Portraying negative characters over a career spanning over 13 years has earned Nikitin Dheer a lot of praise. From playing Thangabali in 'Chennai Express' to Chunni in 'Dabangg 2', Nikitin has made a career out of characters with shades of grey. However, now, for the first time, the actor who is the son of Bollywood and TV star Pankaj Dheer, will be seen essaying a positive role of a Major in Vishnuvardhan's directorial 'Shershaah' featuring Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani. Nikitin, in an exclusive conversation with ETimes, expresses how he feels about getting this lifetime opportunity to play a realistic role. Excerpts from the interview:
After a string of negative characters, how did you land the role of a Major in 'Shershaah'?
For the first time in my career, I am playing a positive character, and I am very excited about it. I am really honoured to play somebody who existed in real life. Every actor wishes to be a part of an army-based film and portray someone like this. So, honestly, it has been a dream come true to play this role. I was looking forward to playing something positive like this for a while so when this role came to me, I was really excited about it.
What is the difference between being a part of a war film and a normal masala film?
'Shershaah' is a movie that tells the story of Major Vikram Batra who lost his life at the age of 25 during the Kargil war. So, the film will have two aspects to show to the audience. The film will also depict his personal life along with professional. So, from the bottom of my heart, this film is very special to me as it is about those selfless soldiers who fight for their motherland. We were fortunate enough to shoot in Kargil and experience the life of our Indian soldiers so closely. We saw these boys and their true spirit. On the other hand, we are just actors and entertainers and these people are real heroes. So that is the major reason why the film is very close to me as we rarely get such a chance to do a movie. Obviously, there is a difference between shooting for such a film and a normal masala film because everything has to be very meticulous when we shoot. Our producers and directors were very careful about shooting everything appropriately with detailing as to how one talks, walks, addresses someone; the prep work in such a film is very intense. I have experienced and watched the entire process of making such a film which is not easy at all. It is indeed a tough job to make a war film. The creation of the whole environment is not easy.
Did you notice any changes in yourself after working on a film that celebrates the life of a real hero?
I belong to a family that has a great sense of patriotism. But yes, when I met these soldiers and spent time with them, it definitely changed my perspective towards them. Otherwise too I always had the highest regard for all the army personnel.
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We always read about our brave soldiers in newspapers but when we actually get to experience their life, it is a very different thing. As we shot in Kargil, we learned how difficult it was to be there and even breath in such a tense atmosphere; it is just unimaginable to think of fighting in such a situation. It is easy to sit and talk about what happened but it's really difficult to be there and face the circumstances. I have immense respect for our jawans.
Had you ever thought of joining the Indian Army?
When the Kargil war took place in 1998, the army had released a short term commision to recruit Indian soldiers. I had bought a form to join but my daadi (grandmother), who was a very important part of my life, tore it. The reason for her act was that she had witnessed the Indo-Pak Partition and didn't want to experience it again, and the other reason was that she was very close to me. That was the point when I had thought the army is something I would like to go to but that didn't happen. I have a lot of friends who are police officers, my cousins are a part of the Indian army too, so I always have respect for them.
How was it working with Sidharth in the film?
Sidharth, in this movie, is awesome. I knew him even before he had joined the industry. We used to meet up at a local gym when he had started modelling. But he is still the same boy, who had come to Mumbai to be a model and he hasn't changed a bit, which was lovely to look at. He was extremely humble and hardworking, and I think, as an actor, 'Shershaah' would be his best performance to date. I have observed it and I really feel it is going to be his special performance.
