Mardaani 2 is one of those rare films, which has been narrated by the villain in the first person. Vishal Jethwa plays Sunny – a psychopath, who rapes and murders girls for fun. He’s so good at being bad that he’s been applauded left, right and centre for his performance. The young actor has proved his potential no doubt.
Vishal has been overwhelmed by all the outpouring of ‘love’, to say the least. He recounts how after one of the screenings, a woman came up and thanked his mother for giving birth to such a fine actor like him. The actor was thrilled to bits by that as he adores his mother. “I lost my father in 2008. Since then my mother took over the responsibility of my elder sister and me. My mother worked as a saleswoman at a supermarket. Later she started selling items like purses, kurtis, t-shirts and all from home. She has even served food at weddings to earn that extra buck,” shares an emotional Vishal.
He started his career as a background dancer in 2009. He danced with Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Asin during the promotions of London Dreams. That’s when the acting bug bit him. Vishal thought of joining an acting class in his vicinity in Mira Road. But the high fees put him off. His mother arranged for the money and got him enrolled. “I started doing theatre and later joined TV. In my first serial, Parvarish - Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi (2011), I was only required to laugh,” he recalls. His big break came in 2013 with Bharat Ke Veer Putra-Maharana Pratap, where he got to play young Akbar, apart from roles in shows like Crime Petrol, Peshwa Bajirao and Diya Aur Baati Hum. A prudent Vishal didn’t neglect his education and managed to gain a B. Com degree despite the hectic schedules.
The actor mentions that there are several, who never get a chance to step inside YRF Studios their entire lives. So it was a dream-come-true when he got a call from Shanoo Sharma, the casting head at the studio. A few days later, he met Gopi Puthran, the director of Mardaani 2, with whom he had to undergo five rounds of auditions. From 250 candidates, three were shortlisted. Later, he was the only one left. He was then asked to meet YRF head honcho, Aditya Chopra. Vishal put on his best clothes and was nervous as hell till he set foot inside Aditya Chopra’s cabin. The filmmaker’s affable attitude put him at ease immediately. “Adi sir told me there’s a difference between a two-minute audition and a two-hour film. I should keep that in mind. He mentioned that my co-star would be Rani Mukerji. So I’d have to be at my best throughout. He advised me to surrender myself completely to the director’s vision.”
Vishal was apprehensive about acting with Rani but she allayed his fears at their first meeting itself. “She shook my hands and said, ‘We’ll be friends on the sets. You can come to me anytime to discuss anything’.” He reveals that the fight scenes with her were difficult to execute because she was still the iconic actor, he’d grown up watching. He was afraid he might hurt her. “It would have been different if she was a guy because we would have become pals by then. But I could barely manage to talk to her and hence fighting with her was difficult. The underwater shots were difficult as well. We both don’t know how to swim,” he reveals.
Though his character is called Sunny in the film, paradoxically he lives in a dark mental space. To get under the skin of his complex character, he attended workshops. He visited Meerut to grasp the body language and get the ethnicity right. Moreover, it was his fake innocence that made it a menacing portrayal.
Vishal is keen to work with directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Imtiaz Ali. He hasn’t signed anything post Mardaani 2 but plans to announce something big soon. He mentions he’s afraid of the high life and wants to remain the same guy, who helps his mother in the kitchen. “My sister calls me a scaredy-cat but I can’t let go of my nature. Maybe in future, I’ll let go of my inhibitions and get used to the stardom.” We agree with you Vishal.
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