00:00See, in that I was Pakistani, in this I am Hindustani, that's it.
00:10But I think I am very lucky that I got a chance to do both such period films in the very beginning
00:16of my career.
00:17Gaddar is again about partition and there is a love story.
00:21And this love story is towards the nation, towards India, which is a love of every citizen.
00:27And I think I am very lucky.
00:29So, that's it for now.
00:30So, by the way, Mr. Mithun and I are not sharing the screen.
00:34But as much as off-screen guidance we have got from him, because he was in some scenes
00:37when we were performing.
00:39So I think firstly, when such big legends sit in front of you, then you get a little
00:45nervous.
00:46And you don't get nervous like, shit, what will we do now?
00:49You just feel that, man, in front of them, now we have to do a little good, right?
00:53So, yeah.
00:54So, I feel when such people live, then you just feel so motivated and you do good.
00:59So, my interaction with Mr. Mithun was just that.
01:02That's a bit unfortunate.
01:03See, I haven't done any scene with him.
01:07But when we were doing, he just said that it was good.
01:10So, I think that is enough.
01:12This is my debut film and it's like a dream come true to work again alongside such fine
01:19actress and Pallavi ma'am, Anupam sir, like it's so much of a learning experience for me.
01:24Luckily, I had given only one audition for this film, but otherwise I have given 100-200
01:27auditions till now.
01:29It's been 6-7 years in this industry.
01:31I have done ad films before this and I have also done a web series, Rai Singh Ghani vs
01:35Rai Singh Ghani on Sony Live.
01:36But as a film, this is my debut film, I got a little love for that too.
01:41I was very nervous on the first day, but I think Vivek sir is such a fine director, made
01:46you feel very comfortable.
01:48And then slowly, I think you get into the skin of the character and then you start performing.
01:53To be very honest, especially when you are an outsider, you don't get such good scripts
01:58on the initial days.
01:59And this is a fact, it's the truth.
02:00Why should anyone take me?
02:02So, I think after Gadar, we did Vanwaas, which was a proper story-based movie.
02:06There was no glam-blam in it.
02:08We brought a very good story in front of the audience.
02:10And at the same time, when I was shooting Vanwaas, I got an audition for Delhi Files.
02:15I have given two auditions for it.
02:17After two auditions, I met Vivek sir personally, then he took a look test, then this happened.
02:23So, sir said, look, this is not a glam role.
02:27This needs your love towards the nation.
02:30If you have that much passion, then only you will be able to do this character.
02:34Otherwise, this cannot happen.
02:36So, I think this is very…
02:38I am grateful that I got to do Delhi Files.
02:42And the story that is going on in the whole movie,
02:47I had to do a lot of preparation for it.
02:50Because it's not like you can come after reading the lines.
02:52Because mostly, I didn't know much about Bengal.
02:55To be very honest.
02:56What was its history?
02:58Feminism came there.
03:00So many big legends from Bengal came there.
03:02I didn't know much about anyone.
03:04So, when I sat to read, I found out that in 1943, there was Feminism.
03:08So many people died.
03:09So, I thought, shit, so much has happened in the past.
03:13And youngsters like us don't know that India has come out of such a bad time.
03:20So, when they started studying,
03:22then I think, automatically,
03:24that character and that love for the country, Bhagat Singh started awakening.
03:29I didn't know much about him.
03:32I might sound a bit dumb over here.
03:34But I genuinely didn't know much about him.
03:37So, when I started doing research,
03:39I found out that, oh shit, why did he do this?
03:42Today, if such a person comes,
03:45I can understand that at that time,
03:47when people did the revolution,
03:50So, I'm sure, if we had the chance,
03:52we would have done the same thing.
03:54We wouldn't have thought for a second
03:56that we will kill and die.
03:58Can I add on to this?
04:00I think, it's not just the problem of youth.
04:02It's our fault that we didn't know much about this chapter.
04:05But it's not mentioned anywhere in the history books.
04:08So, when we were reading this script for the first time,
04:10it was such a hard-hitting, intense experience for us.
04:14Like, it was a page-turner.
04:15I mean, we read a 120-page script in one go.
