Vivan Bhathena: Working with Akshay Kumar and Rohit Shetty in ‘Sooryavanshi’ is an experience that you can never forget – Times of India


After establishing himself on the small screen, Vivan Bhathena is slowly but steadily making his mark on the silver screen. The actor has impressed one and all with his power-packed performances in films like, ‘Dangal’, ‘Hero’, ‘Judwaa 2’ and the most recent ‘Sooryavanshi’. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, the actor spilled the beans on films that are close to heart, working with superstars like Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and more. Excerpts…

You have been a part of some big and hit projects like, ‘Chak De! India’, ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’, ‘Dangal’, ‘Judwaa 2’, and now ‘Sooryavanshi’ – which film is closest to your heart and why?
I have consciously decided to be part of some big films because they are the ones that people watch. You can wait for a bigger role in a film of your own but if nobody watches it, there is no point. I wanted to be seen, showcase my work and be a part of good cinema. The only choice you have as an actor is to take opportunities that come to you and do even the smaller roles.

It did hurt me in a lot of ways because once you start doing smaller roles people don’t see you in a lead role. However, things are changing. People are understanding talent and how it works. The advent of OTT is also changing things.

Out of the films that you have mentioned, ‘Dangal’ is very close to my heart. I am thankful to Aamir Khan sir for giving me that opportunity. Also, ‘Hero’ is close to my heart. Nikkhil Advani was one of the first ones to recognise that I can be more than a one-dimensional bad guy. He gave me a very interesting role. He, along with Salman Khan sir, gave me an opportunity to do a faceoff against a younger hero and plant myself as a new age villain.

‘Sooryavanshi’ is also great because of Akshay Kumar sir and Rohit Shetty sir and all the amazing time we had on the set. It was one of those experiences that you can never forget.

You have shared screen space with Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and many others – who according to you was an absolute delight to work with?
I think all come with different types of experiences. Akshay sir is fun to work with. He is very funny and he brings light-hearted humour to the set all the time. He brings this energy to the set that you want to be a part of. Aamir sir is very thorough and professional. There is so much you can learn from him in terms of performance and everything. Shah Rukh Khan sir is so diligent and hardworking. He puts in so much effort even when he is not on the set. There is a lot to take away from that.

After waiting for more than a year, ‘Sooryavanshi’ has finally been released in the theatres. What kind of reactions have you been receiving from your audience?
‘Sooryavanshi’ has had a great run. I think in this day and age, to make a Rs 200 crore film and be in that club is just amazing. It also faced a lot of hurdles. It had just 50 per cent of the audience. I am pretty sure if we had 100 per cent audience, we would have crossed Rs 300-Rs 400 crore mark at the box office.

I have been receiving messages from people across the world. They have been praising my performance. It feels overwhelming to have the love and support of the international audience as well. It is fantastic.

How was it on the sets of the film with Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh? Can you share any fun or interesting anecdotes from the sets?
Ranveer Singh is hilarious. When he comes on the set, he brings in a kind of energy. Once he leaves, the entire mood is lightened up. Akshay sir use to pull his leg as he is a junior and we all got to be a part of it. Ajay sir is very professional. I have never worked with him before so it was quite an experience.

Akshay sir had built this temporary pull-up rod on the set where he organised a pull-up competition to see how many pull-ups we can do. So it was quite a journey to be a part of.

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