have to say about that?

I think there are a lot of people with very less work. I don’t think Shah Rukh said anything derogatory in any way. I have seen the interview and it is nothing at all. People have just made an issue out of it. No, I don’t give that any importance. It’s trying to get mileage out of a man’s popularity.

And, what opinion do you have on ‘Award Wapsi’?

Each person has his own point of view and each one has his right to react. I personally would not judge anybody, but I do feel that anything will help by giving the award back. That is what one should really think. Before we take some action against something, we should realise how that action would make a difference. There are many other bigger actions that have been taken and nothing has happened. People have gone on hunger strike but things have not changed.

You are here for the recipe book launch of your wife Maria, how excited are you for her book ‘From My Kitchen to Yours’?

I’m very excited for the book launch, She has worked so hard since the past two years and she is very affectionate. It’s a very nice book, unlike the cook books that we normally see, it’s a very beautiful looking book. Apart from just recipes, it has got her thoughts, it is very candid, which is what I like about it.

She is also running a YouTube channel, how different is the book from her channel?

Pretty different, because in the book you get to read her thoughts that are happening like, why this recipe?, who likes it? and just a little anecdotes about the food. Like the things that go with it.

Is there a lot of cooking at your home?

Yes there is. She comes out with new new recipes. Ninety per cent of the recipes are her own. She says try this, and then we would eat it and tell her, ‘no I think this is left’ or if we liked it. So yes, there is a lot of food happening at my house on a regular basis. There are friends coming over. So what happens she makes something and we try it, so if it works there are a whole lot of friends coming over and it is made for them.

Do you enjoy cooking?

Before Maria got interested in cooking, it was me who used to cook. My friends used to come over and I used to cook for them, so yes I do cook and I do feel that I cook pretty well. But I’m not a cook from the book or recipes, I cook from judgement. I guess this is the old school of cooking. My mother cooked like that, so I cook with judgments. I can smell and tell the flavour and what has gone into it.

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You have hosted one show of ‘Comedy Nights With Kapil’, so how different was it to perform comedy in front of live audience than performing in front of the camera?

I have a good sense of humour, and I’m quiet fast in my wit. Therefore, I could handle this. The show is hardly scripted, it’s just for the part when the characters come in that the show is scripted. You don’t know what the audience would say, so you react accordingly. So I guess, if you have the sense of humour, you are capable to host the show. Kapil and his entire team thought that I could host the show, because many a times when I’v been to the show it has been really good and I have had a great laugh and things I said were really enjoyed. I cracked a lot of jokes as me, it was great fun.