Jackky Bhagnani

“I want to smile, be nice to people, win them over”

By Ankita R Kanabar

(This interview was published in the November 10, Diwali issue of Super Cinema)

Women definitely must be finding Jackky Bhagnani charming. With a body like that, a sweet yet mischievous smile, sense of humour and good dancing skills, he certainly could have girls falling for him. But, Jackky wants to be known as a good actor. When you meet him, you see that he is hungry for good work, and is ready to work very hard to get there. He admits that it shall be a slow process, but he seems determined. When I entered his lavish office for this interview, there he was standing right in front of me, dressed as casually as he could. He looked different. Far different from the usual clean-shaven Jackky we see on-screen. I pretty much liked his new bearded look, while I sensed it could be for a film. And just when we got talking, I realised, he didn’t talk like a star, or a well-known producer’s son. He was just like any other 26-year old young man. He spoke what he felt, without giving it much thought. But you do notice his passion towards his craft. He’s not taking it all for granted…and confesses that he does have a long way to go. Jackky Bhagnani gets talking about his recently released film, ‘Ajab Gazabb Love’, upcoming film ‘Rangrezz’ among other things, in a brief chat.

What’s with the new look?
I’m just trying out different looks, since 10 days ‘Rangrezz’s’ shooting is still left. So far, everyone’s liked this new bearded look. So might just keep it for the film.

Are you happy with the kind of response ‘Ajab Gazabb Love’ generated?
We’ve got good reviews for the film, from everywhere, but in terms of the box office, the response wasn’t as good as we expected. There are times when you just do not have any answers as to what went wrong. More so, because it is a good film, people who’ve seen it have loved it, it’s entertaining, and it made people laugh. So, it’s also like a funny situation, when we sit to analyse what went wrong, and you just have no answer because the film is actually good. Though, as an actor, I’ve got a lot of appreciation, and messages just can’t pouring in, I’m a little disappointed with the box office response since my father is the producer of the film. Yes, I’m slightly disappointed, but that hasn’t really affected my confidence because as an actor, I’ve grown a lot in this film, and eventually, my performance in the film will help me in the long run. Because, as an actor who’s still quite new in the industry, the appreciation for my performance matters more to me than the box office collection at the moment.

The promo of ‘Rangrezz’ has been getting some great reviews…
Honestly, I’m taken a back, by the kind of response I’m getting for ‘Rangrezz’. While I obviously try and do something different with every film, people seem to have formed this image of me, and see me as Jackky Bhagnani only in my films, be in ‘F.A.L.T.U’, or ‘Ajab Gazabb Love’. With ‘Rangrezz’, I think I’ve shaken them as an actor, and they might just take me more seriously as a performer. The action in the film is very real.

Throw some light on the plot of ‘Rangrezz’ and your character…
My character in the film is of this very young and rooted guy. The film is about this never-ending battle of love or lust. And when two people get married, or they get separated, they assume that only their life is getting affect, but what they fail to realise, is that there are many people around them who get affected. Somehow, today, people have become less tolerant, and have no patience, hence marriages break. Earlier, people had more successful marriages than they have today, because women are now more educated, and at par with the men. Earlier, marriages used to work only because women would adjust, compromise and couldn’t think of a world without their husbands. They used to even depend on their husbands for financial security. Now, that’s not the case. So, why should they compromise or suffer? Having said that, I’ve always felt that women are far more superior than men.

You had to really prepare a lot before venturing into films…though, people assume that being a producer’s son makes it easy for you. What’s your say?
I had to prepare a lot, not just physically, in terms of my looks, but also, mentally and emotionally. It got more difficult for you when nobody believes in you. The way I looked back then, even my family didn’t believe that I could make it in films. And physically, to get in shape and all that is still easy once you make up your mind; preparing mentally was the difficult part, because at least I had to believe in myself, and be confident since nobody else believed in me. I also have to be extra careful about how I behave because people might just directly assume things about me because I’m a producer’s son. But even if people criticise, or just assume things about me, I have no qualms. I’m a very positive person, so I don’t really crib. I want to just keep smiling and have a good time. I want to enjoy what I’m doing. I work hard and party harder. I want to be nice to people, even if they aren’t nice to me, and win them over. More importantly, I want to keep working hard. It’ll be a slow process, but I have to keep at it. 

Are you a trained dancer? You seem like a pro at dancing.
Oh! I take that as a compliment. No, I’m not really a trained dancer, but I went to Shiamak Davar’s dance academy for some time. It’s just that I love dancing. Dancing is therapeutic for me, and I forget everything when I’m at it.

We’ve seen a lot of new actors stepping into the industry this year. There might be some tough competition…
It’s nice to have a healthy competition. But all one needs to do is, keep working hard, and concentrate at what you’re doing. Whoever’s good, will stay, for sure. But yes, healthy competition is always nice!