ART OF THE MATTER

ISHAAN KHATTER COMES CLEAN ON WHAT DRIVES HIM TO DO BETTER WHILE TALKING TO JITESH PILLAAI

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From making his debut with the celebrated Majid Majidi, to collaborating with visionary filmmakers like Mira Nair, Neeraj Ghaywan and Karan Johar, Ishaan Khatter choices reveal an actor constantly seeking reinvention rather than comfort. He belongs to a new generation of performers who move effortlessly between Indian and international cinema, carrying both vulnerability and charisma in equal measure. Few actors can claim the privilege of sharing screen space with Nicole Kidman so early in their journey. And he hasn't let all this go to his head. He's deeply self-reflective and aware. He's in wide-eyed love with the movies and raring to let himself lose every time. He smiles disarmingly as we do some off record chat before we begin...

Does your management team fear your choice of films?

I don't think so. I think the fear is the time that has often gone between films. That's something I have resolved to speed up. When I started, I had two very different films back-to-back. Beyond The Clouds with Majid Majidi was an international film. Details were kept hush-hush, it had a small theatrical release, flew under the radar but got a lot of love. About three months later, it was followed by Dhadak, which was a mainstream Hindi film experience, the quote-unquote "launch." It was just an opportunity to sink my teeth into a rare, meaty role which young actors don't usually get. I started really young; I was 21. That first year was overwhelming. I was wrapping my head around how I wanted to navigate the industry. I knew more of what I didn't want to do than what I wanted to do but that has changed. I'm much more in love with my profession now than even when I started.

How were the audition processes?