Showing posts with label Syed Kirmani. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Syed Kirmani. Show all posts
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.
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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