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EXCLUSIVE: Father's Day Special- Rajesh Khattar talks about son Ishaan Khatter, Dhadak trailer & Janhvi Kapoor
On the occasion of Father's Day, we EXCLUSIVELY got in touch with Rajesh Khattar for a quick interaction to discuss fatherhood, his reaction on Dhadak Trailer and Ishaan Khatter's on-screen chemistry with Janhvi Kapoor.
A talented actor with a finesse to pull off any character under the sun, Rajesh Khatter has been around for over 20 years with an excellent body of work across streams, be it theatres, movies, films or web. In addition to this, the actor is also a well-known voiceover artist. He is also a father to the Beyond the Clouds actor Ishaan Khatter, who will soon be seen in Dhadak opposite debutante Janhvi Kapoor, late actor Sridevi's daughter.
On the occasion of Father's Day, we EXCLUSIVELY got in touch with the actor for a quick interaction to discuss fatherhood, his reaction on Dhadak Trailer and Ishaan's on-screen chemistry with Janhvi.
Describing himself as a father who believes in giving space to his children, senior Khattar said, "I would never give a piece of advice whether it is a personal or professional one as I don't believe in it. They [children] are grown-up and intelligent and I respect their intelligence. I am not going to tell them that this is right or this is wrong but I will help them to understand what is right or wrong and then they can take your call. I have faith in them that they will take the right decisions."
He quickly added, "There is this fantastic quote by Kahlil Gibran that 'Your children come through you, not for you.' After a time, all children have to be on their own. Though as parents you always want to cushion them, however, when life throws new challenges, they have to take their own calls."
Mentioning Dhadak, we asked if he has seen the trailer and what does he think of Ishaan's performance in it? To this, the proud father added, "Of course, I saw it. He brings in a rawness in the character with a sincerity, and that is the hallmark of a performer. What I felt about Dhadak trailer was that the more you see it, the more it grows on you. Then you start looking into the characters."
"It [Dhadak Trailer] is looking really promising, both the boy and the girl. Now, it all depends on the audience's reaction to it," he continued.
When asked what according to him are the strengths of Ishaan as an actor, Rajesh laughed and replied, "It is funny for me to try and analyze, in fact, he [Ishaan] internalizes the character. His character Madhur in Dhadak and Aamir in Beyond The Clouds are completely different and he is just beginning. If in the beginning, he can bring in this demarcation then I mean I said it all."
As everyone has their eye on Janhvi and Ishaan's onscreen chemistry, we asked Rajesh his opinion on the same. He added, "I think it looks amazing. I am just waiting to see the entire film."
Well, any interaction with a star family is incomplete without the mention of nepotism. When asked about his opinion on the much-debated topic, Rajesh prompted, "About nepotism, I have already said that it has become like an open defecation ground where people can shit on anybody and that is why they keep on harping about it. A lot of nepotism that exists, actually, exists outside this industry because in this industry, behind the camera a director's son becomes a director and a producer's son becomes a producer and that is still understandable that they are carrying their legacy but for actors, it is very very different. A superstar cannot guarantee his son would be a superstar. A newcomer coming from anywhere, whether it is a Ranveer Singh coming or way back when Govinda entered or closer now Rajkummar Rao, they have made their mark. You can be coming from anywhere but people guage you for your work."
He continued, "I don't want to name but there have seen superstar kids who have not been anywhere. The bottom line is very simple, public acceptance, and Ishaan knows it very well."
However, when argued that the entire crux of the debate is that a star kid despite delivering flops is never really out of work while the case is not the same for a newcomer, Rajesh countered, "That's a redundant argument. About 700 movies releases in a year, out of which, established artists just do 30-40 films. Rest all have a newcomer, out of which, not even 10 % have the nepotistic family background. The fact of the matter is one cannot say an Alia Bhatt is an Alia Bhatt because of her father. She has proven her talent time and again. Then people say that she got a break because of that. No one gives a break to a director's daughter."
He further stressed, "Coming back to Ishaan, he is not coming up with any baggage of legacy. He has always said this that he did not choose the movie, the movie chose him. He cannot go to a Majid Majidi and say 'you take me'. In fact, Majidi Majidi did screen test of established actors and said no, why would he cast a rank newcomer, and there lies the answer. He will only choose his character, he will never choose the background. So, Ishaan did not get BTC because of that. In fact, he never got Dhadak because he was Shahid's brother or because he was my son."
"Like I say, every child is born with his or her destiny what he does with it is what matters," he concluded.
Now that was indeed a proud father speaking.
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