Actor Shiv Darshan talks about his relaunch, shedding the mantle of being the son of director Suneel Darshan and dancing to Nadeem’s tunes
Comebacks are difficult. Especially when you have past glory to live up to. For actor Shiv Darshan, it’s about proving that he is a worthy successor of his father, the hit filmmaker Suneel Darshan. For music director Nadeem, who had a sunshine run with Shravan as a hit musical duo in the early 90s, it is about proving his genius, clouded by charges of complicity in the murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar.
After having a shaky Bollywood debut with Karle Pyaar Karle in 2014, actor Shiv Darshan returns with debutante Natasha Fernandez in a romantic thriller, Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha. Nadeem has done the musical score for this project.
With so many young actors making it big in the industry, taking a step back and returning after three years, one stands a weak chance. But Shiv held on, waiting for a script that tested him. “I got several offers but I decided to take a step back and learn my techniques before stepping into the shoes of a character. So, I started crafting my skills, hit the gym, took acting and gymnastic classes. I tried my best to turn all my flaws into strength. After reading the rough script ofEk Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha, which my father had written in just two hours, my first reaction was ‘wow’. The mysterious, enigmatic and passionate nature of the character had me there and then,” Shiv told us during an interaction.
Talking about his experience working with his father, Shiv said, “The most challenging part was to separate the fact from my mind that the director of the film is my father. As there were a lot of love-making scenes with the lead actress, shedding inhibitions was the challenge. I am a very greedy actor. When I am on set, I believe in delivering my best. So I don’t see my father... I see the director Suneel Darshan and pledge to live up to his expectations. Even he takes professionalism very seriously. He has never scolded me in real life but has badly scolded me on set whenever I’ve fumbled or forgot my lines.”
An industry child, Shiv always wanted to be a part of the familiar terrain in some capacity but never as an actor. “There was this incident in class X, which changed my mind. I got a call at 1 am from my father saying he needed me on set as soon as possible. I was supposed to play a body double for the actor and just walk for a minute. After I wore the costume, got my make-up and look and faced the camera, I realised I had to be an actor. Then I began in right earnest. I enrolled in classes and workshops, went to New York, met Mr Anupam Kher and worked on myself before my first launch in 2014”, Shiv added.
Music director Nadeem, who spoke to us via Skype from Dubai, said the film would mark the return of melody to film music as it did in the 90s. He doesn’t want to Westernise his genre of music. “If a song is good, it will be praised by the audience, irrespective of the type of movie it is featured in. Sajid-Wajid often say that they compose songs keeping my genre of music in mind. I look forward to bringing back this type of music. Good songs are what every newcomer needs. I have done more than 65 songs with debutantes in the industry. If we don’t work equally for them just as we did for the rest, we would not get stars like Shah Rukh or Salman.”
Away from India since 2000 following the murder charges of Gulshan Kumar, Nadeem said, “My heart lies in India. I have been living abroad but my heart and soul belongs to India. I am a victim of injustice and even after being proved innocent in all courts, I am not getting the respect I deserve. I have not been involved in anything wrong ever and will return to India if I am called with respect. I am a pure Indian and I love my India”.
Director Suneel Darshan explained why this movie was different from all other romantic films he has done so far. “All my films are timeless. My digitally released films registered 150 million hits in no time. This one’s a totally fresh take on romance and you will not be disappointed for sure”, he said. He insisted that he cast his son only because he was right for the role and did not customise his script as a dad.
Coming from a middle class family, actress Natasha Fernandez didn’t know how to start her journey in Bollywood. She was scared of the casting couch but once she was spotted by Suneel Darshan at a party, it changed her perception. Her family continues to be unaffected and are happy if she is content. “I always wanted to become an actor. As a child, I loved dance and drama and participated in them avidly.” She lived her character for four months, learning dancing from Saroj Khan and watching films of her role model Aishwarya Rai Bachchan like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
Sharing her equation with her co-stars, she said, “These two are striking handsome gentlemen, genuinely charming and unique in their own way. Any girl would fall in love with them. They made me so comfortable both on and off screen. Shiv never took advantage of being the director’s son and was very professional. He ate with us, worked with us and always addressed seniors as ‘sirs.’ Upen Patel was very motivational.”
Photos: MD Meharban