MUMBAI: Veteran actor and writer Akaash Khurana’s son – Akarsh Khurana would be playing a major role alongside Neil Nitin Mukesh in Bejoy Nambiar’s ‘David’.
Akarsh who is currently writing the new instalment of ‘Krrish’ for Rakesh Roshan would be heading for the shooting as soon as he is done with his writing commitment. Says Bejoy, “Akarsh is an all-rounder. He is a true chip off the old block, and already a veteran of stage. He has co-written ‘David’ with me. Akarsh features in a major role in the Neil episode of my film.”
Confirms Aakarsh, “Bejoy has been an avid follower of my theatre group’s work. We met through the theatre route, discovered a common sensibility and became friends. We’re also working together on MTV’s show ‘Rush’. As for ‘David’ I was only prompted to accept due to Bejoy’s insistence. He’s convinced I am perfect for the part.”
Any fear of being compared with his legendary Dad? “Absolutely no fear of being compared, because there’s absolutely no chance of reaching his level of excellencw. Dad may have been selective about work but he firmly established his skill and range, especially with films like Beta, Company, Milan, Sarfarosh etc. I’m actually a very reluctant actor, and don’t have any illusions of entering Dad’s league.”
Akarsh’s proudest moment was when he directed his father in a play. “In 2009, I directed Dad and Shernaz Patel in a dark and unsettling play called ‘Blackbird’. We didn’t do too many shows but it was critically acclaimed and they were both stunning in it. Since then we have acted together in one short play where he played Hitler. Besides that, he has directed a couple of plays for my production company Akvarious, and I’m pretty excited about his next for us ‘Our Town’ by Thornton Wilder scheduled to open in December.”
Akarsh plans to direct a feature film soon. “I’ve always wanted to direct my film, and there have been some developments in the last 5 years that fell short of anything concrete. I filled in the lacuna by directing close to 60 corporate short films, and now some web content. I’m now tempted to just go off with a 5D and make my own film, on my own terms, with people I want to work with.”
Myriad interests have barred Akarsh’s swift transition into feature-film direction. “ The theatre group has also taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears, which have paid off. Now that it has a standing, and is showing signs of self sufficiency, I am keen to take some time out and start work on my subject.”
Aakarsh has 4 directorial plots on the anvil. “There was an urge to do something set in a college festival once, which has now been fulfilled by writing MTV Rush. A couple of other subjects include a thriller about two brothers from a middle class family, a drama about small-town secrets, and a madcap comedy set on the Mumbai-Pune expressway.”
At the moment there’s the challenge of writing the new instalment of the Krrish series. “It is a challenge indeed. And sometimes more so owing to the legacy of ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ and ‘Krrish’. Besides characters and graphs to be kept in mind, there are expectations – in terms of scale and emotion. This is also exciting, because it warrants an inventive approach.
