Showing posts with label Sahil Khattar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sahil Khattar. Show all posts
It is a waiting game, and we all have to do it. Even Shah Rukh Khan waited for four years for Pathaan-Sahil Khattar
8:22 AM
Sahil Khatter on undergoing physical transformation ‘like a maniac’ for Bajao
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; May 2, 2023)
With Sahil Khattar, there is more than meets the eye. He may appear laidback and easy-going, but scratch that surface and you’ll find a dedicated actor trying to make his mark with each project. “I am the most hardworking guy on any set,” he begins, as we dive into a conversation about his upcoming series, Bajao, and his prep for the comedy.
Edited excerpts from the interview.
What are your expectations from Bajao?
We shot the series last year. The wait for the show has been a little longer than expected, but after seeing the first look, I thought, ‘Der aaye durust aaye’.
Were you in a limbo waiting for the project announcement?
Yes, but then my life has been spent in limbo. Even '83 [2021] was pushed for two years. Bajao is my third project, and I had to wait a year for it to be [announced]. It is a waiting game, and we all have to do it. Even Shah Rukh Khan waited for four years for Pathaan and its Rs 1,000 crore [box-office collections].
In the interim, did you feel nervous about your career?
I am bound to, but I knew that I could survive. Since I shifted to Mumbai, no matter how life has panned out, I have always made efforts. My plans B and C have always been in place.
How did you prep for Bajao?
I play a Haryanvi guy. I had represented Haryana, and then India in roller hockey. I am an Asian Games bronze medalist. I knew everything [about how to approach a Haryanvi character], but I went ahead and did my workshops, sat with a diction [coach], and figured all my scenes in 10 ways possible. When I went on set, we were prepared for plans A, B, and C. [I can say] my performance won’t go unnoticed.
What is the show all about?
It is an epic show revolving around three boys, one of whom is my character Dhari. We are set to make a music video of a popstar [played by Raftaar]. One day, the money and the rapper get lost after we get drunk. It is a comedy. Dhari is short-tempered, but a rare combination of brains and brawn. My directors [Shiva and Sapta] have done a fabulous job. We wanted to make [the character] like Mahipalpur call centre guys, who build bodies because they feel it will add to their personality.
So, you went through a physical transformation for this role?
I have been a puny guy, and have been body-shamed all my life for having no hair or being very thin. Now, [my body] is like Jason Statham’s. For this character, I prepped like a maniac.
How was it working with debutant directors after collaborating with an experienced director like Kabir Khan?
I recently saw a video of Jonah Hill talking about why Martin Scorsese is the world’s most special director. Hill said that somebody could take 30 minutes to solve a problem in a scene, but Scorsese would take five seconds. He is that quick and certain in his decision-making, and [that stems from] his experience. The only difference between somebody doing their first project and someone doing their 20th is problem-solving and decision-making.
I was very puny and not good looking as a kid and was never identified as my parents’ son-Sahil Khattar
8:14 AM
Jaspreet Nijher (BOMBAY TIMES; April 8, 2023)
Sahil Khattar, actor and YouTuber who shot to the limelight after he essayed the role of Syed Kirmani in 83, shattered all of his diet restrictions in a recent visit to his hometown, Chandigarh – where he returned after three years for a shoot. “I had not eaten roti for 25 days in preparation for a role. But when in Chandigarh, how can I not eat roti?” he said.
Commenting on his beefing up, he said while he is ecstatic at social media comments turning from “nice” to “hot” on his pictures, his childhood was not as encouraging. “I was very puny and not good looking as a kid and was never identified as my parents’ son,” he laughs, adding, “Then I went bald at 21 and hit a low point because of some other issues. I never got any attention from girls and was not the popular guy in college. I confronted others to put on a false show of superiority. That’s when my dad told me, ‘when you are going through something that feels like a liability, think of it as an asset’. And I made my baldness a template and stood out, because I looked different. Because I am owning all that has been done to me in childhood, I can proudly say that life has changed.”
Gaining muscle wasn’t a task for him due to his athletic background. “I used to play roller hockey and had won a bronze medal in Asian games, so athletics comes naturally to me. I was doing 200 squats a day for the role in '83. If after Jennifer Lopez a butt needed insurance, it should be mine!”
Main marr gaya tha kya? Bala should have had a Sahil Khattar (instead of Ayushmann Khurrana)-Sahil Khattar
8:14 AM
The actor says it’s time for makers to be more realistic and make the right choices for characters in their films
Vinay MR Mishra (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 11, 2022)
Ever since the trailer of filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next released, there are conversations around whether a real-life transgender should have played the part essayed by actor Vijay Raaz. Sharing his two cents on the debate, actor Sahil Khattar says it’s time for Hindi films to be realistic and “uplift the minorities”.
“If transgenders are looking for an opportunity and there is an actor, then why not give them a chance? The same goes for somebody short, fat or bald,” he says, adding, “If you really want an authentic character, then why not go for these actors first? If they don’t act well, then that’s a different point. But at least consider them. If we don’t uplift the minorities in Bollywood, who else will?”
