He might be brand new to Bollywood, but this Student of the Year hottie is ingenious! For Bollywood's current sensation Sidharth Malhotra, Hasee Toh Phasee is not just a film title. He actually believes in the essence of it and feels that the best way to impress girls is to make them laugh. His stellar debut in Student of the Year won him rave reviews and today he is among the most promising actors of the current generation. Not only did he fight the not-from-a-film-family' stereotype, he impressed one and all with his acting prowess. Masala! loved our heart-to-heart with the latest hottie in Tinseltown.
What is your character in Hasee Toh Phasee like?
The character I play is called Nikhil Bharadwaj. Nikhil is not a typical hero and runs an unsuccessful event management company; he needs to make a certain amount of money and his family, friends and girlfriend don't really think too highly of him. Despite not having anything to brag about he has an enormous ego. However, even though he is extremely flawed Nikhil is still a nice guy and is very sentimental and confused. The film revolves around how he meets Parineeti Chopra's character.
Do you believe in the title Hasee Toh Phasee?
I think hasee is a good thing but phasee is not (laughs)! Hasee is a great way to impress a girl but I don't think the work stops at making her laugh! You have to work a lot to woo a woman; making her laugh is just the first step. I think every guy wants to make a girl laugh; no one likes to make a girl cry. Getting a girl to fall for you takes a lot more than just that.
Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and you have movies releasing this year. Do you feel like you are now competing with one another?Alia, Varun and I share history as we made our debut together. In the future perhaps our movies will compete with one another but I don't think we will ever be in intense competition with one another. All three of us have distinctive and different personalities and acting styles. Alia's Highway, Varun's Main Tera Hero and my Hasee Toh Phasee, are all different films.
You recently said Ranbir Kapoor is your competition...
I was asked to name someone I consider competition on Koffee with Karan. In sports they say you should compete with the best' and I think Ranbir is the best. Hats off to him for picking a film like Barfi! I love his style and the way he acts and dances so effortlessly. I think he's the best, so why the hell shouldn't I compete with him?
Did you prepare in advance for your role in Hasee Toh Phasee?
I think it's become a culture in the industry for us to rehearse and have workshops before starting a film. We had workshops for two-and-a-half weeks for Hasee Toh Phasee. It helps everybody. The actors get to know the director and vice versa and it helps us get familiar with the film content, gauge that our comic timing is working and figure out what we should and should not do. Practicing helped me to understand our director Vinil Mathew's style of comedy. He doesn't like loud comedy; his brand of humour is more situational comedy. The writing is quite eccentric which makes the characters interesting.
Can you tell us about your character in the upcoming film The Villain?
The character I play in The Villain is extremely different. He is not an out-and-out negative person despite being extremely dark. However, he is aggressive, emotionally driven and is far from being a larger-than-life action hero. The Villain is a typical Mohit Suri movie. This year will be interesting as Hasee Toh Phasee and The Villain are diametrically opposite of one another. My looks, physicality and the overall feel of both movies are drastically different.
Do you find it tough to dance?
Yes, I regret not having trained earlier in dance. I wish someone had put me in a dance class in my late teens. I'm learning on the job and have tried to make an effort in this film in terms of my dancing ability. I think when you see the film you will hopefully see some improvement.
Did your mentor, Karan Johar, influence you to sign Hasee Toh Phasee?
Even though it's a Dharma Productions talent, Hasee Toh Phasee's script is quirky and odd. I had reservations about doing the film earlier but I met the director, understood his thought process, I agreed to do the film. Karan only told me the following: This is the script, read it and meet the director'. Acting is not something someone can force you into. It's something that comes from within. I don't think anyone can force anybody to do a film.
Karan is very intelligent and wants us to make our own mistakes and learn from them. I think the choices an actor makes today, define him; the director I choose defines my performances. Picking a film is a very personal and instinctive thing that Karan is trying to cultivate in us. Whether it is Mohit Suri's The Villain or whether it is Hasee Toh Phasee, there is no pressure from Dharma Productions or Karan for us to choose a particular movie unless we instinctively want to do it or connect with it.
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