SRK, when he did his first film, was lampooned for his unconventional looks not just by critics, but also his female co-stars. Himesh is going through a similar phase. But, like the Bollywood Badshah, he is also determined to win hearts.
“Everybody secretly nurtures the desire to be a film star, but nobody admits it. Given an opportunity, who wouldn’t want to be admired and loved by millions? Everyone is a narcissist deep down. Don’t we admire ourselves in the mirror,” asks Himesh.
As a youngster he loved films, but never aspired to be an actor. “It’s only when I achieved so much through music that the thought of acting came. Across the world, we have rock stars getting into films. It’s not because anyone wants to compete with film stars, but because you want to reach the next level of creativity, to sustain the acceptance and be loved. Like actors move to something else when they feel they are running in reserve,” he explains.
Why did he decide to become a hero knowing that Bollywood is unkind to average lookers? “Let’s see where the winds of change take me. I am not competing with anyone. I know I don’t have a good-looking face, but I am working towards being one,” he says earnestly.
To that end, Himesh has acquired a new, lean look, he’s lost 10 kilos, his wardrobe boasts of trendy clothes made by his designer sister, and he’s enrolled for dance and fight classes.
But acting will not cut down on his composing or singing, Himesh will do that exclusively for his own films now. He’s got five films in 2009 — Hey Gujjubhai, where he plays a double role, Kajra Re, Mudh Mudh Ke Na Dekh Mud Mud Ke and John Mathew’s A New Love Ishtory where he’s the Aamir Khan of Rangeela. “It’s a full package, I have 40 songs hitting the market next year,” he says.
Meanwhile, Himesh Reshammiya’s Karzzzz, whose music by T-Series is already topping the charts (especially Tandoori Nights and Ek Haseena Thi), is releasing today. “Whenever I visualise myself as an actor, I think of Rishi Kapoor in Karz. This is my all-time favourite film, and it’s a kind of tribute that I am paying to him. If I can come even one per cent close to what Rishi has done — then I know I can deliver,” he says.
NEWS BY INDIA TIMES
