Actor Abhishek Duhan plays Sonam Kapoor’s brother and Anil Kapoor’s obedient but temperamental son in the film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. The actor, who was last seen in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Pataakha, was also seen in a 5-minute role in Salman Khan’s blockbuster Sultan. In an exclusive interview with HT, Abhishek spoke about how it felt to play a brother to Sonam Kapoor and how he was always busy observing Anil when not shooting for his part. He also spoke about why Pataakha failed to churn money at the box office despite drawing critical praise. Excerpts:

Tell us about your role.

It’s a family drama in which Sonam is my sister and Anil my father. I am the son who really admires his father and wants to fulfil all the responsibilities of a son. He has his fundamentals intact and is very lovable and an ideal son which is completely opposite of my real self. My parents used to hate me for this. I was never responsible. I used to bunk my classes, roam with my friends and watch movies.

Tell us about your experience of working with Anil Kapoor?

That’s a treat. Everybody wants to work with him. I am his huge fan since childhood. I have seen his so many films like Beta, Loafer, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, Khel Khel Mein, Lamhe whereas Chameli Ki Shaadi is my favourite. He is so dedicated towards his job, his performances, his scenes and the accuracy he keeps in his scenes. It’s very educational while working with him and at the same time, it was very fun and enjoyable.

How was it to play Sonam Kapoor’s brother on screen?

The kind of relationship I am sharing with her in the film...I felt as if I was with my real sister. She is a good co-actor. I was fully focussed on my work and I was observing Anil more because that’s how one can learn. When you are new in the industry, it’s very important to keep your eyes and ears open and try to learn as much as possible.

Abhishek Duhan in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga.

Tell us about your debut Pataakha.

I came to Mumbai in 2016. Sultan got me fame though I was there for 5-8 minutes. Everyone recognised me in my hometown as I starred with Salman Khan. I was a creative assistant to Rohit Shetty in Golmaal in 2016. As soon as I was signed for Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, I wrapped up Pataakha at the same time.

Why Pataakha couldn’t be a commercial success despite being praised by the critics?

Not everyone understands everything. It was a beautiful movie and all the actors are fabulous in the film. Vijay Raaz was fantastic and on top of that was Vishal Bhardwaj’s direction. Sometimes there is a miscommunication between the audience and the director’s vision. Some people are able to understand that. People who like a Mira Nair film will love Vishal Bhardwaj’s work. But there are a few people who want a grand film and they might not have been able to understand it.

I watched the film in Bandra and saw a few girls feeling cringy on watching Radhika Menon and Sanya Malhotra’s characters pouring leftover cold drink from a party in an empty bottle. They have no idea that people who live below the poverty line will value the cold drink left in one of the bottles because they cannot afford it. So they couldn’t connect to it because the world they live in only looks higher and not below.

Also read: Sonam Kapoor has quite a few firsts to her name, can take credit of making a few smart choices

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First Published: Feb 01, 2019 08:25 IST