ENTERING THE BIG LEAGUE
TV actor Hrishikesh Pandey will soon be seen in the upcoming thriller Runway 34. The film has been helmed by Ajay Devgn and stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rakul Preet Singh, Boman Irani, and Ajay. Hrishikesh plays Yusuf Rangoonwala, who is a friend of Ajay’s character Captain Vikrant Khanna and is also a part of the aviation industry. “I auditioned for the role. Mr. Devgn was seeing all of it personally because it was very important to him,” he says. Hrishikesh is all praise for Ajay’s approach to his work. “I was not expecting him to be so sweet, nice, and wonderful. I thought he’d be stern and cut to cut. It was a pleasure and an honour to work with him because he was so grounded. It never felt like you were working with a star. As a director,
he was too good. He is a multitasker. As an actor, when somebody comes and explains things to you, he is straightforward about what he wants. He is absolutely sorted in the mind,” he gushes.
The actor reveals how Ajay played a prank on everyone during the film’s shoot. “Ajay Sir is known as a prankster, and he creates a fun environment while working. On April Fool’s Day, he added bhaang in lassi, which everyone had. I skipped it somehow. It was fun to watch everyone go about their day without knowing what was happening. People left their cars and went home by taking a cab. The unit enjoys all of this as long as it’s in good taste,” he shares.
Although Hrishikesh did not have a scene with Amitabh Bachchan, he adores the megastar. He said that Big B once responded to a letter sent by him and his sister when the actor was unwell after his accident on the sets of Coolie in 1982.
When asked if he was nervous or intimidated by his presence on the
sets, Hrishikesh says that he felt that little fear because he idolises him. “Of course, there was excitement. I had never mentioned the letter to him. When I got little time after the shoot, I told him, and as a lovely listener, given the person he is and his aura, that’s when we had a little bit of chat about it,” he says.
Hrishikesh made his Bollywood debut with a cameo in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke (2000). He has been working in the television industry for over two decades.
Going forward, he also plans on doing OTT. “I’m receiving calls and talking to people, so I definitely want to do more movies and web series. I am not one of those actors who can be limited to a certain thing. I am ready to play all kinds of roles and also ready to experiment with everything except vulgarity that I don’t approve of. I’m all for a show which my family and my loved ones can sit together and
watch,” he concludes.