Avinash Tiwary: ‘Once we create stories, a certain escape for those couple of hours, audiences will come back’

Jimmy Shergill: He’s very organised even if he’s shooting a scene that is chaotic. That’s what Neeraj is all about.

Tamannaah Bhatia: I don’t see this level of efficiency everywhere. Working with him reminds you of how important it is to actually prep. You have plan A, you have plan B and you have plan C! And it’s not just him. It’s also about the team. Everyone is in sync. It’s such great teamwork at play, almost like a beautiful dance.

One thing that binds all three of you — you are all outsiders who came to Hindi cinema in three different decades. What was the struggle for each of you?

Jimmy Shergill: I think it’s called hustle now. It was called struggle in our times. So the hustle is on. When I first met Gulzar sir, I thought he would hire me as his Assistant Director on Maachis, but he had other plans. He asked me, which part do you think is the best among these three roles? I said all three of them are great. He said, ‘But, if you have to pick one, who will that be?’ It was like a dream to be seated before a legendary director and being able to choose a character. I said, ‘If given an option, I will choose Jaimal Singh.’ He asked, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘His name is Jimmy and so is my pet name. Until now, Gulzar saab knew me as Jasjeet Shergill. He said, ‘Oh, okay, do me a favour, grow your beard and hair because you are doing that role.’ I almost fell off the chair. That is how it all started.

Tamannaah Bhatia: For me, I just knew at a very young age that I wanted to become an actor. I took every opportunity that came my way. My first break gave me inroads into south-Indian cinema; it was an ad film. I shot that during my preliminary board examinations. That’s when I also understood how much I actually care about this. I would shoot the whole day then study at night, then go give my examinations, then again shoot the next day. This went on for three days… My first successful film was in Telugu — Happy Days. And it truly did bring happy days into my life. But the biggest learning was languages. Now I speak Tamil and Telugu. And yeah, I got an understanding of a different culture because I came from Mumbai. My real hustle started when I felt I have had commercial success, but I’m hungry as an actor and I want more opportunities to perform different characters. Down the line, Baahubali happened. It was a game changer, it also broadened my perspective. Post Baahubali, the entire journey has been to reinvent myself. And now I am at a phase where I feel like a newcomer once again, bringing a film to audiences who haven’t seen me in this light.

Avinash Tiwary: I did a couple of years of theatre. I decided to train with Barry John in Delhi before going to the New York Film Academy, train there, came back and thought there’ll be a red carpet lying for me. From there on the so-called hustle started. I did a couple of shows on DD National because I thought that would be a great way to sustain myself. The only thing that I wanted to do was to get that one film. But 15 years is what it took to finally say I’m the protagonist of a film (Laila Majnu). But on the third day, the posters were taken down and I just didn’t know where to go with it. But thankfully, I’ve been built to just keep going on. And I’m here sitting with you, having Madgaon Express at the start of this year and the re-release of Laila Majnu. I feel happy as an artiste, but the hustle is nonstop.

Tamannaah, as a woman, do you think an actress today has decision-making powers? Have we evolved to that level across industries?

Tamannaah Bhatia: I feel we need to stop addressing ourselves as women, because I think we’re just people. If we can’t look at ourselves as equals, nobody else is going to. I look at myself as a person who can do many different things. Our profession is a collective art form. It’s so many people’s creative ideas that need to find a confluence. There is a hierarchy to it. The problem with it is that most women think that they can’t ask for what they want. We’ve all been trained to think like that. But that’s not the case. If you take that thought out of your mind and really do your job, I don’t see why anybody would not want you in. I would rather be like, do the job, be productive and just show that you can bring something to the table. And that’s when the game changes. Then people invest in you and things move forward. You can actually make a bigger change in the larger ecosystem.

Avinash, you talked about Laila Majnu. The film didn’t work despite critical acclaim initially but found a lot of love upon its re-release. Going forward, is there a need for a renaissance, of a rethinking of, what cinema has to be in today’s day and age?

