'Yes I am in Love' - Neil Nitin Mukesh
He has to be one of the most low profile and reclusive actors in contemporary Bollywood.
Newcomer Neil Nitin Mukesh, who made a powerhouse debut in Johnny Gaddar, prefers to let his "work speak for him". At a time when most actors believe in an active public image off-screen too, Neil studiously stays away from the limelight after pack-up.
Even mention of competition at work doesn't seem to bother him. "I think everyone is very talented. The film industry is like one big family. Can you compete with your own family?" he says. The down-to-earth actor confesses that all he's looking for in life is being "loved and respected by the audience. I am not going to look at the pay cheque every time I do a new project!"
Inheriting a rich musical legacy such as his (Neil is legendary musician Mukesh's grandson and playback singer Nitin Mukesh's son) and living up to expectations wasn't easy. Especially after he was always asked why he joined films. Neil admits that music is not just in his bloodline, but something he is passionate about. Neil plays the piano, has composed music and trained under Pandit Jagarnath. And now he's even crooning in his new film Freeze. He says, "I will record the song only in the presence of my dad and once he gives me the final nod, the song will be launched."
Neil's platter has an interesting mix – Sudhir Mishra's Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, Jehangir Surti's Freeze, Madhur Bhandarkar's Jail, Kabir Khan's untitled and Ken Ghosh's next. What makes him do such off-beat films so early in his career? "I haven't deliberately set out to do different films. Once I read the script, I wanted to do them. I am 26 years old and I connect a lot to these genres. I want the audience to take me seriously," he says.
A commerce graduate, Neil first faced the camera as a child in Yash Chopra's Vijay. Of course, since then he's come a long way (via a four-month workshop with Kishore Namit Kapoor and Anupam Kher, and trained as an assistant director for three and half years with Yash Chopra and Kunal Kohli).
A gizmo freak, Neil loves to read and cook. "I can cook almost everything —pasta, fondue to chicken. I don't know how well I cook but at least I manage to eat it," he laughs.
The head-turner makes a heart-breaking confession, "I am in love with a girl who doesn't belong to the film fraternity. I am just waiting to hold her hands."
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