“Aa Dekhen Zara is a musical thriller" - Neil Mukesh
The world is full of what ifs and what might have been. When, in 2007, Neil Nitin Mukesh received a raft of glowing reviews for his shape-shifting efforts in Johnny Gaddaar and then was announced as the next best thing, many of his compatriots wondered where this new Indian phenomenon had sprung from. Unlike most of his Hindi filmstar peers, he had not served an apprenticeship in TV or on the stage; he was not a household name or face.
His sudden rise to the Bollywood prominence seemed oddly spectacular. Add more, his debut film wasn't even released in the overseas but those few who witnessed his extraordinary work knew he had arrived. The rest would remain in the dark till he emerged as the new thriller boy in his next film Aa Dekhen Zara, yet another thriller, this time around with the sexy Bipasha Basu as his co-star. In months to come, Neil's journey now seems worth examining with back to back releases in the form of Yash Raj's Ney York followed by Madhur Bhandarkar's Jail. Well, for a change, Neil is looking for a mighty mainstream career ahead of him.
One film old and he is notoriously hard to pin down but we managed to nail him just in time while he was busy 'rock n rolling' along with his new band for the film, ADZ- The Rising, promoting his film by touring different cities across India. Our correspondent caught hold of the actor who has stepped aside from his peers and shown himself to be one of the country's most unusual and potentially important stars. Of course, he too makes a singing debut, but it's in his blood for god sake! Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the ever so suave and the smooth operator Neil Nitin Mukesh in an exclusive chat on his next big thriller, marketing strategies, his wish to sing with Bips, his wish to sing with his dad, his excitement on his first overseas theatrical release, followed by some scary moments, some behind the scenes photography skills and a sneak peek inside his future from his magical camera.
What's
keeping
you
so
busy
not
to
reply
back
to
our
calls?
I'm
so
sorry
yaar!
It's
this
road
trip
I'm
doing
along
with
our
band
ADZ-
The
Rising
which
is
keeping
me
busy
24/7.
I'm
talking
to
you
from
our
road
trip
which
is
touring
different
cities
to
promote
Aa
Dekhen
Zara.
All
this
marketing
strategies
have
taken
over
the
film
world
by
storm.
Do
you
think
a
good
story
needs
to
be
marketed
well?
I
mean,
if
the
story
is
good,
it'll
work
anyway.
You're
right,
if
the
story
is
good,
it'll
work
anyway.
But
any
good
product
needs
to
be
marketed
well
to
create
an
awareness
of
it
that
it
exists,
right?
Any
product
for
that
matter
needs
to
come
in
the
eye
of
the
consumer
or
the
audience.
If
we
sit
at
home
and
do
not
go
out
there
to
let
the
people
know
of
our
acting
skills,
how's
anyone
going
to
know
who
Neil
Nitin
Mukesh
is?
So
is
Johnny
going
to
be
a
gaddar
again?
(Laughs)
No,
not
really.
Johnny
is
not
a
gaddar
for
a
change
in
Aa
Dekhe
Zara.
Johnny
is
a
plain
and
a
simple
guy
in
this
film
who
is
known
as
Ray
Acharya.
Did
you
desperately
want
Bipasha
Basu
to
sing
the
title
track
along
with
you?
Yes,
I
wanted
her
to
be
a
part
of
the
song
which
was
so
important.
So
I
pitched
the
idea
to
her
and
was
hoping
that
she
would
agree
to
lend
her
voice
to
the
title
track,
Aa
Dekhen
Zara.
It
would've
been
great
if
Bipasha
could
sing
the
song
in
the
film
because
I
am
emotionally
attached
to
the
song.
Singers
galore
in
your
family.
To
sing
must've
been
an
easy
task
isn't
it?
No
it
wasn't
an
easy
task.
'Aa
Dekhen
Zara'
is
a
legendary
song
and
it's
not
an
easy
song
to
sing.
It's
a
song
sung
by
one
of
the
world's
best
singer,
Kishore
Kumar,
it
is
composed
by
one
of
the
world's
finest
music
director,
R.D
Burman.
So
to
re-create
something
which
was
already
created
was
difficult
and
when
I
sung
the
title
track,
it
was
a
tribute
to
the
legendary
Kishoreda,
R.D
Burman
saab
and
my
grandfather.
Your
first
two
films
are
thrillers.
You
fit
the
genre
pretty
well
or
is
it
the
other
way
round?
(Laughs)
In
this
film,
I
play
a
guy
with
so
many
layers
to
him.
I
always
like
doing
character
oriented
films.
I
don't
think
my
fair
skin
and
chocolate
boy
looks
really
matter
then.
It
really
depends
on
how
well
sketched
the
character
is
and
how
well
the
director
can
handle
the
actor
in
that
surrounding.
Ray
Acharya
will
show
you
all
the
shades
in
Aa
Dekhen
Zara
as
a
boy
next
door
who
gets
special
powers
and
thinks
that
his
problems
will
get
solved
without
realizing
that
he
is
creating
bigger
problems
for
himself.
Gone
are
the
days
of
super
heroes
who
prove
that
they
can
save
the
world.
Here
come
the
days
that
you
really
attack
on
the
fact
that
there
is
selfishness
in
everybody.
