Exclusive! Nikitin Dheer on acting in an ensemble film: At least one person will come to see me

Nikitin Dheer is an actor who has left a lasting impression in all the movies he has worked in. The actor has worked in various ensemble films, the latest being Shershaah. The movie revolves around Sidharth Malhotra, who plays the role of Captain Vikram Batra on the big screen. However, that has never affected Nikitin as a professional, for he has a way of approaching his character.

Talking to OTTplay exclusively, Nikitin showed his excitement for collaborating with Dharma Productions and playing a positive role after a long time. He also shared memories of Chennai Express and how the team never expected Thangabali to become huge among people, including kids. The actor also spoke about the story he would like to present on the screen and his future projects, including Sooryavanshi.

Excerpts from the interview...

How do you make a lasting impression when a film revolves around one character, here Vikram Batra. Was that going in your mind, that you also have to stand out?

From whatever little experience I have, I've realised that no film can be only around one character. Even if he is the leading man, he's still a character he is portraying. So every character has his or her importance. At the end of the day, you have to realize what importance your character holds in the narrative and then do it with all honesty. If you feel that it is a character that will matter at the end of the story and be a part of the larger picture, that's how I approach a character. At the end of the day, you do it with honesty and realize that every character is extremely important. I never look at it that way because I have only worked with really big stars in my career. I personally don't feel that it can always be about one person. Even when I started my career, I started it with big stars only. At that time too, I felt that if 10,000 people were coming to watch then maybe one person would come to watch me. I always had that outlook towards work and am going to follow it always.

You are still remembered as the deadly antagonist in Chennai Express. Are you expecting a similar reaction after Shershaah releases?

It's so sad. Even during the promotions, we asked people to treat him as the second lead but to date, people call him an antagonist even though he didn't do anything that was actually villainous. By the grace of God, it is also why I have many kids as my fans. If you're a hardcore villain, you wouldn't have kids as a fan. That being said, you always try to do work that creates an impression and is something that people like. At the same time, you cannot predict what will and won't work. When we did Chennai Express, nobody ever thought that Thangabali would be as famous as he became. At the same time, I've approached the character of Major Ajay Jayasurya with the same honesty. I have approached it with the same emotion as I approached Thangabali and how I do with every film.

What was your takeaway from Shershaah?

I got to work with a lot of actors and enjoyed working with them. This is my first film with Dharma and it was an awesome experience. I had collaborated with Shabbir Boxwala for the second film of my career, Mission Istanbul. He's also a co-producer of the film. That was a big plus for me because I have huge respect for him. My biggest takeaway was that I had a really good time attempting a positive role. I'm just excited and thrilled to see how people perceive me in a positive role. It is going to be the biggest question mark for me.

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If you had to play the lead role in someone's biopic, who would that be?

I would love to do something around heroes we don't read about in school. It could be Zorawar Singh or Maharana Pratap. It would be a dream come true for me to play them on-screen.

What are your upcoming projects?

I have Sooryavanshi which is due for release. Apart from that, I have another film I have completed. It's called Antim. My web series Raktanchal 2 shall be released later this year. I have a South film called Khiladi which will also be released later this year. Apart from that, there are a few things that are too premature to talk about.

Is there any update on Sooryavanshi?

No, I think the producers are the best people to ask that question to.