It wasn't easy giving up being television's blue-eyed boy and then living in a four-year period of oblivion. But using the sabbatical as an interlude to hone his skills and groom his looks, Pulkit Samrat debuted on the big screen with Bittoo Boss last year. Though the film didn't create fissions at the box-office, his performance was nevertheless appreciated. In fact, it also helped him bag Fukrey. Like a dash of morning sunlight, things turned bright for Pulkit again. The film turned out to be a sleeper hit and won him brownie points from the critics and the audience. It also won him a generous amount of female fans, regardless of age!
Producers too are ready to place their bets on him. But if you believe that he's gloating with this much-delayed success, think again! "Praise and appreciation makes me think about the next plan of action. My happiness is overshadowed by what I will do next. Right now, I'm under a newfound pressure. People have expectations from me. It wasn't so before," he says.
As we chat in his spacious suburban apartment, it's easy to notice that his body language is that of a typical Dilli ka munda - expressive and energetic. It's also hard to miss his good looks propelled by a burning desire to rock - the trappings of a true-blue star. But when as a child, Pulkit confessed his acting dreams to his parents, they insisted that he pursue core education first. So it had to be engineering classes along with acting workshops for him. When he gave the engineering entrance exam, he didn't wait for the results. Says he, "I was supposed to come for an acting course in Mumbai. But I was unhappy. I had always thought that when I go to Mumbai, it would be for work with my ticket paid and my accommodation sorted. But here I was doing all those things myself. But as luck would have it, just days before I was to fly I got selected for a TV commercial for which I had auditioned a while ago. So I flew out on October 16 much before my scheduled date."
The first two years involved giving auditions, visiting studios, travelling in local trains and making new contacts. Soon he got selected for Manish Goswami's television show. But sadly that never took off. Dejected, Pulkit went back to Delhi. After a few months, he got a call from Balaji Telefilms. Soon he was doing Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. "That changed my life. The show gave me everything - confidence, mileage and popularity. I became a household name." However, he had creative differences with producer Ekta Kapoor and it compelled him to walk out of the show. Though the discord was widely covered, Pulkit dismisses it as something that could not be helped, "When there are differences, you can't work together. Simple. Today, I'm cordial with her. I'll always respect her for what she's given me. She made me who I am. I have learnt so much from her." When asked whether he would work with her again, he sums it up pithily, "I work with projects not the people behind the projects."
The walk-out from Kyunki... led to four years of unemployment for him. Braving it, he invested that time on grooming himself and attending dancing, action and diction classes. Becoming a movie star was his next destination. Yes, there were times when he hit a low but his support system helped him sail through. "My family was supportive. They helped me financially and emotionally. It was a walk on thorns but my friends and family made it seem like a garden path." Things started looking up again when he bagged Vaibhavi Merchant's musical show Taj Express. The show helped him regain his lost confidence. The casting director of Taj Express was also the casting director of Bittoo Boss and eventually Pulkit bagged his debut film directed by Supavitra Babul.
He's not at all disheartened that his debut film didn't work. "In fact, Bittoo Boss worked for me. It won me notice and that's how I got Excel Entertainment's Fukrey. Producer Ritesh Sidhwani and director Mrigdeep Singh Lamba happened to watch Bittoo Boss and they both liked me. Mrig called Honey, the casting director of Fukrey, who told him that he was just about to pitch my name to them. It was unreal."
Pulkit in Fukrey (top) and Bitto Boss (below)
Pulkit had a ball working on the film. He was amazed by the freshness of the team. "There's a misconception that Farhan (Akhtar) ghost directs Excel movies. Due to this misconception, Farhan refrained from coming to the set. We were unfortunate that he couldn't be part of the shooting. But as a producer he was totally involved with the film.Ritesh and he made the script crisper and pushed the film to an altogether different level."
Pulkit debuted in a year where there were a slew of newcomers. Ayushmann Khurrana, Arjun Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan to name a few. But he's unperturbed by it. "Competition doesn't matter. I was looking for appreciation and I have got that. We all have our journeys and style of working. I can't do what Arjun can, Arjun can't do what Varun can and so on." And while his peers are busy with endorsement deals, walking on red carpets and being seen everywhere, Pulkit has kept a low profile. "If a person in office goes to his boss every day, he'll obviously get more projects. But then there's also this guy who keeps giving good stuff consistently. He may not be noticed initially but eventually everyone will turn to him. Winning the trust of the audience is more important that being seen everywhere. I'm interacting all the time on Twitter with my fans. Endorsements and red carpets are peripheral. My main purpose is to entertain."
Ever since Pulkit joined films, his association with Salman Khan has been written about. Incidentally, Salman is his fiance Shweta's Rakhi brother. "Salman bhai is family. I'm fortunate that he loves me and believes in me. This pushes me to work harder. I have to prove myself to him. Earlier I used to meet him only once a year, when Shweta tied him Rakhi. But after he saw Bittoo Boss, he was pleasantly surprised with my performance. He came on board and helped us promote the film. That's where my relationship with him grew deep."
He shares his admiration for Salman, "Bhai's love is unconditional. He only expects honesty from you. He speaks from his heart. He has a heart of gold. He has expectations from me and I can't let him down. That's why I am cautious about my future projects. One thing I want to learn from him is how to say no. He knows when to say no and when to say yes." His next film, Oh Teri is produced by Atul Agnihotri and Salman has contributed there too. "We were at Bhai's house when I mentioned a script over lunch. He asked for a narration for the same. After the narration, Bhai asked me to meet Atul. The director Umesh Bhisht and I met Atul bhai who loved the script. The project was on. It all fell in place because of Bhai."
Coming back to Shweta, who has been instrumental in helping him forge a bond with Salman, he reveals how years back as a journalist she had come to interview him. Soon they became friends. "Earlier it was one sided. She loved me and I was aware of it. From my side, it was more of friendship, which gradually grew into love. I feel happy being with her. She's been a huge support. She helped me endure the waiting period. Even today, if I happen to slip somewhere, she holds me back. She's my anchor."
http://www.filmfare.com/interviews/salman-bhai-is-family-pulkit-samrat-4781.html
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