I find languages to be very fascinating: Ishaan Khatter

Actor Ishaan Khatter talks about why he became an actor and why Marathi films will have to wait

Ishaan Khatter surprises you with his witty answers and intellectual opinions. The actor, who was in Pune to promote his second feature film, Dhadak, is familiar with the city and he had even shot a few scenes for his debut film Beyond The Clouds in a vegetable market here. However, he hasn’t had the chance to explore it much. “Recently, I was here for a football match, and before this, I was here to shoot for Majid Majidi’s Beyond the Clouds. I have had memorable experiences here and one particular one that has stayed with me is when my make-up dada (a Pune resident) brought puran poli for me on the sets,” says Ishaan.

Ishaan Khatter an actor poses for a picture in Pune, India, on Friday, July 6, 2018. (Photo by Shankar Narayan/HT PHOTO) (Shankar Narayan/HTPHOTO)

Talking about playing a lovelorn Mewadi boy from Udaipur in his upcoming film, Ishaan shares, “It was challenging, but a lot of fun too. Language is something that I take great interest in. I come from a family of linguists. My maternal grandparents have been authors and translators. So, language is something I find very fascinating. The reason why I wanted to be an actor was to understand different people and cultures.”

Ishaan an actor poses for a picture during his promotional tour in Pune. (Shankar Narayan/HT PHOTO)

Dhadak is an official adaptation of Nagraj Manjule’s Sairat (2016) and Ishaan is quick to add that though the story line is the same, a few moments and certain idiosyncrasies of the characters are very different. “Sairat is one of my favourite films irrespective of the attachment to my current film [Dhadak]. However, we have tried not to mimic or ape the characters. It is an adaptation and not a remake,” he says.

So, is Ishaan keen on taking up a Marathi film? “Well, I would love to but I will really have to work on the language and diction first.”

On his future plans, Ishaan thinks every film has its own destiny. “They say your first film chooses you. However, I feel I was never in the position to choose from the likes of Shashank [Khaitan; director] or Majid sir. I want to be a part of films that elate me and resonate with me.”