Farhan Akhtar on Gully Boy at Oscars: ‘We have a lot of work to do, get as many people from Academy to watch it’

Farhan Akhtar has said that he was happy to know about Gully Boy making it to Oscars shortlist. He says there is still a lot to do.

He’s proved his finesse in all departments of filmmaking, be it directing a film like Dil Chahta Hai (2001) which brought in the ‘cool’ factor in modern cinema, acting in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) and hitting the bulls eye, or even singing tracks such as Rock On (Rock On!!; 2008). Clearly, Farhan Akhtar is yet to find something he can’t do.

Farhan Akhtar poses for photos before the world premiere of the film The Sky Is Pink. (Xinhua)

Currently working on his next, Toofan with filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, we ask Farhan if it’s shouldering an entire film that indeed makes things tough for him. He says, “I don’t see it as any kind of additional pressure. My job really is to do the best performance that I can in the film, that is what I take on very, very seriously. And that is something I think about every single day. I don’t want to wake up in the morning and start thinking about ‘Friday ka box office’! (laughs)”

Toofan will see Farhan step into the shoes of a boxer. He recently revealed on social media that he suffered a hairline fracture during the shoot. How is the experience turning out for him so far? “There’s still some way to go before we complete the shoot. I had a great time working with Rakeysh on Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, and I feel happy and fortunate getting to collaborate with him on another special script which is equally demanding as the first one. Doing a sports film is a completely different demand. Discipline is needed for a film like that, both physically and mental. I have never boxed before in my life, till I got into this film, just to learn something new,” admits the 45-year old.

He further adds that there was a lot of prep that went into this role. “I started working out in April this year, and here we are. Boxing is a very demanding sport. To bring myself to the mindset of a boxer, that certain body language athletes have, which you cannot just pretend to have. If you see a good dancer, and when you see a bad dancer, there’s no way the bad one can pretend to be good. It’s not possible. Similarly, with boxing, you cannot pretend to be a good boxer, you have to be able to do it,” shares Farhan.

The actor was recently seen in The Sky Is Pink, which might have not been able to rock the box office, but did garner him some good reviews. He had told us how he’s happy with whatever the film did, apart from how it gave him a chance to re-unite with Priyanka. 2019 had another surprise in store for him — his production, Gully Boy, was selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars.

Excitement is palpable in his voice as he tells us, “It was absolutely joy when it was announced. I’m extremely thankful to the film federation that they chose Gully Boy. I’m so happy for Zoya (Akhtar; director and his sister) and everybody associated with that film. We have our work cutout now. The final nominations will be announced in January 2020. Between now and then, we have a lot of work to do. You’ve to try and get as many people from the Academy to come and watch the film. Only then you realise how far it is going to go, that’s very crucial.”

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