Posted:
'I've never seen a superstar like SRK'
19 Jun, 2007 l 0000 hrs ISTlRUMA SINGH /TIMES NEWS NETWORK
He is no typical Bollywood hero. His debut role, that of a deaf mute cricketer (Iqbal), and the next, a petty conman (Dor), got him accolades for his performances.
He looks clean and scrubbed, quite different from the gelled, bleached and body-built heroes strutting their synchronised steps on-screen. But director Nagesh Kukonoor has enough faith in his leading man to cast him now as a typical romantic hero in his newest film, Bombay to Bangkok, to be released in September.
"It's pretty challenging," admits Shreyas, describing the movie as a wacky romantic comedy with 'song and dance and something else' which he won't reveal, "More challenging than Iqbal and Dor - it's Nagesh's first masala film. And Nagesh doesn't make things easy for me. There's a lot I'm doing for the first time in Bombay to Bangkok, and I hope people it."
He gets to romance a foreigner, Lena Christensen. "She's a Bangkok model, very sweet, never threw a tantrum and worked really hard. At first she was a little surprised at our style of working. I would also play a lot of pranks on her - teaching her to say things to Nagesh and the team like 'kitne der shoot karne ka ?' when she thought she was complimenting them. I learnt a bit of Thai too. It's an experience we won't forget."
What he also won't forget is his experience of working with Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om. Shreyas is thrilled with his experiences with the superstar. "I'm fortunate to have worked with Shah Rukh and Farah Khan this early in my career. I've never seen a superstar like Shah Rukh. I had perceptions of him sitting closeted in his van, but he's such a generous, secure actor, willing to share his time and space. Knowing I'm from theatre, he wanted to use my inputs in the scenes we did. We would discuss each shot and improvise. They pampered me like anything. I want to work with them again and again," he says.
And that's not all he's trying his hand at. A psychiatrist's role in a thriller, Agar, is also in the offing. He's also doing Shyam Benegal's next, a comedy. And he likes the fact that he's mixing things up. "I look for different genres, romance, drama, thriller - or else I'll get bored. That's how I pick my scripts."
Shreyas doesn't count himself as a competitor in the race for the top spot. "I'm not competing. I know my strengths and weaknesses. I'm just not playing safe -I'm taking risks and loving it. I have no reason to complain. Right now I'm a happy man."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/C...ow/2131775.cms
19 Jun, 2007 l 0000 hrs ISTlRUMA SINGH /TIMES NEWS NETWORK
He is no typical Bollywood hero. His debut role, that of a deaf mute cricketer (Iqbal), and the next, a petty conman (Dor), got him accolades for his performances.
He looks clean and scrubbed, quite different from the gelled, bleached and body-built heroes strutting their synchronised steps on-screen. But director Nagesh Kukonoor has enough faith in his leading man to cast him now as a typical romantic hero in his newest film, Bombay to Bangkok, to be released in September.
"It's pretty challenging," admits Shreyas, describing the movie as a wacky romantic comedy with 'song and dance and something else' which he won't reveal, "More challenging than Iqbal and Dor - it's Nagesh's first masala film. And Nagesh doesn't make things easy for me. There's a lot I'm doing for the first time in Bombay to Bangkok, and I hope people it."
He gets to romance a foreigner, Lena Christensen. "She's a Bangkok model, very sweet, never threw a tantrum and worked really hard. At first she was a little surprised at our style of working. I would also play a lot of pranks on her - teaching her to say things to Nagesh and the team like 'kitne der shoot karne ka ?' when she thought she was complimenting them. I learnt a bit of Thai too. It's an experience we won't forget."
What he also won't forget is his experience of working with Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om. Shreyas is thrilled with his experiences with the superstar. "I'm fortunate to have worked with Shah Rukh and Farah Khan this early in my career. I've never seen a superstar like Shah Rukh. I had perceptions of him sitting closeted in his van, but he's such a generous, secure actor, willing to share his time and space. Knowing I'm from theatre, he wanted to use my inputs in the scenes we did. We would discuss each shot and improvise. They pampered me like anything. I want to work with them again and again," he says.
And that's not all he's trying his hand at. A psychiatrist's role in a thriller, Agar, is also in the offing. He's also doing Shyam Benegal's next, a comedy. And he likes the fact that he's mixing things up. "I look for different genres, romance, drama, thriller - or else I'll get bored. That's how I pick my scripts."
Shreyas doesn't count himself as a competitor in the race for the top spot. "I'm not competing. I know my strengths and weaknesses. I'm just not playing safe -I'm taking risks and loving it. I have no reason to complain. Right now I'm a happy man."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/C...ow/2131775.cms
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