Despite his modelling background, the handsome Freddy Daruwala often gets roped in to play the villain rather than the quintessential hero in Bollywood films. The actor, who’s been appreciated for his villainous acts in films like Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty (2014) starring Akshay Kumar and Race 3 (2018) that featured Salman Khan, is looking at exploring much more, but he’s consciously not thinking too much about it. “The thing is that everyone in Bollywood is ambitious and everyone is working hard to do their best. There are days when I look at other actors and feel ki, ‘Arrey, iska toh yeh project ho raha hai, mera kyun nahi?’ All this leads to anxiety. There have been times in my life when I’ve been depressed because of work. However, with time I’ve begun to understand the business better.”

Freddy adds, “I have realised that as an actor, I might work for just 100 days and be free for the rest of the year. The industry is teaching me that you have to eventually be happy and accepting in order to lead a healthy life.”

The Commando 2 actor also believes that luck plays an important part in the success of an artiste in showbiz. He explains, “Unlike most other professions, luck plays a major role when you have a career in showbiz. We all know that Ranbir Kapoor was the original choice for Band Baaja Baaraat (2010). He turned it down and Ranveer Singh was roped in. Look at Ranveer now! Ek pal mein sab kuch badal sakta hai idhar.”

Looking back at his personal experiences, Freddy reveals, “When I was offered Race 3, I was told that it would be a small role and so it didn’t interest me. I didn’t even pay attention to the narration and turned it down. It was then that the casting director Mukesh Chhabra informed me that I would be pitted opposite Salman in the film. I was also told by the film’s producer Ramesh Taurani that since I am the main villain I’ll also get a poster. So you see, this film was meant to be mine. Even after turning it down, it came to me. Likewise, I auditioned for Commando: A One Man Army (2013). I didn’t get the part, but seeing that audition the same team approached me for Holiday.”

The actor admits to being heartbroken at losing out on roles. He shares, “I was angling for the role of the main villain in Force 2 (2016), but at the time the makers were keen on having Imran Khan as the baddie. He turned down the part at the last minute. When the team tried to reach out to me for the role, I had already taken off to the US, assuming that the role had gone to someone else. I felt devastated for losing out on that role.”

Shikha Shah (BOMBAY TIMES; May 14, 2020)

Freddy Daruwala’s father, aged 67, has been tested positive for Coronavirus and is in home isolation. We talk to the actor about the struggles of being a caring son as well as a responsible father to a 15-month-old. Excerpts:

‘DEALING WITH A COVID-19 POSITIVE FAMILY MEMBER STRESSFUL’
We have been under a lot of stress, especially when we were waiting for the test results. I felt emotionally drained. Not knowing what had happened to my father left me worried. When the reports were revealed, the BMC was prompt in taking action and asked us if my father had any preconditions like diabetes, heart disease, cancer etc. Fortunately, he doesn’t. He didn’t have any major symptoms. Moreover, we have enough room for him to stay in isolation while being comfortable. Hence, we were asked to have him under home isolation and we were happy to do that. This way, someone more needy could occupy the bed in the hospital.

‘I’M PLAYING A RESPONSIBLE SON AND FATHER’
Since my father has tested COVID-19 positive, I am playing the middle man between my family and my dad. I have to make sure my dad gets everything he needs and at the same time, keep myself sanitised and sane. I can’t afford to be the carrier of the virus. I am taking utmost care of my 15-month-old son, Evaan. He is confined to one room with his mom and spends most of the time there. I am playing a responsible son and father, making sure all my loved ones are safe.

‘WE ARE TAKING AMPLE PRECAUTIONS’
Since the time my father started showing symptoms of fever and body ache, he started keeping himself at a distance from us. Now, we’re making sure that he is isolated and using only one room and one dedicated toilet. His clothes, bedsheets etc are sanitised with utmost care. The rest of the family is keeping a safe distance from him but at the same time, we’re making sure he doesn’t feel lonely. His recovery is our primary concern, so we’re making sure he takes enough fluids and rest. We are doing everything we can so that his energy levels are replenished. As family members of a COVID-19 positive person, we need not test ourselves since the protocols have changed now. One has to go for a test only if they show any kind of symptoms. For now, we are keeping an eye on our health.

Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 11, 2020)

“My dad had symptoms of seasonal flu like fever and body ache. Hence, we took it lightly. On the third or fourth day, I thought that we should get him tested considering the current scenario. The reports that came a couple of days back showed positive for Covid-19,” says Freddy Daruwala. His 67-year-old father, who is on his way to recovery, is currently under home isolation. The actor adds, “The BMC suggested we keep him in a place with many rooms and washrooms. So, we kept him at home because we thought that the hospitals may be used by someone who really needs it.”

He says that though his father is not prone to danger for not having any pre-conditions, what worries him is the health of his 15-month-old son. “We’re all under home isolation. I’m more worried about my son, Evaan. There’s an over-consumption of information related to Coronavirus. So we keep worrying about what if something happens to him. We’re trying our best to keep our son away from any infection. I’m also making sure that I don’t make my father feel ostracized. I’m taking care of my wife and sexagenarian mum, too,” shares Daruwala.

The actor says that the authorities were prompt to seal his bungalow and sanitise it. “The BMC put up a notice outside our bungalow, sealed it, and sanitised our house. Since we’ve many rooms, isolation at home has become easier,” he says.

He urges everyone to be kind and empathetic towards Covid-19 patients around them. He says, “There no need to panic. At least 80% of the cases are asymptomatic. It’s important to be responsible to your loved ones.” Being aware is important, he asserts, as he says, “Anyone with a pre-condition should be more careful because the virus may prove to be lethal for bodies with a weak immune system.”

Surrounded by old friends and new, the actor makes resolutions with mummy Salma Khan in view and cuts a cake festooned with blockbusters and bracelets
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 28, 2018)

It’s celebration time for the Khan-Daan. Following a Christmas party at their Mumbai residence, the family drove to their Panvel farmhouse to bring in Salman Khan’s 53rd birthday on Thursday. After some R&R at the ranch, Salman went e-cycling with his buddies after a brief interaction with the paparazzi patiently waiting outside the gates. Known to be a trendsetter when it comes to bodybuilding, Mamma’s boy has made a rather interesting birthday resolution. “Mummy (Salma Khan) ne kaha six-pack abs laake dikha do, ab fourpack se kaam nai chalega,” the actor admitted with a smile saying he was working towards making mummy happy.

At midnight on December 27, the actor, with nephew Ahil, cut a made-to-order cake garnished with his iconic firoza bracelet and posters of his blockbusters released over the last decade. This was followed by a surprise performance by his protégé, choreographer Mudassar Khan’s team of dancers, to the recreated version of “O O Jaane Jaana”, the popular hit from Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya. The birthday boy was in high spirits, stepping on the stage at regular intervals to croon “Hangover”, “Selfish” and “Main Hoon Hero” among others.

Salman and Jacqueline Fernandez danced to their hit Kick song, “Jumme Ki Raat”. It was a reunion of sorts with Sushmita Sen. The birthday boy couldn’t stop hugging his Biwi No. 1 co-star, dragging her to the dance floor to shake a leg.

Katrina Kaif was also present all through the party which continued till day break, as was Iulia Vantur. Sonakshi Sinha who will be back as Chulbul Panday’s Rajjo in the third instalment of the Dabangg franchise, drove up with his protégé, Zaheer Iqbal who is gearing up for his big launch in Notebook in March. Zaheer’s leading lady, Pranutan, was there too. While Warina Hussain, who debuted opposite Aayush Sharma in LoveYatri made a brief appearance, Pandeyji also reunited with Chhedi Singh, Sonu Sood.

Salman’s close friend Mahesh Manjrekar was one of the early guests, arriving with son Satya and daughter Ashwami, both of whom are being mentored by Salman. Team Race 3 — Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Freddy Daruwala and producer Ramesh Taurani were among the guests, as was the Gold-struck Mouni Roy who describes herself as Salman’s fangirl for life. Sanjay Leela Bhansali who usually keeps away from parties was one of the surprises, his appearance reinforcing rumours of him teaming up with Salman in a film soon. Buzz is, he wants both the Khans, Shah Rukh and Salman, together. In a recent interview, SRK confirmed that they are in talks.

Brother Arbaaz came with model-actress girlfriend Giorgia Andriani. Among the other guests was Kriti Sanon, Jimmy Sheirgill, Satish Kaushik, Dia Mirza and Dino Morea.

