For actor Paresh Rawal, sharing screen space with his son Aditya Rawal in Pastt Tense was a special experience that went beyond their relationship off screen. While the two had appeared in earlier films, this was the first time they acted in substantial roles, facing each other on camera. Paresh talks about watching Aditya hold his own alongside seasoned actors, resisting the urge to advise him on set and the quiet joy of seeing his son find his footing as an actor. Excerpts...

Paresh says he enjoyed working with Aditya. “This was kind of the first time we were acting together. Earlier, Aditya did a small role in OMG Oh My God, and the role of my younger version in Ferrari Ki Sawaari. But this time, in Pastt Tense, we were face-to-face, literally and figuratively also. There is a joy because I know he is a very hard-working, very balanced kid. Low-profile wala banda hai, but he is extremely focused.”

While working with a family member can initially feel unusual, Paresh says he was comfortable sharing the set with his son. “When you are working together on set with your family member, there could initially be a little oddity. But I've been on stage with my wife, so with Aditya I didn't find it odd. Maybe he felt it, but he concealed it and did his job extremely well. Toh mujhe toh bahut maza aaya.”

For a father watching his son perform, resisting the urge to step in with suggestions can be a challenge. Paresh, however, says he was conscious of letting the director take the lead.

“On set, there is always a kind of impulse you have to control. You want your son to perform in a certain manner, but you have to control that because there is a director like Ananth Mahadevan, who is very good. On set, aisa koi mauka aaya nahi ki main Aditya ko advise kar sakoon. I was happy with the way he went about the scenes. Also, set pe main kabhi tension nahi leta hoon; I'm a very easy-going, friendly person with everybody. But Aditya ka nature aisa hai ki he is kind of very closed. He was extremely concentrated, headphone laga ke baitha tha, toh uske saath toh main zyada interact nahi kiya. Of course, after pack-up, when I'd ask him, ‘Dinner pe kya khayega tu?’ he'd say, ‘Main order kar loonga.’ Bas utna hi interaction tha.”

What particularly impressed Paresh was Aditya's restraint as a performer. Sharing screen space with experienced actors such as Adil Hussain and Sharib Hashmi, as well as Paresh himself, could have been daunting for a newcomer.

“Yeah, Aditya did surprise me as an actor on the set. Normally, when you are new and are pitted against stalwarts, you tend to overdo, overdeliver, just to conceal nervousness. But surprisingly, Aditya didn't do that at all. He was completely minimal. Toh mujhe uska approach bahut accha laga.”

Paresh was also impressed by the questions Aditya raised during the shoot. “The kind of questions he was raising during the shoot, I used to really enjoy it a lot. I used to think, ‘Yeh toh bahut accha hai.’ Bahut khushi hoti hai when you see your kid going on the correct path. And khushi se bhi better is that you are relieved that he was on the right track.”

Paresh's wife, actor Swaroop Rawal, was equally excited about seeing her husband and son share screen space. Recalling her reaction, he says, “She asked me, ‘Tum dono ka koi fight scene nahi hai na?’ Actually, she was very thrilled as a mother and as a wife. She said that it will be fun to watch us.”