Re-launch pad

“I hadn’t groomed myself,” he says explaining his Terminator-meets-The Undertaker look in his 2008 debut film,Jimmy. “I wanted to be accepted the way I was.”

He’s learnt his lesson. Chakraborty is now 15 kilos lighter,with cropped hair,absent sunglasses and a stubble in place to hide his baby face. In short,reinvented as Mahakshay Chakraborty for his relaunch in Vikram Bhatt-directed 3D horror film Haunted. 2008 had seen other industry lads like Farhan Akhtar,Prateik Babbar and Imran Khan debut too. Having gone into a shell,it took his father’s encouragement and lots of soul-searching before Chakraborty could re-emerge. He then spent the remaining time trying to plug the gaps.

Bhagnani admits to having similarly cocooned himself,though he recovered soon. Within a few months,he was back,attending events,parties and throwing birthday bashes for friends. “I struggled for seven years before I could convince my father that I am worthy of an acting career — I went from obese to fit and took up acting courses. Where we went wrong was that we chose a script that tried to replicate the magic of Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai — love story,dancing and some action thrown in — not realising that the times had changed,” he says,shaking his head and omitting to mention that while Hrithik Roshan had a double role in his debut,he had the superpower to see the future. “But in my upcoming film,I’m being myself. So technically,I’d say F.A.L.T.U is my launch,” he says. Bhagnani has an advantage in his father,who has at both times financially backed his “launch”. Choreographer Remo D’Souza,who is now directing F.A.L.T.U,was already on board before Kal Kissne Dekha released. Chakraborty,however,has on both occasions,signed the film on his own merit. The latter recounts having visited every possible producer’s office with his new portfolio until he heard from Bhatt. “I was so ecstatic at being selected that I didn’t know until much later that I was playing the lead role in a horror film.”

With their films due for release soon,both the boys are bracing themselves to be judged again. Beneath the eager-to-please smiles,there lies nervousness. But there is confidence too. “It’s the love for cinema,” they say. After all,Bhagnani has given up his father’s lucrative film production business and a career as a builder and Chakraborty,his childhood dream of becoming an astronomer at NASA. Well,he’s still aiming for the stars.

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