A GLOBAL STAR RISING

This Bollywood actor’ made his debut with a Majid Majidi film, went on to work with Mira Nair, and is now in news for his superlative act in a Nicole Kidman-starrer Netflix series. Ishaan Khatter is indeed going places— Hollywood, to be precise

- ANANYA GHOSH

Although he has grown up on the fringes of Bollywood, Shahid Kapoor's half-brother (an identity he hardly needs today but is proud of nonetheless) Ishaan Khatter's enviable career trajectory is unlike any actor, especially those having links to the industry. Having made an impeccable first impression with his earnest and unstilted portrayal of Amir, a hustler inhabiting the murky world of Mumbai's underbelly, in Beyond the Clouds (2017)-a movie directed by Majid Majidi, one of the most renowned auteurs of world cinema-he had made it amply clear that he is not here to follow the beaten path. So, it is hardly surprising that seven years later and having established himself as one of the most exciting actors of his generation with an oeuvre that includes works with directors as varied as Mira Nair (A Suitable Boy) and Karan Johar (Dhadak), he is today basking in the success of his Hollywood debut, the Nicole Kidman-starrer, The Perfect Couple.

"Hey, but mine was also supposed to be a Karan Johar debut!" quips Ishaan. But the movie was not Dhadak then. "We were in talks for a different project with a different director, eventually he wanted to make the remake of Sairat with me. Even then I was paired with a different debutante actress, it was not Janhvi (Kapoor). In the meantime, I auditioned for Beyond The Clouds and landed the part. Karan (Johar) was very magnanimous and asked me to go ahead with it," he says.

As we settle down for this interview, the first question that pops into my mind is: "How do you manage to bag these auditions and land such coveted projects?"

"Well, I am just that good!" pat comes a cheeky reply.