MUMBAI: Child actor Darsheel Safari had planned to take a sabbatical from acting to make the transition from childhood to maturity.
No more! It’s been decided by his parents and by Darsheel that the boy would continue to act through adolescence, puberty, voice-change, facial hair notwithstanding. The reason for Darsheel to remain a star of all seasons? Producers are willing to adjust their shooting schedules according to Darsheel’s school schedule.
Darsheel’s father Mitesh confirms, "Deepa Mehta wanted to shoot with Darsheel in November-December 2010. But he couldn’t shoot then. So Darsheel’s schedule was re-positioned to March 2011."
And now the schedule of another project in Bollywood has been re-adjusted to be shot during the summer holidays when Darsheel has no school.
Says the star-kid’s pragmatic father, "We’ve decided to let Darsheel work and find his way through his school-work and his acting assignments. After all, he’s now 14, old enough to understand what he wants. Darsheel is very passionate about acting. We’ll let him work in selected assignments where we feel his presence is justified and respected. In four years he has worked in just two films."
Darsheel will now be shooting through the summer holidays for another project in Mumbai.
Says his father, "If the shooting doesn’t affect his studies and if his normal life doesn’t get hampered, I’ve no objection to him doing films. Darsheel is leading a very normal healthy life. He does everything that 14-year old boys do. He’s passionate about football and then cricket. We make sure he has time for these activities."
Darsheel’s 14th birthday was ushered in Sri Lanka in March during the shooting of Midnight’s Children. Says Darsheel, "Everyone in Sri Lanka took me for a day of water sports. My father gave me a laptop. All my friends from Mumbai called me in Sri Lanka to wish me."
