Journey from a child actor to the main role
Dastur is no longer a child artiste as he returns to the screen as the male lead for the first time in Piyush Jha’s Sikandar. “I have been part of almost seven films and many commercials as a child artiste. But I’d say this is the first where I have long dialogues and I’m really excited about it. The journey has been very exciting and I have really enjoyed myself. It was like a dream come true for me to be a part of such an exquisite script and an enormously talented star cast. I could not have wished for anything better than to be working with such a talented cast and crew for such an awesome flick. It’s really surprising you know because it’s been 10 years since we shot for Kuch Kuch … but people still recognise me,” says Dastur.
Portraying the role of a 14-year-old Kashmiri boy whose life takes a dramatic turn when he comes across a gun on his way back from school, Dastur is not worried about taking up serious cinema. “I’ve done a serious role in Parzaania as well. Sikandar is an offbeat subject to start with but more importantly it is a great story that needed to be told. It’s story is set in Kashmir and revolves around a 14-year-old boy Talat Raza played by me and his life goes through a roller-coaster ride when he falls into the trap of militants. I am sure I will be able to win my audience again and they will definitely appreciate Sikandar,” explains an enthusiastic Dastur.
“In Sikander I have a lot of screen time, which will give my career a boom. Piyush (the director) liked my performance in Parzania and contacted me in 2007 for this role. That’s how it happened. I am an artist and I am always ready to take up interesting roles like that of Talat. I had to go through screen test and then I was selected. It involved a lot of hard work since there is no gain without pain. (laughs) I knew that Sikandar was something special and I really needed to put in my best as far as acting is concerned,’’ says Dastur.
About co-star Ayesha Kapur
Working with Ayesha was a wonderful experience. My pairing up with her was very comfortable because we are like a family. I’m friendly with her and it was a very positive atmosphere all the way. Words fall short in explaining the kind of human being she is.
I have seen her work in Black and most-definitely she will soon be one of the most sought after actresses because she has very good body language and adopts the character really well. She is always prepared and knows what she exactly wants and that makes her so special.
Experience with SRK Oh Man….
Those were some of the most memorable moments of my life. He’s awesome and an enormously talented actor. I believe that SRK is an epitome of Indian film industry and I really loved to have worked with him. He portrays all his characters with so much élan and panache and exudes charm on the screen.
Accepted as an adult actor
I have been very fortunate to share screen space with some really talented actors with an exceptional knowledge of acting when I was a child artiste. It was like an on the job learning process which has taught me a lot. I received lot of appreciation as well as encouraging feedback from people for my acting, which I gratefully accepted so definitely I will be in the league of adult actors. I hope that the audiences like my performance in this genre too as Talat is a character full of diverse shades and emotions.
USP of the film
Sikandar is a suspense thriller, which conveys the emotions of a 14-year-old boy in an engrossing way; also the characters of the movie have been carved out to perfection with ample finesse and would surely create an everlasting impression in the minds of the audience. Apart from stupendous characterisation, I think the exquisite story line itself is the USP of this flick and none of the audience would be disappointed by it.
What next?
Still unsure about his future plans, he says he’s keen on being an executive with a big multinational firm or a musician. Well, a lot of things are in process let’s wait and watch.
swati@epmltd.com
Sikandar, which will hit theatres on August 21, is produced by Big Pictures and Sudhir Mishra and has child actors Parzan Dastur and Ayesha Kapoor playing lead
characters. It also features actors like Sanjay Suri and R Madhavan in pivotol roles. Set in Jammu and Kashmir, the film centres around a teenage boy, who dreams
of playing football at the national level, and his friend, played by Ayesha Kapoor. But one day he finds a gun on the road and things change for him thereafter.
Though the film has children as its protagonists, the director refuses to call it a children’s film.
