[1]As one enters his room for a tete-a-tete, you can see he is pacing around. Post exchanging pleasantries, actor Neil Nitin Mukesh informs that he loves walking around and talking. With perfect peach and cream complexion, chiseled features and light stubble, the handsome actor has a steady female fan following.
He has a slew of dark thrillers to his credit and critical acclaim for most of his roles. Neil Nitin Mukesh is all set for his next, 3G, a horror film, set in Fiji. He shares his love for thrillers, music and how BO success still eludes him.
Talking about his role in 3G, he says, “I play a software engineer, Sam, who goes to Fiji to meet his girlfriend and loses his mobile. He gets a second-hand mobile with 3G and starts receiving bizarre mms on it. They scare him and his girlfriend and put them in a dire situation. However, those mmses have a certain connection to Sam’s past and change him as a person as the film progresses,” informs Neil.
The young actor has always shown an affinity towards dark, edgy films and layered roles. Does he not want to do rom-coms or love stories? “Actually, I am this man-child who loves playing video games and leading a hassle-free life. Probably, that is the reason I love playing complex, layered roles on-screen. It is fun to play what you are not! After all, acting is all about that. You won’t believe it, but I have been offered more love stories than these pacy thrillers. But they have to be very intense to appeal to me. But I am doing a old-world charm based love story set in Mussoorie soon,” smiles the actor.
His last film, David, had created great expectations but failed at the BO. How does a film’s success or failure affect him? “Films have a certain charm and need to be watched in a theatre. I like the fact that people go to a theatre and watch a film. That satisfies me. For me, a film is a hit when people make the effort to go to a theatre instead of downloading it at home or watching pirated versions. Hits are not always about generating cash. Though, I agree that not many people probably go specifically to watch my films in the theatre. I am very proud of all my films and stand by each one of them,” asserts he.
Belonging to a family that has been musically inclined, Niel himself has sung a couple of songs. Does he enjoy singing and creating music? “Absolutely! I love composing and playing the piano. Infact, I have already composed a few tracks for an upcoming film and soon, you will get to hear them. Music is in my genes,” says the 31-year old actor.
Neil has worked with many new as well as established directors and actors. Does he have a wishlist? “I have been lucky to have worked with the most beautiful leading ladies and some great directors. I would love to work with Anoushka and Parineeti, they are both very talented. Among directors, I love Anurag Kashyap and Tigmanshu Dhulia. I would love to work with Neeraj Pandey and Raj Kumar Hirani,” he puts forth. The actor, himself, has also written a film, which will be directed by his close friend, Binoy Gandhi.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/dsc8850jpg-661