Fawad on Bollywood co-stars

Cross-border film star Fawad Khan, who has worked on a number of Bollywood films, told Nukta Dubai what he admires about the Indian heroines he has starred with.

Beginning with Sonam Kapoor, who was his co-star in his Bollywood debut Khoobsurat, Fawad said, “I think she’s unfiltered, which is absolutely amazing. She says what’s on her mind, and she’s a very good person at heart.”

Next up was Alia Bhatt, who starred opposite him and Siddharth Malhotra in Kapoor & Sons, which chronicles the tale of a dysfunctional family. “Alia has got a lot of energy. I think she’s also an amazing person to work with. All of them are talented of course, but with Alia, it’s the energy [that shines]. You have to be on your toes,” Fawad said.

The Humsafar actor had similar praises for Anushka Sharma, who briefly paired up with him in romance film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. “Again, energy. Yeah, lots of energy,” Fawad stressed. “In all these people, there is one thing that’s common, and I feel that it’s one common compliment.”

Adding in praise for his latest Indian co-star Vaani Kapoor, who he will be seen with in Abir Gulaal next month, Fawad said, “Vaani is a very gifted performer.”

The Zindagi Gulzar Hai actor summed up his observations with gratitude towards all his peers. “My main compliment to all these people is that they are good at heart,” he said. “They’re good people. And when people are sincerely virtuous then it is fun to work with them, which is even true for the ones I’ve worked with in Pakistan. As long as you’re not having a bad day, you’ll find that most people are good at heart, which is something that I’m thankful for.”

Selectively camera-shy

The praises come days after Fawad bumped into Atif Aslam, who roped the actor into his newfound reel-making hobby on Instagram. The singer also included The Legend of Maula Jatt director Bilal Lashari and the film’s other star Faris Shafi into his shenanigans.

“How it feels when the OG friend group finally gets back together,” read the text on the reel, as all involved celebrities strutted in the camera’s direction. “Avengers assemble,” Atif added in the caption.

Naturally, the casual collaboration stirred up rumours about something bigger in store. Addressing the speculation during the interview, Fawad said, “Atif is Atif. He’s like the pride of Pakistan, so it would be an honour to work with him on something. And I’ve heard people are really into making reels these days.”

Like Atif who was with Jal before becoming a solo act, Fawad too was formerly part of Entity Paradigm (EP) prior to the music group’s disbanding. Though when it comes to making reels like Atif, Fawad can’t relate. “I’m not that talented,” he swiftly admitted. “I’m not that gifted. I can’t do it. I’m not good at it.”

Despite his selective camera-shyness, Fawad is adored internationally for his onscreen presence. From playing suave heartthrobs to portraying action heroes, he has dabbled in a variety of roles that keep his fans anticipating what’s next.

On why he chose Abir Gulaal as his next venture, Fawad said, “In recent times, whatever work I’ve done has been of a serious nature – very dramatic, and perhaps even traumatising. Like Maula Jatt, which had a lot of bloodshed but was a different project for me too.”

Fawad feels that it’s easy to fall into a cycle while pursuing something new, so he decided to reassess and swing back to his roots. “I think it was time for something very sweet and simple that would bring me back to the basics, and that was Abir Gulaal.”