EXCLUSIVE: Paresh Rawal’s son Aditya Rawal REVEALS the role of his father he would want to play and it’s not Hera Pheri’s Baburao

Aditya Rawal recently made his theatrical debut with the Hansal Mehta-directed film Faraaz. The son of legendary Paresh Rawal, Aditya Rawal had done a couple of projects before, but this was his first theatre outing. He played a dreaded terrorist in the film.

Recently, Aditya Rawal got into a conversation with Bollywood Bubble where he opened up on being guided by Hansal, the toll it took playing a terrorist and more. He also opened up one being Paresh Rawal’s son, the advantages and disadvantages of it and the role of his he would like to play on screen. Excerpts from the interview with Aditya Rawal:

With Faraaz, you had your first theatrical experience. How was it?

“It’s been beautiful. When the film got into the BFI London Film Festival and we got to see it on the big screen, we didn’t know it will hit us the way it did. We had seen a version of it on the smaller screen. But the big screen experience was such that even Hansal sir said that it is a film that needs to be seen in the cinema. We always thought that eventually it will find its life on OTT, he said it might be the case, but the visceral experience of this film can be had only in cinema. And it happened.”

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Did playing a terrorist in Faraaz take a toll on you?

“I think any part you play has an effect on you, be it positive or negative. If you are invested in it, you always leave with a little bit of it in you, a little changed in some small way. In this case, the learning was pretty massive for me. These characters, what they do, is something so reprehensible, such a dastardly act, but beneath it all there is a layer of humanity that exists. Eventually, they are lost boys. So, to be able to understand that helped me find a way to play them.”

To work under a maverick like Hansal Mehta and see his craft live, how was that experience?

“It was amazing man. There is a scene in the film where a character is trying to reach out to a person he loves, but is unable to. When we were shooting it, sir wanted the character to be only seen from the back. I was curious as to why and he said, he wanted the viewers to feel bad for the guy but also not give him too much sympathy. After watching the film, about 3-4 people said the same thing to me, that it felt just right. It made them feel more emotional. Any intelligent person can have a great idea, but the requisite to execute that idea, is where I could see Hansal sir’s mastery.”

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What was your father’s reaction on seeing you on the big screen for the first time?

“He really liked the film. He was rather excited about it because he had heard from Hansal sir that he felt I had done good work. So, he went in with high expectations. And the expectations were met both with my performance and the film. So, I was pretty happy. He just came, shook my hand and gave me a hug. One pertinent thing he said to me was that people work for 10-15 years in films to be a part of something meaningful, something that they feel proud of. The fact that I got this opportunity so early on in my career and to work with someone like Hansal sir, I am a very lucky person.”

Hansal sir said he doesn’t make cinema for the box office, but for the content. However, for you as an actor, does those numbers matter, especially so early on in your career?

“As an actor, especially starting out, I don’t think it is my duty to think about the box office numbers, viability and all those things. And when it comes to what Hansal sir said, you have to understand that he is saying this after making a film that is economically viable. He makes films that are sustainable economically. They make their money back one way or another. It’s not like he is a filmmaker who is happy losing anyone’s money. He is a careful and diligent filmmaker. He is congnizant of the fact that filmmaking has to be sustainable economically. And I look at it very much the same way.”

Usually when star kids debut, there is a lot of hullaballoo around it. When you entered with Bumfaad, the scrutiny wasn’t as much there. Was it a sigh of relief or it pinched you a little?

“Well, it was a bit of both. There was that little bit of relief from the pressure but of course, there is a slight disappointment for you want more people to see your film. What I do hold dear to myself though, is the fact that whoever sees my work, should like my work and find it worthwhile. And that has been the case with Bumfaad, Aar Yaa Paar and Faraaz.”

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Your father is a legend in comedy. Do you plan to try out that genre too?

“Definitely, I would like to maybe do a comedy. I love doing it on stage so would like to do it in films as well. But I see only harm in comparing myself to him in that regard. I don’t bother with that.”

Being Paresh Rawal’s son Aditya Rawal is something to be proud of, but when it affects the work you get, does it get a little frustrating?

“Eventually the work you get depends on what you show you are capable of. Whatever little disadvantage there might be of having my father as Paresh Rawal and my mother as Swaroopa Rawal, the advantages of it far outweigh them. The astute guidance I receive from them or the accessibility I get because of the relationship they have fostered over time, there is a great advantage in that. That being said, you get work only if the makers see the potential in you. And that happens more after doing 3-4 projects. If you are not good, it doesn’t matter whose son you are, you won’t get work.“

If you have to choose a character of your father that you would love to play, who would that be?

“I would say Sardar is a fascinating film, with a fascinating character, made by a fascinating filmmaker Ketan Mehta. So, I would say that is a character I would love to explore.”

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