Sir Ben Kingsley's easy comedy

24-06-2008 13:30

Sir Ben Kingsley says he had no problems taking on a comedy role.The actor stars opposite Mike Myers in 'The Love Guru ' and says that, despite being a departure from his usual choice of roles, playing Guru Pitka was just "like any other movie.He told Parade: "It's not about trying to be funny, which will kill a joke completely. "If you are completely immersed in your characters, their interaction is what's hilarious. So it's like any other movie for me. Mike Myers is fantastic to work with doing slapstick because I think he gives it a Chaplin-esque quality."Myers and Chaplin, I think, work in very similar ways and Myers' sense of humour and his comedic taste are delightful. I personally got on extremely well with Michael. I like him."Despite the criticism levelled at the film by Hindu groups, Ben says the film mocks "the West's rather crazy obsession with anything called guru," not the religion itself.He added: "It started, I suppose, in the '60s with the Maharishi and The Beatles and evolved into what we have today. The film is a very gentle look at self-realisation, with the simple message that you really can't love others until you learn to love and respect yourself."