When actors were conscious of their image, I did 7 Khoon Maaf: Neil
Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh has starred in a number of critically acclaimed films, and 7 Khoon Maaf (2011) is one of them. He played the role of one of the husbands of Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ character, and his menacing avatar fetched him good reviews.
As the film hits the 10-year milestone, he recalls, “There is no actor in our country who wouldn’t want to boast of having worked with Vishal Bhardwaj, the National Award winning director. He creates magic on screen. His storytelling is as beautiful as his music. His depth of understanding emotions makes him a dream teacher for students like me.”
All praises for the film’s leading actor as well, the 39-year-old adds, “Priyanka, for me, has always been one of the finest actors India has produced. Her body of work makes her stand out. Getting to work with her was one of the best experiences of my career.”
His character, Major Edwin Rodrigues, was a tough one for him, and he chose it to break away from his previous image. “For me as an actor, it has always been about choosing roles that leave a mark. At a time when actors were conscious of their on screen persona and lover boy image, I was offered this role. I thought it’d be another feather in my cap to portray a one-legged obsessive character and work with the greats,” he shares.
Recalling how it was to slip into the role, he reveals, “The scene where I had to fight bare body with a hunter, I wanted to gain weight to look the part... I put pebbles in my shoe to make sure that I don’t forget my limp during the action scene, as I was concentrating more on not hurting my co-actor. By the end f the shoot, my legs were ruised so bad that the next ay of limping came naturally.”