In Conversation with Neil Nitin Mukesh

The actor talks about his tiff with his father, his roles, singing and mimicry

You’re the boy du jour post New York’s success. Heartthrob? Feels good. It’s a humbling experience being appreciated by the audience. My father always says that as a tree grows bigger and taller, it starts bending down towards its roots and a successful human being should learn from that.

Only three films old, yet your talent is undeniable... I credit my directors, Sriram Raghavan, Jehangir Surti and Kabir Khan. I’m careful about the films I take up. I go by my instinct. I like layered roles, which is why I debuted with Johnny Gaddaar as an antagonist. My father was against my decision because he thought it was the wrong vehicle for Mukesh’s grandson to debut with. We didn’t speak for months. I’m the kind of person who likes to make people smile and when my father and I didn’t see eye to eye, I didn’t know how to fight that battle. Worse, the film got stuck for a year and a half. When I showed my father the film on the day of release, he said, “Son, today I have started respecting you.” This was a big moment.

You’re also a great mimic as was apparent on Salman Khan’s 10 Ka Dum. I’ve always loved mimicry and I think it shows how big a fan you are of the star. It was intimidating to do so in front of Salman at first, but then I enjoyed myself.

You sang the title track for Aa Dekhen Zara. You plan to continue singing, hopefully? Indeed, I do. I hummed a line from my grandfather Mukesh’s song in New York in sync sound. I plan to cut an album soon. I also love doing charcoal portraits, playing the piano and photography.