Oh God, we shot it in a comparatively short time when you consider how long films can sometimes go for. Probably about 20-something days. I think it was maybe the year before last. It went to Sundance this year.
Did you go to Sundance?
I did, yes.
How was that experience?
It was the first time I’d been to Sundance and I was expecting a more sort of homespun atmosphere, but it seemed a little glitzy to me. Lots of parties and not much else. People not actually being able to get into see any films.
What do you think of the film’s portrayal that perception leads to misinterpretation?
I think it’s fairly conventional for people who are in that heightened state of forming an attachment to someone in the first six months or three months of knowing someone in a relationship. It’s like anything around them is almost electric and the way they look at or touch somebody else can trigger a whole series of reactions that may not be favorable. I think that’s just the dynamic between human beings.
Are you able to stay friends with your exes?
Absolutely not, and it’s not their fault either. It’s mine. It’s usually what I’ve done in the past. I would like to be friends with them. I’m friends with my son’s mother, but if we didn’t have our son, I don't think we’d be friends. Let’s put it that way. And now, we’ve ironically ended up as real friends. We’re not faking it anymore.
You've also got “Bride and Prejudice” coming out shortly. How would you describe your role in that film?
I’ve not seen the film but I know it’s the top film in England. And it’s completely different [than] anything before. It’s certainly very different to “Easy.” I don't know if you saw “Bend it Like Beckham,” but it’s the same director. She goes for a very broad family-oriented commercial film where everyone has a lot of fun, I think.
It’s a musical. You know, I’m singing and dancing in it in front of 40 dancers. It’s a very different character. He’s happy and elated to be alive.
Which “Pride and Prejudice” character are you the equivalent of?
It would be Mr. Bingley.
Were you familiar with Jane Austen?
I was familiar with Jane Austen, but in a modern context on three different continents. Apart from the very obvious links in India of arranged marriages, dowries, I don’t really see myself such strong links with the novel.
What training did you have for the musical numbers?
Oh Christ, well they had the choreographer, Saroj Khan, who does all those Bollywood films and is the best in her field. And I had to train nine hours a day for about 40 weeks trying to get this s**t done. It’s like traditional Indian dance coupled with M.C. Hammer from the early ‘90s, which has to be seen to be believed.
Would you display your dance skills in a club?
Absolutely not.
Do you play it with an Indian accent?
He’s a British Indian. Him and the Darcy character, played by Martin Henderson, go over to India and meet these girls. I guess my character falls in love and wants to get married, but Darcy tells him not to because she’s got an avaricious, grasping mother. And he also falls in love with a girl, but he can’t admit it.
Do you feel lucky to be able to play these romantic leads as an Indian actor?
I have to say this. The Indian parts that I’ve played, like in “The English Patient” or “Kama Sutra,” are parts that white people would have given their left arm to be able to play. That said, it’s always refreshing when something like “Easy” comes up where how it’s written in the script has nothing to do with India or race or color or any of that s**t. And I get to be able to do it. At the moment, it seems like [the TV series “Lost”] has been so well received and people are watching it, and the critics seem to like it, which is a rare thing.
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Interview with Naveen Andrews on "Lost"
