|
MUMBAI:Very
few celebrity actors go beyond their star status and actually dedicate
their lives to a cause; a cause that changes lives, a cause that
saves lives. This, Sunday Karan’s guest is one such man. He
is not only a Hollywood superstar but also a man with a humanitarian
mission and on a lighter note; he is considered one of the sexiest
men in the business. Catch none other than Richard Gere on television’s
favourite weekly chat show, ‘Koffee with Karan’, this
Sunday evening, 20th May at 9 p.m. only on Star One and Star World.
“My
mother goes weak in her knees every time she sees you on television,”
says Karan as he welcomes the Hollywood heartthrob Richard Gere.
Speaking about the Gere Foundation, Richard shares what prompted
him to take up the cause of HIV Aids, his take on celebrities who
think it is fashionable to fight for a cause and where does he see
his Foundation a decade from today. Truly, a man who feels and works
passionately for this cause, Richard talks about his experience
in India and how this disease has now gone into the middle and upper
middle class homes as well. Also, sharing about the fantastic support
he has received from the Bollywood film fraternity, Richard talks
about how Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Shabana
Azmi and Bipasha Basu have been very encouraging and their enterprise
and involvement set the ball rolling. On the other hand, Richard
also confesses that he has seen Indian movies, but cannot recollect
the names and in fact would love to act in a song and dance Bollywood
movie!
 The
rapid fire round is surely something that the Superstar is not used
to? The one thing Richard likes about India – food, women or
culture? The one Indian actress Richard would love to act with?
One mainstream Bollywood actor, who according to Richard has Hollywood
potential? Pretty Women or Chicago? The most insane rumor Richard
has heard about himself? How did he combat Karan’s volley of
questions? Was there enough fire in Richard’s answers? Well,
wait and watch!
Excerpts
from the interview:
Karan:
Alright so sexiest man really… my mother goes weak in her knees
every time she sees you on television…
Richard:
I have this bizarre thing happen… I was making a movie recently
and there was a little press conference so that everybody would
know what we are doing … and there was this young reporter
there … so shy and she came up to me and said, Mr. Gere, “Three
generations of women in my family love you…. my grandmother,
my mother and me”, … and I started blushing….
Karan:
You have actually been very consistent in this, working with your
heart and soul for a while (cause of HIV Aids), but a lot of other
celebrities come in initially what do I call it, it’s considered
fashionable to fight a cause or do something …
Richard:
It’s not something that everyone does and maybe their interests
are elsewhere or their voyage is elsewhere and there are other things
they are working on. I don’t blame them for that, but I am
thankful to the ones to whom it does touch them and they continue.
For the first time, I came here and started working on HIV Aids
which was a year ago, I thought that if we did two events, one in
Delhi, one in Mumbai… it will change everything and I was very
naïve and obviously for a moment there were newspapers, talks
and photographers, basically a lot of attention to this subject…
so it meant really building this up from ground zero… how to
build an organization… how to build the network of friends,
who are equally committed
Karan:
You feel they need to be?
Richard:
Ya… I think… they can and they will be… you know,
we did an event with 15000 sex workers, which was pretty extra ordinary.
A whole lot of actors and actresses volunteered for it… we
didn’t have to chase them down
Karan:
Is there any one particular actor that you have been interacting
with… that you feel has been very supportive
Richard:
Well… Shabana Azmi is one
Karan: She has actually been fighting for the cause since many years
Richard:
And not just this cause but many causes… and there was…
I forget the name … she was wonderful…
Karan: Bipasha?
Richard:
Yes… Bipasha
Karan: Yes… she is a lovely girl… and is also considered
very sexy
Richard:
I can tell you she is very sexy and hot… ya… she is terrific
and very bright too…
Karan:
Do you think, in India, AIDS is considered to be a homosexual disease?
There is a lot of ignorance?
Richard:
People just think… yes, it is primarily sexually transmitted…
sex workers and truckers… they are the ones who are in this
culture, labeled the ones, ‘That it is ok, if they die’
…
Karan: Oh God!!
Richard:
Yes … But that’s basically that has happened here…
and of course this disease has gone into the middle class community
…
So,
don’t forget to tune in as Karan chats with Richard Gere on
Koffee with Karan this Sunday, 20th May on Star One and Star World,
at 9 p.m.
|