Ask him if he feels a film like Bala (2019), where the protagonist was bald, should have been offered to him and pat comes his reply: “Main marr gaya tha kya? Bala should have had a Sahil Khattar (instead of actor Ayushmann Khurrana). And not just Bala, even other films such as Haider (2014) and Pushpa: The Rise - Part 01 (2021; actor Fahadh Fassil played a bald character). If (actor) Shahid Kapoor had to copy my look (in Haider), they should have taken me instead,” he jests and adds, “I hope (filmmaker) Rohit Shetty makes a film on a bald cop. India will get it’s Rock (referring to Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson).”
Talking about the industry, Khattar, who was last seen in director Kabir Khan’s 83, feels no actor from the OTT space has got a bigger film debut than him. “Nobody has got as big a debut (as me) from digital to the movies and I’m proud of that. I think I deserve that seat at the table,” he says.
Khattar also mentions that currently, he is trying to figure out if he really wants to pursue acting. “I’m wondering if I really want to be a Bollywood star or I should just do a few acting gigs and produce projects,” he ends.
I do feel the void, says Sahil Khattar post breakup with singer Shruti Pathak
8:25 AM
Vinay MR Mishra (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 17, 2022)
Actor Sahil Khattar, recently seen in 83 (2021), has been doing well professionally. But, all is not well in his personal life. We have learnt that Khattar and singer Shruti Pathak, who were in a relationship, have parted ways.
“Let’s not talk about that chapter,” says Khattar, when asked about the breakup. He goes on, “I wouldn’t comment on what (kind of) association it was, what is happening there, or where it will go. We’ve respected each other too much. Even now, we are going to. We both have come to a phase where it’s fine... life is beautiful and it will go on. Right now, we are headed to different places, professionally.”
While he doesn’t wish to talk about Pathak, he opens up about being single. “I don’t have a personal life, and sadly, I don’t (even) care. Professionally, I’ve been so driven that my personal life has taken a back seat. I do feel the void. I feel there should be a companion, who at least gives me a shoulder when I’m sad. I’m single and I want somebody who is sharp and intelligent,” the 30-year-old signs off.
Ranveer Singh helped me get rid of my inhibitions of acting with a star-Sahil Khattar
8:45 AM
Sahil Khattar on breaking Bollywood’s prejudice against YouTubers and working with Ranveer Singh in '83
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; October 17, 2021)
Prejudice runs deep in Bollywood. Like television actors, YouTubers also face this bigotry. “They feel we can only make funny videos,” says Sahil Khattar, who made his web film debut with 200 Halla Ho and runs the YouTube channel, Khattarnaak. Determined to prove that they can act, and as more YouTubers, including Prajakta Koli, Ajey Nagar, and Bhuvan Bam, cross over, Khattar hopes to break the bias.
He makes his Bollywood debut in Kabir Khan’s Christmas release, '83. “Things are changing with film folk now realising that YouTubers can do all sorts of roles. I remember during the auditions for another project, the producer had reservations and told me, ‘But you are a YouTuber’.”
Khattar plays Syed Kirmani in the Ranveer Singh-starrer based on India’s cricket World Cup victory in 1983. He admits that he initially had reservations about choosing it as his Bollywood launchpad as “there were too many leading actors”. But his uncanny resemblance to the legendary wicket-keeper clinched the deal. He describes the months of cricket training under veteran Balwinder Singh Sandhu as full of “sweat blood and tears”.
Khattar has played roller hockey so, “athleticism and agility came naturally to me. I spent time with Kirmani sir to observe his mannerisms. When I am put at the deep end, I can rise above”.
On sharing screen space with Singh, who plays Kapil Dev, Khattar says, “He is a bundle of energy and so am I. When we met it was a volcano meeting a tornado. Ranveer was not just a reel captain but also a real-life mentor. He helped me get rid of my inhibitions of acting with a star.” Khattar recalls his encounter with Deepika Padukone who essays Romi, Dev’s wife.
“One day unannounced, she walked in on the set. We made small talk and I called her Bhabhi, but she kept telling me to call her Deepika, and refer to Ranveer as jiju. Now that would make her my sister, there was no way I would accept that. That joke broke the ice and I got relaxed,” concludes Khattar.
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Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 17, 2021)
Looks matter a lot to actors but Sahil Khattar feels that it’s not an actor’s good looks but his overall personality and talent that matter.
The 200: Halla Ho actor elaborates, “If you are a good actor then you will automatically look good in a character. The difference between a good looking actor and a bad looking one is just good and bad acting. Some people look damn good but can’t act to save their lives, and some people are not that great looking yet are the biggest superstars in the world.”
He reasons that every time you see an actor on-screen, it’s a character and not the real person that one sees. “That’s the difference. And yes, there is some pressure to look good off-screen too,” says Khattar, who believes in being himself because it’s the personality that matters the most to him.
“On social media, if guys post something out of the world, they gain followers, if girls show skin, they gain followers, but people also gain followers if talented. For me, a person’s nature is more important than their looks. I don’t feel the pressure of looking good on social media,” he confesses, adding, “Having said that, to each their own. It’s fine to experiment but one shouldn’t go overboard and lose their identity.”
