Sahil Mehta on working with Janhvi Kapoor in ‘Good Luck Jerry’: I was amazed to see her energy! – Exclusive – Times of India

Sahil Mehta who made his mark in the web space with his roles in ‘Made in Heaven’, ‘Guilty’ and ‘Tabbar’ has his hands full with two much-awaited films in the pipeline ready for release. He shares screen with Janhvi Kapoor in ‘Good Luck Jerry’ that hits the OTT screens on July 29. He will also be seen alongside Akshay Kumar in Anand L Rai’s ‘Raksha Bandhan’ that is slated for a theatrical release on August 11. Sahil, who plays the role of a 20-year-old Sikh boy from Punjab learning the business of drugs and crime, sat for an exclusive chat with ETimes and spoke at length about his role, working with Janhvi Kapoor, and more. Excerpts:

‘Good Luck Jerry’ is just about to be released. Comparisons with the Tamil original ‘Kolamaavu Kokila’ are bound to be there…

Well, I would say I am really excited for ‘Good Luck Jerry’, but yes comparisons are definitely going to be there. But what I believe is if a film is that worthy enough to be remade then there is something interesting in that particular film and it should reach the mass audience and that is why ‘Good Luck Jerry’ is made. When I got to know about ‘Good Luck Jerry’, I did not know about the original film and when I read the script, I thought it has that element to entertain the audience and that’s all we are here for, right? To take the pain and entertain. ‘Good Luck Jerry’ is a very nice, quirky, funny, comedy film.

How did you prepare for the role of Jigar?
Well, I would not say it was tough but it was quite challenging for me. If there is no challenge in preparing for a role then I don’t think so you get the satisfaction as an actor. When I read the script, I got to know that Jigar is such a sharp guy and such a smart guy. Every single time when you get to portray a character, you get to explore a side of yourself. And here, I got to explore a side of Sahil and that was a very good experience. I remember I did not cut my hair and was sitting under the sunlight to get a natural tan but did not get much, so I had to use makeup. Sardars don’t cut their hair so I did not cut my hair for six-seven months, not just the facial hair but the entire body. It was such a great experience to play Jigar and also, I had an excellent coordination with the other co-actor, right now I cannot disclose much about his character. Sometimes you get to make bonds in real life as well, even when you are working on a project.

How was it working with Janhvi Kapoor? What aspects of her personality did you discover that people are not usually aware of?
Janhvi Kapoor is such a sweetheart. I mean, of course, for me as an outsider, I was like let’s see how the first day would be, but it was very nice. She is such a sweetheart, she calms you down, she is very nice to you, very sweet to you and slowly we bonded well and played games in between the scenes. I remember I taught Janhvi a card game and every single time she was like ‘let’s play it’. She is very hardworking, she was shuffling between the shoots. I remember we were shooting the climax of ‘Good Luck Jerry’ and Janhvi’s other movie ‘Roohi’ was releasing. Ao she was constantly shuffling between Punjab and Mumbai for her promotions and shooting for ‘Good Luck Jerry’ back and forth and I was so amazed to see that, what an energy she has!


Recently, a debate was sparked about South vs Hindi cinema. What’s your take on remaking South films in Bollywood?

I think there is no harm in remaking any film be it a South film or an International film, the purpose is to be a part of good stories and tell good stories. Like what I said earlier it is all about entertaining. So, I think there is no harm in remaking, it is just that good stories should reach more people.