Like it is in Mumbai, outside his Bandra apartment, which has a crowd of fans waiting to wish their idol, when villagers in Panvel heard that it was Bhai’s saalgirah, they too turned up in droves to wish him. Here’s to another year of Salmania! 

Rachit Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; July 1, 2018)

He may be as fit as a fiddle, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t gorge on good food. Freddy Daruwala, who’s half Parsi and half Gujarati, lives in the suburbs, but doesn’t mind travelling the length and breadth of Mumbai to have his fill of his favourite dishes. He says, “Like all Parsi and Gujju people, I’m very fond of food. Over the years, I’ve hunted down a few places in the city that serve my kind of grub. The best part about Mumbai is that it offers a great variety of food and cuisines. You can go to all the fancy restaurants and delis, but you can also get great food on the streets, khau gallis and beaches.”

For his Parsi food cravings, Freddy frequents a restaurant in BEST Colony Road, Oshiwara. He adds, “They have the most authentic and awesome Parsi dishes like dhansak with brown onion pilaf and akuri with toast.” His choices in food aren’t just limited to the obvious. He really likes shawarmas. He explains, “I know it’s not a part of Indian cuisine, nor a speciality of Mumbai, but shawarma is one of the most popular offerings from Lebanese cuisine. I love mutton in my shawarma and there’s a quaint little place right opposite Versova Metro Station that serves it just right. I also don’t mind travelling all the way to Colaba to get my hands on a nice meaty shawarma.”

Freddy lives a stone’s throw away from Juhu beach and it’s one of his regular haunts in the city. He feels the ocean views and the gentle breeze at the beach make it a fantastic gastronomic experience. “I really enjoy the distinct flavour of this tourist hotspot. It gives Mumbai a unique characteristic and taste. Stuff that you eat at Juhu beach will not taste the same anywhere else in the world, not even at other places in Mumbai,” he gushes and adds, “Another reason that makes eating out here a great experience is the fact that you’re surrounded by tourists, Mumbaikars, and just about everyone, who’s there to have a good time. Juhu beach offers a nice break from the kind of food I get at five stars and restaurants. I come here to eat ice gola, sev puri and pani puri. The signature dish of the city, pav bhaji, tastes the best here. If you haven’t eaten at Juhu beach, you’ve not lived in Mumbai.”

Like all Parsis, he enjoys a hot cup of tea. “We don’t call it tea, we call it chai. I can have a cup or a cutting chai at any point in the day. A sight unique to Mumbai are the chaiwallas carrying a tumbler of tea on the streets. For a nominal price, you can get refreshing, hot cutting of chai that can drive away all the fatigue of the busy city life,” says Freddy.

He’s one of the fittest actors around, who swears by his quinoa salad, but he also believes that Mumbai’s street food has some healthy alternatives, too. He says, “The street side bhutta is so unique to this city. You get this version of corn everywhere in India, but to have the freshly roasted bhutta on coal is the perfect way to experience Mumbai’s monsoon. It’s also one of the healthiest things you can eat.”

Mumbai is a city of various cultures and those fusions have rubbed off most on the food that’s served here. Freddy says, “Mumbai may be a busy city with cutthroat competition, but there are certain aspects of the life here that are mesmerising. Iss sheher ke kucch aise rang hain, jo lag jayein toh kabhi mitaye nahi jaate. I love Mumbai and it is one of the most vivid and colourful cities in the world. And its food is a combination of many cultures and influences. It’s simply out of the world.”

Freddy Daruwala on his five-film deal with the filmmaker and working with Salman Khan
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 11, 2018)

Freddy Daruwala, who had made his Bollywood debut with A. R. Murugadoss’s 2014 action thriller Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty featuring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha, was in his hometown Surat when he had got a call from Mukesh Chhabra. The casting director informed the actor that the makers of Race 3 wanted to cast him for a character named Rana. “I was sold when I learnt about the cast and crew involved in its making. You want to work with people with great experience, leverage and who can make the project look bigger. So, I met (producer) Ramesh Taurani sir when I returned to Mumbai and really liked my character of a villain, though in Race you never know when the negative turns positive and vice versa. I immediately came on board,” informs Freddy, adding that his Rana is classy, is always with bodyguards, travels in expensive cars but is also very nosy.

