Himesh: No secrets about Mallika
Wednesday,
April
25,
2007
Though
Himesh
isn't
saying
it,
he
has
recorded
a
song
with
Sunidhi
Chauhan
to
be
picturized
on
Mallika
and
himself.
Why
was
Mallika's
presence
was
kept
under
wraps?
"She
was
signed
on
from
the
start.
But
we
didn't
announce
her
name.
I
never
intended
to
hide
her
presence
in
my
film," exclaims
Himesh
from
Bangkok.
"If
all
goes
well
Aap
Ka
Suroor
will
make
me
the
first
singing
star
since
Kishore
Kumar.
And
why
would
I
feel
insecure
about
Mallika's
presence?
The
truth
is
she's
playing
a
negative
role,
a
vamp.
She
plays
a
strong
character.
We
wanted
to
introduce
the
film's
leading
lady
first.
It
was
nothing
but
a
marketing
strategy
to
announce
my
leading
lady
Riaa's
name
first.
There
was
no
intention
to
create
any
secrecy
about
Mallika's
presence."
Himesh is clear that the film is essentially his vehicle. The rest of the cast is incidental. "Why should I feel insecure about anyone else in the cast? I play this rock star who gets trapped in a mystery. It's a love story within a thriller format. I have a very performance-oriented role. I have to prove myself. I know people are bitching about me, ' Bada chala actor ban-ne'. Among singers only Kishore Kumar has been successful as an actor. I want to repeat Kishore-da's success. And for that, I couldn't do anything half-baked. I need everyone's blessings."
Himesh is very happy with the way his debut film has shaped up. "It's turned out exactly the way we had hoped. We shot in completely-untried locations all over Germany. We shot seventy percent of the film in Germany, and the rest in Bangkok except for a small portion in Goa. Vijay Taneja has been a hand-on producer. And my director Prashant Chaddha has really guided me in front of the camera. We had worked together on my music videos. Now he'll prove himself as a feature-film director."
He pauses between shots to say, "Every actor praises his own film. I'm doing the same. But on June 29 we'll get to see doodh ko doodh pani ka pani." There's the fear of falling flat on his face. "You can't predict destiny." Back home, Himesh's music in Shakalaka Boom Boom and Red couldn't salvage the films. "But the music worked and I'm happy. In Namastey London, both my music and the film worked. Now I'll divide my time between music and acting, regardless of how Aap Ka Suroor fares at the box office. But my acting will always be connected with music."
Himesh returns to India in the middle of May. "But until then I don't have any time to play games about the film's cast," he chuckles.