04:18And after that,
04:20it took us a lot of time to absorb the script.
04:23Like, these were actual events.
04:25And something like this happened.
04:27So, it's our fault.
04:28But the rest is also the fault of the history books.
04:30See, I think, the films that are being made in Bollywood,
04:33they are not as hard-hitting stories
04:35or as truthful as this script is
04:37and the films that are being made.
04:39So, when you watch this film,
04:42you will know that this is like international cinema.
04:45This is not just Indian films that we are making here.
04:48So, when you watch this film,
04:50you will get an understanding of it.
04:52It was my second day.
04:53So, on the second day,
04:54a lot of action scenes had started.
04:56So, I asked him,
04:57Sir, why are we showing such brutal things?
05:00Like, why?
05:01Let's refine all this a little bit.
05:03So, he said,
05:04I am not making this.
05:05This is documented.
05:07This is not what my imagination is.
05:10So, I asked him,
05:11Sir, can I see some of those images
05:14that we are recreating?
05:16So, he showed me a couple of photos.
05:18And I still can't believe
05:19that all this has happened.
05:21So, he said,
05:22I want to show some truth from this film.
05:25And there is nothing fictional over here.
05:27Whatever has happened,
05:28whatever is on Google, Wikipedia,
05:30whatever we have researched,
05:31whatever is actual,
05:32we are just exactly showing all that.
05:35So, today,
05:36while reading it,
05:37we feel so bad and sad about it.
05:39But those who have gone through that time,
05:41I cannot,
05:42although I played that role,
05:43but I can still not imagine the pain.
05:46The people who have lost their family members
05:49and are in famine,
05:50their families are starving to death.
05:52And they couldn't do anything about it.
05:54So, the truth that Sir has shown,
05:56and because of Sir's vision,
05:58we could live it
06:00and give, you know,
06:01perform it a little bit.
06:03No, man,
06:04it's not like that.
06:06I like this question,
06:07but no,
06:08I think,
06:09Eklavya has been an amazing co-star.
06:11So,
06:12I didn't feel any shortage here.
06:14That's good.
06:16Obviously,
06:17a friendship is built
06:18when you do the first two films
06:20with the same person.
06:21So, you feel like a family.
06:23And you know each other's shortcomings
06:25and all those qualities.
06:27So, you can guide each other.
06:29Because we worked together in Gadar,
06:30so he told me in exile,
06:31that Simrat,
06:32you do this.
06:33Or I told him.
06:34So, there was a bond.
06:35But here,
06:36I think we came
06:37and our scenes were so traumatic
06:39and such things
06:40that we didn't have
06:41a chance to be friends.
06:42Because the feel was not the same.
06:45We'll do it in the second film.
06:46Do it.
06:47I learned a lot of martial arts.
06:49But when I came to the set,
06:51they told me
06:52there is no need for martial arts
06:53because this is a film
06:54of the time of partition.
06:55But otherwise,
06:56it was a journey of
06:57a month and a half
06:58of its transformation,
06:59physical transformation.
07:00So, mixed martial arts,
07:01gymming,
07:02I did all that for this.
07:03Yeah,
07:04I did action,
07:05but I did the action
07:06of a desi man.
07:07If it was stamped here today,
07:09how will you run
07:10and how will you jump?
07:12So, there were no skills
07:13in that.
07:14So, obviously,
07:15but these things
07:16you have to do
07:17in a little skilled way.
07:18But I was a little too emotional
07:20and I injured myself
07:21a lot in this whole process.
07:23But I've loved it.
07:24Everyone did it.
07:25Because I think
07:26it was giving me a feel
07:27of very realistic pain
07:28and all that.
07:29At one point,
07:30it was my real blood
07:31and everyone thought
07:32that blood was applied.
07:33I'm like,
07:34guys, it's hurting.
07:35They're like,
07:36no, it's just blood.
07:37I'm like,
07:39I was in blood.
07:40Blood, sweat and tears.
07:41Literally.
07:43Best thing about
07:44Anil sir and Vivek sir,
07:45even today,
07:46they follow old filmmaking.
