Disha Patani on why she agreed to a cameo in the actor’s upcoming film; lauds Tiger Shroff for raising the bar with action franchise
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 28, 2019)

A film with Salman Khan…How did things fall into place?
Ali sir (director Ali Abbas Zafar) called me with a role which is more of a special appearance. I heard him out and since the character is that of a trapeze artiste alongside Salman sir, I came on board. Honestly, I don’t know if I will ever get to work with Salman sir again. Even Ali sir told me this while narrating the script.

Why not?
Obviously because of the age difference between us. In Bharat, it is acceptable because that portion shows Salman sir in his 20s and 30s so, it was an immediate “yes”. He is a wonderful human being and very hard-working. I got to learn a lot from him. That aside, Bharat is special because I had never done a film set in a different era.

Your song, “Slow Motion”, has caught on...
I am glad that people like to see us together. The chemistry between us is great, I never expected something like this. I got lucky with the song and want to thank the choreographer and Ali sir for the way it’s been shot.

You’ve been shooting for Malang with Aditya Roy Kapur. We hear that there is an underwater action scene…
Malang is a romantic thriller, we’ve been shooting almost every day since March and though exhausting, the film’s shaping up well. I love thrillers since you don’t know what is going to happen till the end and Mohit sir is a genius. Yes, it has some underwater sequences and we played some underwater sport too while shooting in Mauritius. We should wrap up by June-end.

Then, there’s Anees Bazmee’s next opposite Kartik Aaryan…
That film is a comedy, a genre I haven’t attempted before. Even my role has a comic element. We start shooting once I wrap up Malang.

Since you’ve been a part of Baaghi franchise, what is your take on Baaghi 3?
I die in the second part, so I can’t be back. Anyway, the franchise is all about Tiger (Shroff) and with every film, he is raising the bar as far as action goes. The kind of stuff they are shooting is insane. After the Khiladi series, this is the first proper action franchise for Bollywood.

You share a great on and off-screen chemistry with Tiger. Can we expect another collaboration?
That’s a call the producers take. If they decide to take us, you will get to see us.

In today’s day and age, how difficult is it to keep your personal life away from the public eye?
It’s difficult, but we can always find a way out. My personal life is private. You should know how much to give to the audience, and how much to keep to yourself.