Bollywood’s current favourite pin-up boy Ishaan Khatter has set social media on fire with his turn as the brooding, sexy, Maharaja in The Royals. Women across age-groups are hailing him as the ‘real plot’ of the show, as the camera constantly lingers on the often shirtless actor’s washboard abs and toned physique.
Has he had the time to go through the excited comments? “I have seen pretty much all of it, it is fun,” he answers cheekily.
However, the actor adds, on a serious note, that he was drawn to both the character and the world the story was set in, describing the film as an eccentric take on modern royals. “It was fresh, and I thought the satirical angle, juxtaposition between the haves and the have-nots, and the fact that the name and heritage they’re kind of living on is taken away from them, were really interesting.”
Having made his film debut in Majid Majidi’s Beyond the Clouds in 2017, followed by his Bollywood debut in the tragic romantic drama Dhadak in 2018, Ishaan’s filmography includes Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy, The Perfect Stranger with Nicole Kidman and films such as Pippa and Phone Booth. He says he is currently in an exploratory phase.
“I thought it was about time to be part of the romantic genre. I don’t mean it pompously, I felt I could add something to it as well as take from it. My new projects came at a time when I was ready to take the leap. I am able to deep dive into roles that come at a time when I think I really need them,” he shares.
As The Royals continues to top viewing charts despite mixed reviews, Ishaan is gearing up for his Cannes debut, with Homebound. The short film directed by Masaan director Neeraj Ghaywan will premiere at the festival on May 21 as part of the Un Certain Regard section. Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorcese joined the project as executive producer.
“Homebound is something that came to me, while I was shooting The Royals. I have been wanting to work with Neeraj Ghaywan for the last ten years, even before I started my career as a leading man. I loved Masaan, and his work since then. I was praying and hoping that someday there would be the right film for me to work with him. With Mr Scorcese coming on board, it is just a dream. It is a rare film, which bears Neeraj’s signature and it is also my most challenging part to date. It is a proud moment for us all that we have an Indian film competing at Cannes, and hope we can put up a good show,” says the young actor.
Homebound reunites him with his Dhadak co-star Jhanvi Kapoor, seven years after they first shared screen space. Calling the experience wonderful, Ishaan says the film is equally special for Jhanvi. “If I may speak on her behalf, the film in some ways is personal for her. I’m excited for people to see her work in the film as well. For all of us who worked on this film, it was a passion project, we all wanted to be part of it, and each one of us had our reasons.”