07:49So, mostly,
07:50the directors,
07:51they're always
07:52they're always
07:53on the monitor
07:54when they talk to you.
07:55They're not there
07:56present around you
07:57when you're performing.
07:58When we're performing,
07:59Vivek sir comes
08:00and looks at us like this.
08:01Like this.
08:02And he even signs
08:03from here.
08:04We're performing
08:05but we keep looking
08:06at Vivek sir
08:07with our side eyes.
08:08Cry, cry, cry.
08:09Do this.
08:10So, he keeps
08:11guiding us
08:12and the scene
08:13improvises
08:14on the spot
08:15and becomes
08:16so amazing.
08:17And Vivek sir
08:18also said that
08:19one thing I learnt
08:20from him
08:21about filmmaking
08:22is a new thing
08:23about cinema.
08:24Because Gadar
08:25was a different school.
08:26Vanvas was
08:27a different school
08:28of acting.
08:29What I learnt here
08:30is that you
08:31have to perform
08:32for the camera.
08:33Sometimes,
08:34we become
08:35our own characters
08:36and we're like,
08:37but sir says,
08:38no, at the end
08:39you're performing
08:40for that camera.
08:41So, those things
08:42that I learnt
08:43from this film
08:44are very technical
08:45things that
08:46I haven't learnt
08:47till now.
08:48So, I think
08:49I've improved
08:50a level one
08:51from what
08:52I've been doing
08:53earlier.
08:54So, the on-set
08:55teachings that I've
08:56learnt from Vivek sir
08:57are not taught
08:58for free.
08:59You know,
09:00you have to
09:01take classes
09:02for this.
09:03I said,
09:04thank you sir,
09:05please.
09:06I'm very happy
09:07that I'm sitting
09:08on this platform
09:09and this thing
09:10comes true.
09:11Because,
09:12I've reached
09:13to KBC.
09:14Maybe,
09:15I'll get
09:16the next film too.
09:17Actually,
09:18it's very good
09:19when you work
09:20with legends
09:21because their
09:22work ethic
09:23is very different.
09:24In KBC,
09:25like you said
09:26about Amitabh sir,
09:27I learnt a very
09:28big thing
09:29which all of us
09:30should learn.
09:31KBC shoot
09:32was going on
09:33and one word
09:34was wrong
09:35and after that
09:36Amitabh sir himself
09:37went and said
09:38that he made
09:39a mistake.
09:40Can we
09:41reshoot that?
09:42He had
09:43that patience
09:44and he remembered
09:45that I said
09:46one word
09:47wrong
09:48which no one
09:49on the set
09:50remembered.
09:51That happened
09:52and after that
09:53although his age
09:54is around 100
09:55people on the
09:56set,
09:57he stood up
09:58and took
09:59a photo
10:00with everyone
10:01with all
10:02patience
10:03and smile.
10:04I learnt
10:05one thing
10:06from him
10:07without performing
10:08with him.
10:09Patience.
10:10That's why
10:11he's a star
10:12for this reason.
10:13My grandma
10:14has come here
10:15and apparently
10:16she's a fan
10:17and we
10:18yeah,
10:19she's here
10:20and she just
10:21clicked photos
10:22with her.
10:23So I'm sure
10:24her fan moment
10:25will remain
10:26and she will
10:27remember
10:28her youth days.
10:29Like when
10:30we were working
10:31with Sunny sir,
10:32my mom
10:33was Sunny sir.
10:34So my mom
10:35had her
10:36fangirl moment
10:37then.
10:38So yeah.
10:39She's also here.
10:40Sadly,
10:41we didn't get
10:42to screen time
10:43with Mr. Mithun sir.
10:44So like
10:45he told us
10:46that when
10:47we had a
10:48very climactic
10:49sequence,
10:50he was present
10:51on set
10:52and I think
10:53that went off
10:54really well
10:55and eventually
10:56when you look
10:57into his eyes
10:58you get to know
10:59whether they're
11:00happy.
11:01And I think
11:02that entire
11:03moment,
11:04that was the
11:05first time
11:06I met him
11:07on set
11:08and it was
11:09a hell of an
11:10experience.
11:14Thank you so much.
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