Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; June 9, 2019)

Meezaan, veteran actor Jagdeep’s grandson and Jaaved Jaaferi’s son, is gearing up for his big Bollywood debut — Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Malaal. The young actor, who worked as an assistant director on Padmaavat, spoke to BT about his filmi family, having a godfather in Bhansali and gearing up to step onto the silver screen.

Coming from a family of actors, was a career in movies a natural choice for you?
A filmi family influences you because you have grown up watching films of your grandfather and father. My childhood years were spent visiting my father on the sets. Obviously, it is natural for anyone to be attracted to this profession. My father wanted me to finish my studies and then think of a career in films. In fact, during my first year in the US, when I was pursuing a business degree, I realised that I wanted to switch to a course in filmmaking. My father felt that it was important to finish my studies, because if a career in films did not work out, I would have a back-up plan.

It was Sharmin (Segal), my co-actor in Malaal, who is also my batchmate and best friend, who introduced me to Sanjay sir and I got the opportunity to assist him on Padmaavat. After working with him, I got this golden opportunity to play the lead role in his next film.

Everybody knows Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s penchant for perfection. For a newcomer, it must be a challenging as well as a good opportunity...
I would say that Sanjay sir is someone who is very involved in his work, wants to perfect everything and that’s why it stands out. It was a great learning experience when I first assisted him and later when I worked on Malaal.

You play a Mumbai boy who lives in a chawl. What was the biggest challenge in enacting this role?
My character, Shiva, is in complete contrast to what I am in real life. He is a simple guy, who has his own set of struggles. It was challenging to venture out of my comfort zone and observe how people in the chawls live. I learnt to speak Marathi for the film, observed the mannerisms, hobbies of the people who live in chawls, and understood the fact that they don’t really have any privacy. I am thankful to my director, Mangesh Hadawale, who helped me portray the character. The film is shot in the chawls of Mahim, Parel and Sewri. Also, when you are acting, you shift from one emotion to another, and that itself is quite a challenge.

Your father (Jaaved Jaaferi) is known for his dance moves. Do you think you’ve been able to match his moves in the song Aila Re from the film?
The song is choreographed by Ganesh Acharya. It has a lot of energy and shooting for it was great fun. Knowing that my father had pioneered some interesting dance moves in the past, Ganesh sir incorporated challenging steps for me, too (laughs). I don’t think I dance as well as my father, but I hope that my dad feels proud when he sees me dance on screen.

With new actors coming in, do you feel the pressure to make a mark and get it right in your first film?
I am enjoying the challenges and pressure. When people like Sanjay Leela Bhansali invest in you, you have to live up to the challenge and do a great job. Sanjay sir is a one-man army. I am blessed that he has launched me. Nobody has a green run here and even a star son has to perform and prove his worth. It’s the audience that decides who makes the cut.

Unlike other newcomers, you have consciously stayed away from social media…
I definitely feel that your work should speak for you. It does not make sense for people to take pictures with you, unless you have a body of work to show. That kind of exposure does not add to your career. I consciously stayed away from social media because our film’s trailer had not released. This platform has become so huge. It even gives you visibility globally. I did not want to put out images of me dancing or performing out there before the audience actually saw me in the film’s trailer and songs.

Gulshan Kumar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali present Malaal. The film, produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bhushan Kumar, Mahaveer Jain and Krishan Kumar, releases on July 5.