MUMBAI: Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh’s own film Shortcut Romeo released on Friday, but he also wishes well for the fate of his close friend, actor Sonam Kapoor’s Raanjhanaa, which released on the same day. Neil feels the movies will mark a new beginning for both of them.
“Sonam in Raanjhanaa is completely transformed. I can see the change in her. I feel it would be like a new beginning for her. It’s like what happened to Karisma Kapoor after Raja Hindustani or Shabana Azmi in Arth,” said Neil.
Neil and Sonam became good friends when they worked together in Abbas-Mustan’s film, Players. They have kept close tabs on each other’s projects since, and even make sure they watch one another’s films.
There’s a healthy give-and-take of criticism from both ends. Neil himself feels a similar change in his own work in Shortcut Romeo.
“Believe me, I’ve never worked so hard. Because director Susi Ganesh is completely new to Hindi cinema and Bollywood, I was virtually the one-point stopover for the entire project in Mumbai,” he said.
The actor says he served as the hero, the chief assistant, the production co-ordinator and the spotboy on this one.
“My involvement with Shortcut Romeo was so deep that I forgot where the actor was left behind and the all-purpose project coordinator took over. Susi is completely alien to Bollywood. I had to lead him through the entire project. But I enjoyed every bit of it,” he added.
Neil is confident of Shortcut Romeo in spite of competition from his friend’s film, which is already doing brisk business.
“I know Raanjhanaa is a big one. Everyone wants to see the love story between Sonam and Dhanush. So do I. But we are advantaged by our budget,” he continued. “Raanjhanaa is an INR300 million to INR350 million project. We completed Shortcut Romeo within INR150 million although we shot in some of the most exotic spots in the world,” said Neil.
Nevertheless, Neil is all for Raanjhanaa, and even confident of his own film.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2013.
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