I steered clear of romantic relationships in my book: Gulshan Grover

BENGALURU: He has no qualms in saying that he created the “mudpath” for today’s Bollywood actors, including Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, to make their appearance in Hollywood. ‘Bad Man’ Gulshan Grover, who has hundreds of films to his credit, was in the city to launch his authorised biography on Sunday evening at Landmark in Koramangala.

“We were successful stars here with a large fan following whereever we went. But over there, it was a different scenario. They wanted us to apply for a green card and move over there. Despite all these conditions, I stuck to my grounds and decided to stay in India and do films simultaneously in Hollywood and Bollywood,” he says. Even in trying circumstances, he tells us that he refused to take up ‘hero’ roles that he was offered. This, he believes is the reason he’s still relevant today and has a long list of films in the pipeline, including a role in a James Bond film. “I was clear about where I wanted my career to head. I am an example of deprived circumstances yet determination and hard work has helped me in success,” he says.

While several stars have been writing their autobiographies, Grover believes that it should be written when a person’s story is still relevant. “I’ve been working on it for a couple of months. It’s your own life, what’s there to remember? My friends Anil Kapoor and Khalid Mohamed are still writing for five years. What is it that you can’t remember?,” he says with a laugh.   

He’s steered clear of any of his relationships, which he feels anyone writing their story should be careful of. “I haven’t included any romantic affairs of the women I have been involved with. Many of them are ladies who are now married and have responsibilities. When that happened, they would have been much younger,” he says.  

He’s a showman and it’s clear when our photographer nudges him for a picture of him seated. He’s quick to retort, “Sexy chair lao don ke liye,” before he heads for the formal launch of his book.