Mili, actor Sunny Kaushal’s second theatrical outing this year after Hurdang, has hit the big screen today. The Hindi remake of the award winning and acclaimed Malayalam survival thriller Helen (2019) sees him take on the role of actor-producer Noble Babu Thomas. Despite that, Sunny asserts that there’s no room for comparison with the original actor and the Anna Ben starring film and insists that though the soul of Helen and Mili is the same, they are quite different in terms of their settings and treatment.
In an exclusive chat with News18, he says, “I first saw Helen and then read the script of Mili. The makers of Mili have completely adapted the former into a different culture. While the former was a Malayalam film rooted in its culture, our film is set in Dehradun.”
Also read: Sunny Kaushal Arrives In Style At Mili Screening, Poses With Brother Vicky Kaushal and Parents; See Pics
Talking about how his character is quite different from Noble’s Azhar in Helen, he elaborates, “I don’t think I could have played my character the same way as Noble Babu. I had my own interpretation of it. So, I sat with Mathu (Mathukutty Xavier; director) sir and told him about the things that I wanted to change and thus, approach my character as a completely fresh part. We worked on it and put a little more vulnerability into it. We had to heighten those traits up.”
The idea was to add a tinge of novelty to the remake since the original narrative has already been watched by many. Sunny explains, “I think I got into Mili with a clean slate, which wasn’t based on what I saw in Helen. I didn’t want to do the same thing but bring in something different to the table. Having said that, Noble Babu did an absolutely fantastic job.”
A reason why Mili is very close to Sunny’s heart is the fact that it marks his first feature film collaboration with his father, Sham Kaushal. In fact, the trailer launch event of the film saw the veteran action director representing his son on the stage. “My father’s support means the world to me. He’s very proud of me,” the 33-year-old shares, adding, “I had first collaborated with him on The Forgotten Army. He was the action director on the show, which was a full-fledged action series. In Mili, there are a couple of action sequences which he has choreographed. He was there at the trailer launch not just in the capacity of an action director but also to represent me because I couldn’t make it.”
A while back, apart from producer Boney Kapoor, notable lyricist Javed Akhtar, who is also a part of the film, praised his acting chops and called him ‘the surprise package’ in the film. Ask him about how he feels about being appreciated by stalwarts in the film industry and he says, “It doesn’t put a greater pressure on me but makes me feel a lot of gratitude. Javed saab complimenting me is such a big thing! These words motivate you to do greater work as an actor and be a better person. As for Boney sir, he’s a real sweetheart. I just want to stay true to the words that people feel for me.”
Despite Mili being an intense film about a girl getting stuck in a freezer and fighting to stay alive, Sunny reveals that the ambience on set was quite the opposite. “Once Mili (essayed by Janhvi Kapoor) gets stuck in the freezer, the film becomes a lot about her father, played by (Manoj) Pahwa sir, and my character. And we had a lot of fun on set. He shared such amazing stories from his life that before the camera went rolling, we were just laughing! He’s really very funny and a sweet guy to work with.”
The actor, who is currently shooting for Letters To Mr Khanna, adds, “Mili is an intense film, but you don’t necessarily need to be that intense off-camera as well. So, Janhvi and I were pretty chill while on set.”
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Also read: Sunny Kaushal Arrives In Style At Mili Screening, Poses With Brother Vicky Kaushal and Parents; See Pics
Talking about how his character is quite different from Noble’s Azhar in Helen, he elaborates, “I don’t think I could have played my character the same way as Noble Babu. I had my own interpretation of it. So, I sat with Mathu (Mathukutty Xavier; director) sir and told him about the things that I wanted to change and thus, approach my character as a completely fresh part. We worked on it and put a little more vulnerability into it. We had to heighten those traits up.”
The idea was to add a tinge of novelty to the remake since the original narrative has already been watched by many. Sunny explains, “I think I got into Mili with a clean slate, which wasn’t based on what I saw in Helen. I didn’t want to do the same thing but bring in something different to the table. Having said that, Noble Babu did an absolutely fantastic job.”
A reason why Mili is very close to Sunny’s heart is the fact that it marks his first feature film collaboration with his father, Sham Kaushal. In fact, the trailer launch event of the film saw the veteran action director representing his son on the stage. “My father’s support means the world to me. He’s very proud of me,” the 33-year-old shares, adding, “I had first collaborated with him on The Forgotten Army. He was the action director on the show, which was a full-fledged action series. In Mili, there are a couple of action sequences which he has choreographed. He was there at the trailer launch not just in the capacity of an action director but also to represent me because I couldn’t make it.”
A while back, apart from producer Boney Kapoor, notable lyricist Javed Akhtar, who is also a part of the film, praised his acting chops and called him ‘the surprise package’ in the film. Ask him about how he feels about being appreciated by stalwarts in the film industry and he says, “It doesn’t put a greater pressure on me but makes me feel a lot of gratitude. Javed saab complimenting me is such a big thing! These words motivate you to do greater work as an actor and be a better person. As for Boney sir, he’s a real sweetheart. I just want to stay true to the words that people feel for me.”
Despite Mili being an intense film about a girl getting stuck in a freezer and fighting to stay alive, Sunny reveals that the ambience on set was quite the opposite. “Once Mili (essayed by Janhvi Kapoor) gets stuck in the freezer, the film becomes a lot about her father, played by (Manoj) Pahwa sir, and my character. And we had a lot of fun on set. He shared such amazing stories from his life that before the camera went rolling, we were just laughing! He’s really very funny and a sweet guy to work with.”
The actor, who is currently shooting for Letters To Mr Khanna, adds, “Mili is an intense film, but you don’t necessarily need to be that intense off-camera as well. So, Janhvi and I were pretty chill while on set.”
Read all the Latest Movies News here
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