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Neil Nitin Mukesh will soon be seen in Jehangir Surti’s
Aa Dekhen Zara and Kabir Khan’s New York
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One-and-a-half
years are a long time indeed after a promising debut. Why this
delay?
Indeed it’s a
long time but I was busy shooting back to back for my films. I
am still very busy and will be so for almost this year. I have
hardly had time to breathe after Johnny Gaddaar but
that’s because I do one film at a time.
This time
around we see you as a singer too. Planning something on the
lines of Farhan Akhtar?
No. It’s not
like that. After all I come from a family of singers. But it was
something else this time. I liked the song and then I thought of
singing it too.
So whose idea
was it to make you do the playback for the title track?
I wasn’t in
India when my producer and director called me up and said they
have found a title for the film. Jehangir Surti’s Aa Dekhen
Zara was the appropriate title. Earlier, it was Freeze.
The moment I heard it, I started humming this Kishore Kumar song
and then it was almost like I started pleading somewhat like
‘please let me sing`85can I do this song’ and then they
instantly agreed. Then I sat down with music director Gaurav
Dasgupta and we worked on the song and recreated it.
Why acting?
Didn’t you ever think of taking singing more seriously since
both your grandfather Mukeshji and father Nitin Mukesh
are both accomplished singers?
My father
always knew I love singing but I loved acting even more. So he
never forced anything on me. As a child I used to do stage shows
with him. Kishore Kumar is one of my favourite singers and
that’s why I couldn’t resist singing this number. It’s one
of the evergreen numbers he sang.
So do we see
you singing in future too?
I don’t mind
but it depends. I don’t want to be an actor and singer at the
same time. But if I get a good song, something that touches my
heart, why not?
What kind of
film is Aa Dekhen Zara?
It’s a
romantic thriller. The thrill element makes the film interesting
and there a bit of a supernatural element too. It’s about a
camera I possess which shows a date ahead of its time.
How was it
working with Bipasha Basu given that she is among the
accomplished actors in the industry today?
And I must say
with a lot of variety and versatility. It was simply great. She
is very particular about things`85. a perfectionist of sorts and
that’s what I like about her. That’s what makes our
chemistry one of the key elements in this film to watch out for.
You started
with a thriller, Aa Dekhen Zara is a thriller and your
next release Kabir Khan’s New York too is a thriller.
(Laughs) and
even the fourth one is a thriller. My fourth film is an Abbas
Mustan film, which is also a thriller. This is something that I
don’t choose consciously. Though I love this genre but nothing
is planned. It’s the scripts that interest me and somehow all
my four films are thrillers. I don’t think there’s anything
called black or white. Grey is the ultimate shade visible in
everyone. That is more real and that’s why I like such roles.
What is New
York all about?
It’s a
thriller and I won’t say much. It’s about Indians in New
York and how they get trapped in a thing. It was great working
with John (Abraham), Katrina (Kaif) and Irrfan in the film.
Don’t you
want to do a romantic film?
I am doing one`85 Ken Ghosh’s
film is romantic one. In the film, I am romancing Amrita Rao.
The film is yet to be titled. Even Sudhir Mishra’s Tera Kya
Hoga Johnny too isn’t a thriller. It’s a different kind
of film altogether. Johnny is played by a new boy who is from
Jharkhand and the film is about the lives of three people
which run parallel and meet at one point. It’s a unique
storyline. — TWF
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