Avinash Tiwary: Cinema has been a form of entertainment for sure. What has changed is the many other experiences that are available for entertainment. And the industry is trying to figure that out. There was a point where there was theatre, then there were films, and then television happened. And you felt that when DVDs and VCDs came out, this would shake the entire ecosystem. And now it’s social media. I think those reels have become so addictive. As an audience myself, I don’t know what I want to watch. I have so many options. Now you somehow create a buzz and that’s what translates into films. But I think over a period of time, this would settle down. There are very smart people in the Hindi film industry. And I’m sure this would be looked at. Once we get back to the core of storytelling, create stories, create a world, create a certain escape for those couple of hours, the audiences will come back. We have started seeing that. With a lot of fresh blood coming into the industry, we are all ready to have the audiences back and have our cinemas glowing and thriving as they did.

Jimmy, the first time you met your Mohabbatein co-stars — Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan — what was the 20-something Jimmy thinking?

Jimmy Shergill: I wondered, what did I do to deserve to be here? I feel sad that I didn’t take a photo with either of them. I still remember meeting Mr Bachchan for the first time in Yash (Chopra) Uncle’s house. There was a havan and we were all there. A few days before that, I had a fall and cut my hand badly. I had some 55 stitches and a bandage all the way up. Adi introduced me to Mr Bachchan and said that I was playing Karan (in the film). Bachchan’s reply was that, ‘He’s a method actor. He’s taking his role too seriously’. As for Shah Rukh Khan, at every stage, he was so helpful in every scene. That’s why I say, even before I came into the industry, Shah Rukh Khan was an inspiration and now that I’m in the industry, even after all these years, he continues to be one.

What is SS Rajamouli’s secret sauce?

Tamannaah Bhatia: He’s a visionary, and he’s super brave and is willing to take risks. He doesn’t hold back when he’s trying to dream. He thinks big. Even when he made a film about a fly, he made the fly the hero. I feel the ones who dream big always find a way to make things happen.

Avinash, what is your advice to your 20-something self, who is leaving engineering and heading to the US to study acting?

Avinash Tiwary: I’m waiting for him to give me advice! Very honestly, he was smarter than I am! But one thing that I tell younger people is that social validation is warped. So don’t look for it.

How was the first day on the sets of Yudh and working with Mr Bachchan?

Avinash Tiwary: This was almost 10 years ago. The first time we met it was for an action sequence. I had never done one in my life. I was strung on this rope and I had to jump and fall, he kicks me, I jump, he punches me, I duck and I hit him on his back. But, unfortunately, I ended up hitting him on his head. The heart attack I had! On the set, I remember there was pin-drop silence. In my nervousness, I turned around and said, ‘Sir, do you mind if we do a rehearsal?’ He said, ‘But we’ll do it very slowly’. Then he came back to me and said, ‘Listen, action is like choreography. Dance, just dance.’ I swear to God I was so nervous. I was almost about to say, ‘Sir, but there is no music’. But I did not. I saved some grace, so yeah, I was awed by him. There were so many times that he would just turn back and look at me and I was like, ‘Agneepath!’ It’s one of my favourite memories. I had a seven-minute monologue in the film, and he came and hugged me and made the entire crew clap for me. As a young actor, someone like him giving that love and encouragement is something that I will value all my life.

AUDIENCE QUESTIONS

The title of the film is Sikandar Ka Muqaddar. What is your message to people who perceive failure as a negative thing?

Jimmy Shergilll: In a famous book called Success Is Never Ending, Failure Is Never Final says if you fail once, keep trying till you succeed. Read that book.

Tamannaah, what is your take on sustainability in diamond jewellery?

Tamannaah Bhatia: I don’t know if you know this, but my father is a jeweller. So, for me, a stone is never really about the caratage. When I look at a stone as a jeweller, it has to speak to me. I am ready to pay a price for it and I’m ready to own it and also make a memory out of it because jewellery has a kind of heirloom essence in my life. I should be able to pass this on. So, I appreciate this fact about its sustainability.

Tamannaah, what’s that one suggestion you will give to the young generation?

Tamannaah Bhatia: Kaamchori mat karo (Don’t shirk work). That’s been my mantra. In any pursuit, it could be creative or even if you just want to make money, if that’s your passion — go all the way. For this generation, the gratification in every way has to be instant. But are you ready for that? Most of us aren’t ready for the amazing things that are yet to happen to us, because if they do, that would probably destroy us completely. So first, we need to level up. And once you level up, amazing things start happening to you. So, wait a bit for it.