I’d love to run around trees:Neil Nitin

He’s the grandson of the legendary singer Mukesh, but Neil Nitin Mukesh believes in carving his own niche

HIS reaction to the lukewarm response to Johnny Gaddaar is unlike that of a debutant; Neil Nitin Mukesh calls himself ‘a born optimist’. “The initial feedback has been encouraging and I’m sure it’ll pick up by word of mouth. In fact, in Mumbai and Delhi, it’s running for the third week and is still going houseful. I’m presuming the movie must be good if it continues to draw in the audience for so long,” says Neil.

He adds, “I know that Johnny Gaddaar is not that big a film to get an overwhelming opening, but it has the potential to be appreciated. My cousins in Pune and Delhi are complaining that they’re not getting tickets, and that’s another indication that the film’s not bad.”

And while every filmmaker hankers for publicity, the promotions for Johnny Gaddaar were very low key. “That was a conscious move by the director, Sriram Raghavan. We were aware that our film isn’t that big. So we underplayed the publicity — we wanted the movie to speak for itself,” says Neil.

And didn’t he dream of one of those typical star son launches? “I think Johnny Gaddaar was the perfect launch vehicle because I believe in acting skills rather than stargiri. Even though I come from a well-established film family, I want to carve my own niche,” he says.

What about running around trees? “Of course, I’d love to run around trees, hold a guitar in my hand and woo the heroine! But let me first establish myself as an actor and then do all those things. I don’t want to confuse the audience,” he laughs.

Neil was also compared to Hrithik on TV recently. “Really? I’m flattered! And I’m also a huge fitness freak like him,” says Neil. And what about his link-up with Rimmi Sen? “Are you serious? She’s a sweet girl, but I’m not seeing her,” clarifies the actor.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com