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The late 2000s and early 2010s saw Hindi cinema go through quite an interesting phase, where films that were made for the NRI audience slowly evolved into films that were made about the NRI audience. This audience became an integral part of Indian cinema, and Bollywood consistently catered to this subset. One of the more nuanced films of this era was Kabir Khan’s New York, which was headlined by Katrina Kaif, John Abraham, and Neil Nitin Mukesh. The film, which hit the screens in 2009, remains a fan favourite, especially for its songs, and the understated chemistry between Katrina and Neil. In an interaction with Filmygyan, Neil opened up about why New York and Katrina will always be special for him.
“We were enemies on the first day with constant fights, arguments, etc… There was some problem between us, and I had no clue what it was. I got to know that it was some issue with my skin colour, and then it was the kind of character I was playing, but there was something happening between us,” said Neil.
Neil also revealed that he was quite disappointed with how things were turning out on the first day on the sets. “I was just coming from the rather intense Johnny Gaddar. New York was my second film, and I am someone who actually learnt acting, spoke the language, and I was doing my best. She was a bigger star than me during that time, and still is a bigger star. So, when we were repeating the same line 10-15 times, I wasn’t sure where I was going wrong,” said Neil, who shared that he reached out to Kabir to understand if there was something wrong on his part. “He reassured me that nothing was wrong, and I should just continue doing what I was doing.”
Then, Neil opened up about a scene where John and him were laughing away from the camera, and Katrina started dissing him. “I didn’t understand why I was the only targeted when both of us were laughing. Then, I did speak to her and she said that New York was her first intense film after doing a slew of comedies. Once that was clarified, everything else fell into place, and it has since been a relationship built out of love and respect,” said Neil, who also said that his friendship and bonding with her was so genuine and pure.
“She is a beautiful co-star, a beautiful actor, and she put in a lot of efforts for the film. I still believe New York is the best film in her career. I respect her friendship even now,” said Neil, who also narrated an incident that cemented their friendship even further. “I once had a very high fever, almost 104 degrees, and I was alone. It was Katrina and her team who stayed with me that day, ensured I took my medicines and had enough rest. Such pure affection and love can only be felt with people who feel like yours, right? I am thankful to the producers and director for giving me such a film, and such an opportunity.”
Neil, who was recently seen in the ZEE5 film, Hisaab Barabar, after a five-year break, has been opening up about his struggles to get a film, despite starring in over 30 films over almost two decades, and associating with quality filmmakers like Sriram Raghavan, AR Murugadoss, Pradeep Sarkar, Kabir Khan, Madhur Bhandarkar, Vishal Bhardwaj, and Sooraj Barjatya
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