Ankur Bhatia will make his debut as a villain in Apurv lakhia’s Zanjeer. He spoke to Divya Kaushik about his tryst with films in New York and finally landing in Mumbai
Most things in his life have been impromptu. From his venturing into the world of indie filmmaking in New York to being a part of Apurv lakhia’s remake of a classical hit Zanjeer. Ankur Bhatia plays a right-hand man of the villain played by Prakash Raj in the remake. And on how he landed up in the film he said, “I was already doing some independent films in New York and visited Mumbai last year. I knew Apurv lakhia and went to meet him couple of times, looking for a role. The day I was leaving I got a call from his office saying if I can be a part of the film. I agreed thinking if nothing else the film will give me exposure and an entry point in Bollywood,” shared Ankur, who while shooting for Zanjeer in Hyderabad got a role to play a lead villain in Dilunoodu, which stars Puri Jagannadh’s brother Sairam Shankar. The movie will release soon.
His tryst with films was rather dramatic. “I was a computer engineer working in New York and was busy with my nine to five schedule. I once got someone who told me that I can work in films as I have the looks. I was excited and told everyone around me that I will be doing a film. But I later discovered that it was a portfolio shoot sort of gimmickry and I was fooled. I was depressed as by that time everyone thought I was actually doing a film. I decided to go for a filmmaking course from New York University and while I was pursuing the diploma in acting I got a chance to play a part in Grant St Shaving Co which was directed by Payal Sethi and produced by Mira Nair. The film was selected in over 10 film festivals worldwide, including Cannes Film Festival. In 2012, I won the Best Actor Award at the NYU Film Festival in New York for the movie Coconut Grove,” informed the actor, who also completed shooting an untitled Hollywood film, directed by Shiva Bajpai in New York where he plays the lead. The film is inspired by Galleon Group Scandal involving South Asian bankers and consultants in New York and also stars Poorna Jagannathan.
“I love to do different things and have kept myself busy with the independent films, but the fact is that they can never get you fame, recognition and most importantly money. That is why a commercial tag is important. I would love to produce and direct films too, but for an actor like me who does not come from a filmy or very strong financial background it is difficult to arrange for finances. I would like to work with directors like Anurag Kashyap who excel in different kind of cinema in Bollywood, but at present, exposure is important,” said Bhatia, who stopped doing independent films last year.
Bhatia also wrote a short film titled Coming Home, which he recently sold to Anil Kapoor as the short film script for his son Harsh Kapoor. The film will also star Katrina Kaif’s sister Issabel. Anil Kapoor met Bhatia in June and they discussed how the story can be changed and set against the backdrop of Mumbai.