You have to admire his courage. An MBA degree holder, he quit a corporate job to become an actor. Meet Nikhil Dwivedi who makes his debut in E Niwas’ My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves opposite Amrita Rao. The film also stars Mithun Chakraborty and Anupam Kher. Excerpts from a chat:
So, you are the Rs 1 crore-star even before your debut film has released…
It’s not true. These are figures which keep on coming but I am not somebody who will ever do films for money. Stories excite me and if I get a good story where the producer cannot pay me I will still do the film. Though I am yet to see that Rs 1 crore. The amount that I have been paid for my debut project is not even close to that.
We are told you have already been flooded with offers…
I am fortunate that people have noticed and are offering me roles because that’s what we are here for— to do more work. I hope I can keep myself busy.
You are starring in the remake of Arjun…
It’s a challenging project. I have seen the film many times. In fact I have grown up on Hindi films. It’s a cult film with an important social message. Our attempt is not to better Arjun but to ensure that we don’t let down the old team when we are remaking it.
You are starring in the remake of Arjun…
It’s a challenging project. I have seen the film many times. In fact I have grown up on Hindi films. It’s a cult film with an important social message. Our attempt is not to better Arjun but to ensure that we don’t let down the old team when we are remaking it.
So, My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves is your dream debut…
It’s special for me because I have an author-backed role. I am quite fortunate to have bagged something like this in my first film. It is a well-told, sweet story. It has a thrilling element which is comic as well.
My Name... is named after the famous song picturised on Amitabh Bachchan in Amar Akbar Anthony…
I have seen the film some 60-70 times. I have grown up on Manmohan Desai-Prakash Mehra films and am an avid Amitabh Bachchan fan. It is one of the reasons why I am an actor today. It’s a double bonus that my first film is titled such.
Your heroine Amrita Rao’s new look in the film is being talked about a lot…
Yes, she has donned a new look in one of the songs and it has been appreciated. She has proved that she is capable of so much more. Actors get stereotyped but if you can see beyond those images it’s good. I think it took a lot of guts for the director to give her that kind of an image.
Do you think newcomers have a lot of scope in today’s Bollywood?
Newcomers right from the ’50s have had opportunities. A combination of hard work and destiny will augur well for any newcomer.