The actor is all praise for Salman Khan, who plays Sikander in the action-thriller. “It feels really nice when a team looks after you, keeps you happy and allows you creative freedom. Race 3 set was just like that and Salman bhai is responsible for creating that environment. There are seven main characters in the film, but nobody has been insecure about their screen time. In fact, there hasn’t been one day on the set when all of us didn’t have lunch together. He is aware of the pressures a newcomer faces but has advised me to remain focused on my goal. It was a great experience to work with him,” he says.

Freddy has signed a five-film deal with Vipul Shah and has already featured in two of them — the John Abraham and Sonakshi Sinha-starrer Force 2 and Commando 2 with Vidyut Jammwal as lead. What is it with him and sequels, you wonder, and he says, “I arrive late on the scene and all I get is sequels,” he laughs, adding that he has found a mentor in Vipul. “I have become in-house talent for Vipul sir. We’re working on something else now, but I can’t divulge details yet,” he says.

After essaying negative roles in Holiday and in the 2018 Telugu action comedy Touch Chesi Chudu with Ravi Teja in the lead, Freddy says he’d love to play a hero now. “I can act, dance and do action like a quintessential hero, though having said that I don’t have any qualms about playing negative roles as it is my strong suite and a major reason for filmmakers to cast me. But I feel I am ready to be a hero, too,” he signs off.

Actor refused to lay low following death threats from members of a Rajasthani community, will shoot for the title song of his upcoming film amidst tight security
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 16, 2018)

Mirror had earlier reported (January 11) that last Tuesday, January 9, cops had unexpectedly dropped in on the sets of Salman Khan’s Race 3 in Film City and told both him and producer Ramesh Taurani that the shoot would have to be stopped immediately following threats from the gangster Lawrence Bishnoi with regard to the black buck case. Though he returned home that day in a car with the cops, the actor refused to lie low and insisted on shooting amidst tight security. After wrapping up a steamy dance number with Jacqueline Fernandez who is paired opposite him in the third instalment of the thriller franchise, Salman kicks off the five-day shoot for the title track today, with Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Jacqueline, Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem and Freddy Daruwala, at a city studio. Of course, security has been beefed up.

According to a source close to the development, the actor had been rehearsing with his co-stars and director-choreographer Remo D’souza in between scenes last week despite having little time to spare what with the Bigg Boss finale and other commitments.

“The song shoot is on schedule. Like the two previous title tracks, this one too will be mounted on a grand scale. A special set has been designed for the song. Next month the unit moves to Bangkok and then on to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They are expected to finish by March with the last of the film being wrapped up in Mumbai, ” the source informed. Producer Ramesh Taurani confirmed the news.

Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; November 24, 2016)

Sanjay Dutt’s pelvic thrusts have been recreated with Vidyut Jammwal
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 18, 2016)

Director Deven Bhojani and producer Vipul Shah had wanted to recreate AR Rahman’s “Hamma Hamma” from Mani Ratnam’s 1995 film Bombay as a promotional song for Commando 2. The actors had already rehearsed the track with choreographer Feroz Khan, whose repertoire boasts of dance numbers from films like Agneepath, Aisha and Force 2.

But they couldn’t get the rights to this special appearance song filmed on a sizzling in gold Sonali Bendre, so the makers decided to go with a different gaana altogether and have now recreated Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt’s iconic moves from Bappi Lahiri’s “Tamma Tamma Loge” which was the USP of Raj Sippy’s 1990 action-packed directorial, Thanedaar for their Vidyut Jammwal-starrer Commando 2.

The film is a sequel to the 2013-action film also featuring Vidyut, and is set to release on January 6, 2017.

Last month, the song was shot at a suburban studio with Vidyut, Freddy Daruwala, Esha Gupta and Adah Sharma dressed in the same costumes and grooving against a disco-light setting. Feroz even managed to get the actors do the famous pelvic thrust and head banging.

“But the original track has metamorphosed into a more youthful, peppy new song and features a face-off between the leads, Vidyut and Adah, and the villain-vamp duo of Freddy and Esha. The shoot was completed in a week,” reveals a source close to the development.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 15, 2016)