Khattar admits that he loves Ranveer Singh’s experimental choices and style. “In women, Sonam Kapoor is stylish and often experiments and reinvents. Deepika Padukone too looks damn good in whatever she wears,” says the actor, who will be seen in the sports biopic '83.
Delay in the release of '83 is disappointing but there’s no other option-Sahil Khattar
8:07 AM
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 5, 2021)
Most films are stuck and many are awaiting their releases. However due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, theatres haven’t opened to their full capacity yet.
Sahil Khattar, who is looking forward to his Bollywood debut with Kabir Khan’s '83, is upset given the delay. But the actor and host is hopeful that with things getting better now, the sports drama is inching its way towards a theatrical release.
He says, “Delay in the release of our film is disappointing but there’s no other option. Not just for people connected to us or the people who are in the film but it’s good for everyone in the industry people as well. I know that our audience wants to watch this film in the theatre and so, I am not losing hope.”
He believes that the film is made for the big screen as he shares, “If you watch a cricket match alone, it’s not as much fun but when you watch it in a stadium full of people, it’s a completely different experience. And when we will relive the glory of a historic victory, I am sure that the whole theatre will turn into a stadium.” Khattar adds, “The sound of the ball hitting the bat, me catching the ball and the ball touching my gloves reverberating in big speakers inside the auditorium is going to be unmatchable.”
He has shot for another project, a web original film, which might end up being his debut after all, as it is likely to release soon.
Even the President of Indonesia chose to go bald after seeing me-Syed Kirmani
8:17 AM
Naturally gifted Syed Kirmani, wicket-keeper of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning team, on his look and the committed Sahil Khattar, who plays him in Kabir Khan’s next
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 27, 2020)
Former cricketer Syed Kirmani, who was adjudged best wicket-keeper of the 1983 World Cup, is thrilled about his screen avatar in Kabir Khan’s ’83. In the Ranveer Singh-fronted sports-drama, the 70-year-old veteran is essayed by YouTube sensation Sahil Khattar who, like him, sports a bald pate and routinely experiments with his facial fuzz. “His look is the most accurate among the cast,” Kirmani asserts, adding that even family, friends and fans agree Sahil is definitely “Kiri bhai”.
He admits it’s “difficult to copy someone” and recalls how in their first interaction Sahil told him with great humility, “I cannot even get close to you, but it is an honour to play you on screen.” To help him prep up, Kirmani familiarised the debutant actor with his unique wicket-keeping style and all-natural talent. “In those days, there were no videos to see how different individuals played. We had to watch it live and remember.”
His look was quite the talking point in the 1980s with the wicket keeper being compared to Yul Brynner, the Hollywood superstar, and Telly Savalas, who did the film Kojak, after he went bald in 1981. “Once, I was gardening when three youngsters asked me if I was Syed Kirmani. The next day, all three turned up bald. (Filmmaker) Rakesh Roshan, who used to wear a wig in films, threw it away when he realised that being bald was in vogue. Even the President of Indonesia chose to go bald after seeing me. I’d once grown my hair, but my fans didn’t appreciate it, so I went back to my ‘original’ look,” reminisces the veteran cricketer who, like his team-mates, is looking forward to the film, which is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, Madhu Mantena, Deepika Padukone, Kabir and Vishnu Vardhan Induri, having heard a lot of good things from Sunil Gavaskar who was present at the practice sessions.
Incidentally, the original team of 1983 keeps in touch through a WhatsApp group and Kirmani informs that Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who has coached the actors, keeps them updated on the progress of the film with regular pictures. “The film’s team played on many of the grounds where we did and will the World Cup of ’83 will be revived in everyone’s minds,” Kirmani promises.
Syed Kirmani and I called each other Kiribhai-Sahil Khattar
7:56 AM
Before heading to London for shoot, '83 actor Sahil Khattar recalls his first meeting with idol Syed Kirmani
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 27, 2019)
The unit of Kabir Khan's '83 leaves for London tonight to shoot the sports drama based on India's win at the 1983 cricket World Cup. Sahil Khattar, who plays the role of wicket keeper Syed Kirmani, makes his Bollywood debut with the Ranveer Singh-starrer.
Revealing that Kirmani had little idea about his YouTube videos, Khattar says, "When Kirmani heard that I would be playing him, he checked my Instagram account to see my pictures. Youngsters from his family had seen my YouTube videos. Initially, we spoke on the phone. Finally, when we met, he quipped that we have the same hairstyle."
Besides aping his cricket techniques, Khattar also began growing a moustache to resemble the veteran cricketer. "He saw the pictures from the look test and said that we look strikingly similar. We called each other Kiribhai."
Stating that he feels "like a kid every time he meets his idol," the youngster is happy to listen in as Kirmani regales him with tales of the World Cup. "He told me about the India versus Zimbabwe match. Kirmani had just stepped out of the shower and was having a toast when he saw that India had scored only 17 runs at a loss of five wickets. His towel fell on seeing that," he laughs, adding, "He was the best wicket keeper of 1983 and was given a silver wicket glove as a trophy."
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