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'Dimple was hilarious'
Amol Mhatre didn't know who Dimple Kapadia and Vinod Khanna were, but he had a blast acting in Leela
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Los Angeles-based Amol Mhatre makes his acting debut in Somnath Sen's debut English film Leela starring Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Deepti Naval and Gulshan Grover.
Scheduled for a November 1 release in India and a week after in the US, the film is a story about two strangers, Kris (Mhatre), an Indian-American and Leela (Kapadia), his South Asian History teacher. Besides exploring man-woman relationships, it also delves into the issues of identity crisis of NRIs.
Excerpts from an interview with
Kshama Rao:
Somnath Sen had auditioned many people before he zeroed in on you. Did he tell you why he chose you?
I am not really sure why I got so lucky. I was definitely not the most experienced. Maybe I got it because I never expected to get it, so I was not too nervous at the audition.
It has been a long time since we actually did the filming, so it is exciting to see something you worked so hard on finally coming to fruition.
What is appealing about Kris? Did you face similar problems like he did -- identity crisis, culture shock?
Kris appeals because he is a smart, headstrong young kid who is unaware that he has a lot to learn. Through the story of the film he starts to grow up and realise more of what he is all about.
I think a lot of kids who are first generation South Asians in the US face some of the issues Kris faces in the film. I'm not sure if I personally grappled with 'identity', etc, but there were some definite challenges dealing with growing up in two cultures (American and Indian) at once.
I was lucky though because I grew up in a very nurturing environment with a great family and a friends support network which is different from how Kris grew up.
What do your friends and family say about your performance?
I have seen the film, sort of. I mostly close my eyes and try to keep from running out of the theatre when I see myself. Basically I feel like I am watching every embarrassing moment of my entire life projected onto a 50 ft high screen.
My friends and my family have been very supportive and they enjoyed the movie. It is hard to take their word for it, sometimes --- they are all biased. Plus, no one is going to tell you, 'You were horrible,' on your face.
Where are you based?
I am based in Los Angeles, but my family is in Boston. I am quite serious about acting, that's why I moved to Los Angeles. Unfortunately acting jobs are not easy to come by, so I work at a non-profit AIDS organisation in Los Angeles that provides subsidised apartments and group homes to HIV and AIDS patients under the poverty line.
But I take acting classes and I am starting to audition more now that I recently got an agent.
Did you realise you were working with some good actors when you signed the film? Were you apprehensive?
I knew all the actors' names, but I didn't know their work. Actually it was a good thing I was not aware of the amazing talent I was working with before shooting. Else I would have been much too nervous to go to the set.
How was it working with Dimple Kapadia?
She was fantastic. And of course, very talented and very beautiful. She is hilarious. Lots of fun to work with and very giving as an actress. All the actors were amazing. They all treated me with such respect, when they really didn't have to. I learnt so much by watching all of them work.
Are you into Hindi films?
Not really, although now I am starting to watch and respect them much more than before I did Leela.
What next?
Hopefully if people like what I did in Leela, they will be willing to let me audition for some other films. Besides that, just keep auditioning, working, and paying my bills!
India News Feature Service