Sunny Hinduja On Doing a Remake with Shehzada: 'Didn't Have Many Projects to Pick and Choose' | Exclusive

Sunny Hinduja is keeping quite busy these days. The actor, who had floored us with his performance in The Family Man, would next be seen in Thai Massage alongside Divyenndu and Gajraj Rao. He will also be a part of Shehzada. In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, the actor opened up about his upcoming projects Shehzada and Thai Massage, his struggle in the film industry and how he had a phase where he had shot for 5-7 films but none of those could release.

Come August, and we will get to see Sunny in Thai Massage. The film, backed by Imtiaz Ali, is said to be about erectile dysfunction in a septuagenarian. Sunny is super excited to be a part of the project. Calling the concept ‘hatke’, he promises that it will be nothing like what the audience has seen before. Talking about working alongside Divyenndu and Gajraj Rao, Sunny said, “Divyenndu has been my senior at FTII. So we know each other very well. It was a very special to have worked with him. We’ve had a great camaraderie since FTII days, so we had a great time on and off set."

Talking about Gajraj Rao, who plays his father in the film, Sunny said, “He has that vibe, that fatherly affection and love. It was very easy to play his son and I felt I have made a strong connection." He also said Gajraj Rao would joke that the boys from FTII would come over-prepared on the sets of the film. He added that the audience needs to see Thai Massage just for the senior actor.

Thai Massage is backed by Imtiaz Ali and Sunny recalled starting the project with a ‘lot of nervousness’. He said, “It was quite special. I started this film with a lot of nervousness and a lot of expectations for myself. I felt this is THE project because I bagged it even before The Aspirants and The Family Man released. I’m a huge fan of Imtiaz sir."

Sunny will then be seen in the Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo remake, Shehzada. He reveals that only a portion of Shehzada’s shoot is now left to be finished. Talking about the character, he said, “I’m playing the antagonist in the film. The character is quite stylish, suave and very rich. There’s a completely different vibe about him – very stern, very straightforward and really passionate about his work and his things, very particular and very unpredictable." He added that he has not seen the Allu Arjun starrer original.

When probed about whether he has thought about comparisons with the original since Shehzada is a remake, Sunny quipped, “Well, first of all, mere paas koi choice nahi thi ki bohot saare projects ho mere paas aur main mana kar doon project (I did not have the choice that I have quite a few projects and I will say no to something). Secondly, it seldom happens that people like Rohit Dhawan approach you for a project. So was a special moment for me because I really love Rohit sir. He is a fantastic director and more so an amazing human being. So his energy, his vibe and his love and his passion for his project and and his love for me – all these things were there and I could not say no to it. And I didn’t even think about Shehzada being a remake, it’s just like any other project."

The FTII graduate had bagged his first film even before he had passed out of college. However, despite achieving it and shooting for more films in the coming years, Sunny Hinduja had a bad phase since none of the films actually got to release in theatres. The actor recalls, “I got my first film when I was studying in FTII, which was called Cycle Kick. The director of the Institute gave me the permission so that was really special for me. So it started from there, and things do happen. So this film did not release for the next five years and in between I did 5-7 more films, which too never got to see the light of the day. During that time- between 2008- 2012, suddenly there was a boom in the marketing and publicity and the amount of budget that was required to produce the film was equal or sometimes less than the amount required to release the film. So, it was difficult for the producers to back or to spend so much for a new face, like me, and people didn’t know me much at that time. So that’s when all my films got stuck and became difficult for those to release."

He feels that it is due to OTT that he is able to showcase his talent and his potential. “But thanks to the OTT platform, which has given me sort of second innings or you could say the beginning of my innings. I think OTT platform is a boom for talent in the entire fraternity; not just actors, but technician, crew, writers. So really thankful that things have turned out in this way I had never imagined but I’m happy how things are going in my life right now," he concluded.

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