Neil felt unsure as an actor

Neil Nitin Mukesh says that people started questioning his ability to deliver hits after some of his films bombed at the box office

Neil Nitin Mukesh (left), who was last seen on the big screen in Bejoy Nambiar’s action flick David (2013), will soon be back with a romantic film that also stars Salman Khan.

The actor, who made his debut with Johnny Gaddaar in 2007, says that he took a break from Bollywood to hone his skills. “There was a time when people started questioning me as an actor. They said things like, ‘Can he deliver a successful film on his own?’ After David initially failed to do well on the box office, more and more such stories came up. So, I decided that maybe I need to look at things from a new perspective,” says Neil, who has also signed a thriller starring actors Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar.

“Sometimes you start questioning yourself and wonder, ‘Am I really not a good actor?’. So, I just decided that I needed to revisit what I was doing, and sharpen the axe,” he adds.

However, he insists that he did not take a break from films. “I won’t say I took a break from films. I don’t take breaks. I mean, I can’t sit down at one place and think what’s happening with my career. I need to keep my creativity flowing, so I need to keep working. Thankfully, I was offered the role of a baddie in the Tamil film, Kaththi (2014), which was a blockbuster hit. No one even knew who I am in South and they loved me, which only proves that my work gets appreciated.”

People said things like, ‘Can he deliver a successful film on his own?’ After my film David tanked, more such stories came up

Neil Nitin Mukesh, actor