 Neil Nitin Mukesh played an anti-hero in his debut flick 'Johnny
Gaddaar' where he managed to make heads turn in spite of his film not
really setting the box office on fire. He was noticed though and soon
signed 'Aa Dekhen Zara' [which was known as 'Freeze' earlier with
Bipasha Basu. Now as the film gets ready for release with Kabir Khan's
'New York' and Sudhir Mishra's 'Tera Kya Hoga Johnny' being laid out
for release later this year, one is tempted to ask Neil about his
career choices and what exactly does he look for in the films that he
does.
What are you looking at in the films that you work on?
The kind of films should be character oriented. Also, they should all
be different from each other. If in 'Johnny Gaddaar', my character was
busy killing as many as five people, in 'Aa Dekhen Zara', I play the
role of a young boy who is much simpler but lands in a situation from
where it becomes tricky to get out. Then in 'New York' again it's an
extremely character oriented look and a role that is truly different.
So, as you see, I am working in films across different genres.
In 'Aa Dekhen Zara', your character Ray Acharya has a camera that
allows you to look into the future. What if you actually get such
powers where you could see the future?
The fact remains that whenever I talk to Jehangir Surti (the film's
director), I say that 'Hey, in real life I don't really want to know
about the future'. I mean what's the point? I am happy the way I am and
I would rather look forward to the future rather than know about in
advance.
Talking about Jehangir, this is his first film. Weren't you apprehensive?
Though 'Jehangir' is a rank newcomer, his film is extremely slick and
very fast paced. You run along with the narrative but you never loose
out of your characters; you rather stay with them. As I have always
maintained, this film is one of the simplest told thrillers that you
would want to see. Beauty of the film is that you identify with the
characters.
You seem to be really fascinated by this entire idea of a film being character driven...
Exactly the point. Somehow I believe that in today's time, the cinema
which works is where you can relate to the characters; can identify
them. This is where the film works because you understand the turmoil
and angst of the characters, something which gives 'Aa Dekhen Zara' a
distinct advantage.
By Joginder Tuteja
Sampurn Media
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