That's
where
Ray
Acharya
gets
sucked
into.
This
is
going
to
be
your
first
release
in
the
U.K.
You
looking
forward
for
the
fan
following
after
the
film?
(Laughs)
Yes,
this
is
my
first
film
in
the
U.K.
I
am
really
excited.
Johnny
Gaddaar
wasn't
released
theatrically
but
the
film
did
well
amongst
the
selected
few
in
the
DVD
market
by
a
strong
word
of
mouth.
But
I
was
hoping
for
Johnny
Gaddaar
to
release
in
the
overseas.
But
with
God's
grace
and
the
love
and
affection
of
my
audiences,
Aa
Dekhen
Zara
is
going
to
release
in
the
U.K
and
I
am
thrilled.
What's
with
these
debutant
directors
huh?
What
really
doesn't
make
them
-
The
first
timers?
Jehangir
is
young,
enthusiast
and
has
a
great
vision
of
cinema.
That's
what
these
debutant
directors
possess.
What
really
attracted
me
to
do
this
film
was,
even
though
the
concept
was
larger
than
life
and
it's
a
fictitious
film
in
every
sense,
it's
about
a
guy
who
gets
the
camera
which
shows
the
future.
But
the
way
Surti
has
handled
the
future
element
is
so
neat
that
you
can
relate
to
it.
He
wanted
the
surroundings
to
be
real
more
than
his
characters.
These
few
and
many
more
qualities
didn't
make
Jehangir
a
'first
timer'.
First
Johnny
Gaddaar,
then
Aa
Dekhen
Zara,
your
next
release
will
be
Yash
Raj's
New
York
followed
by
Madhur's
Jail.
The
challenges
keep
on
growing
as
an
actor
for
you.
But
how
do
you
surpass
them?
When
I
had
worked
on
Johnny
Gaddaar,
I
thought
I
had
done
one
of
my
best
films
and
the
most
challenging
role
of
my
career.
It
was
very
difficult
to
portray
a
character
like
Vikram
in
Johnny
Gaddaar
who
was
vulnerable
and
meticulous.
I
was
hoping
that
another
script
like
this
should
come
my
way
and
it
came
in
the
form
of
Aa
Dekhen
Zara
which
had
a
different
portrayal
of
my
character
and
emotions,
and
then
of
course,
Omar,
the
role
I
play
in
New
York
was
far
more
challenging
than
in
Johnny
Gaddaar
too.
If
you
had
a
camera
which
showed
you
the
future,
what
would
you
like
your
future
to
look
like?
(Laughs)
I'd
like
my
future
to
be
bright.
But
I
don't
want
to
be
looking
at
my
future.
But
if
I
had
a
camera
like
the
one
I
have
in
the
film,
you'd
find
me
at
the
race
course
or
may
be
at
the
Dalal
Street
dealing
in
shares
(laughs).
Did
you
play
around
with
the
camera
by
taking
some
stills
on
and
off
the
sets
for
any
of
your
films?
Today
I
can
say
that
I
am
a
professional
photographer.
I
was
in
New
York
for
hundred
days
when
I
learnt
photography
for
my
film
New
York.
The
film
medium
we
work
in
is
the
only
moment
where
we
can
capture
every
moment
on
the
camera.
Today
when
I
sit
back,
I
sometimes
go
back
to
my
school
and
college
days
but
I
really
can't
bring
those
moments
back
on
the
lens.
Filmmaking
allows
us
to
do
that.
Yes,
I
did
capture
some
moments
from
Aa
Dekhen
Zara.
Any
scary
moment?
Yes,
there
was.
I
jumped
nine
floors
down
which
was
really
scary.
I
don't
think
I'll
ever
do
that
again.
The
film
looks
very
pacey,
isn't
it?
Aa
Dekhen
Zara
is
a
musical
thriller.
The
songs
are
very
situational.
We
have
some
great
music
by
Gaurav
Das
Gupta
and
Pritamda.
I
think
the
music
is
helping
the
narrative
of
the
story
very
much.
At
the
same
time,
there
is
action
which
is
limited
but
is
more
thrilling.
And
considering
it
to
be
a
thriller,
Aa
Dekhen
Zara
is
an
under
two
hour
film.
Now
that
you've
made
your
singing
debut,
are
we
ever
going
to
hear
you
sing
'So
Gaya
Yeh
Jahan'
from
Tezaab,
the
cult
classic
your
father
had
sung?
I'd
love
to
sing
'So
Gaya
Yeh
Jahan'
from
Tezaab
along
with
my
dad
(laughs).
I
kind
of
need
some
support
from
him
in
that
song
because
it's
difficult
to
sing
that
number.
I've
actually
been
forcing
him
to
re-create
that
song
in
his
voice
and
mine.
If
given
a
chance
or
an
opportunity,
we'd
love
to
do
that.
Any
message
for
your
U.K
audiences?
Go
and
watch
one
of
the
best
thrillers
you'll
ever
see,
Aa
Dekhen
Zara.
Thank
you
for
the
love
and
support
shown
towards
Johnny
Gaddar
by
seeing
it
on
the
DVD
and
I'd
love
to
visit
the
U.K
after
the
release
of
ADZ.