I never had it easy in life - Jackky Bhagnani

If you are the actor son of one of Bollywood's most successful film producers, you are often at risk of being stereotyped as the 'guy who got it all easy'. Unfortunately, an outsider's perceptions about those born in the lap of luxury can often be wrong. The same holds true for Jackky Bhagnani. The actor never had it easy despite being the son of Vashu Bhagnani. In an exclusive tete-a-tete with Tellychakkar.com, Jackky discusses life, fitness and films.

What sort of a childhood did you have?

I had a strict upbringing. I moved to Mumbai with my parents when I was three. I and my sister were not really allowed to do many things like going out partying with friends or picnics. We used to take annual family holidays but that's about it. So while we did have a few privileges, there were restrictions as well. I was also shy in school because of my weight. I was made fun of and never had any sense of belongingness. It was a battle I was fighting within myself. There was always this fear of failure I had in my mind then. After passing my 10^{th, I} went to my dad and told him that I want to work so as to make me feel good about myself. So I started assisting my dad with the film called Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein. I worked with him for four years.

What then finally made you go from fat to fit?

When I was 20, I told my dad about my acting aspirations. He completely rejected the idea. I was extremely fat and ugly and had asthama. So my dad very sweetly told me that he wouldn’t be able to do anything for me until I do something for my own self.  And that is when it hit me that I had to really do something and I started working out hard, very hard to lose all the weight. It took it three long years to shed all those unwanted weight. Many people say that I have got it pretty easy because of my father. Yes, my father is a producer and he produced my first film but for me to get that first film, I had to struggle a lot. So it was not a struggle where I had to go with my portfolio to other producers’ office but my struggle was of a different kind. Everyone needs to struggle. There is this myth that people born in the lap of luxuries don’t struggle. God has his ways of making every person’s struggle different from others. And he gives everyone a mind to see through that struggle. In my case, he gave me a creative mind but didn’t give me that body or health. So I had train hard to get this body. So that was my biggest struggle.

Always wanted to be an actor?

Always. I was hanging on sets day in and day out. So that inspired me. I have always loved all aspects of acting including dance. I used to be a good dancer even when I was fat. I have not become an actor to earn money. Fortunately, I have all that. I love telling a story and want to communicate with the audience and entertain them.

Your debut film Kal Kissne Dekha didn’t do well. How did it affect you as a newcomer then?

Kal Kissne Dekha was a film which mere alawa kisi aur ne nahi dekha. I lost weight and tried to do as much training as I could for the film. I was 23 when I did my first film. My dad had a style of film making. Those were the days when filmmaking was beginning to undergoing a change. I had a hero launch where I was doing action and dance. But the last hero launch that worked was Hrithik Roshan. After that there has been no hero launch. There is a film and you need to be a part of it and if the film works then you click as well. The idea of actor has changed now. You are only playing a part in the film. It can be a negative part or positive part. The path of becoming a superstar has changed. Ranbir Kapoor among the contemporary actors is a superstar not because he shows off his abs but because he is a great performer and has done great films.  Also, I was dejected not because my film didn’t work but because of the perceptions of people. India being a country of underdogs, everyone thinks I got it easy. They don’t know that it took me 10 years to reach here. What I realized is that I need to tell people my story, how I never got anything so easy. You need to struggle to earn your bread and butter. So if there is a boy who got it easy, even if he is good or not good, you don’t like him. It’s wrong but that is the truth. Had I got launched by someone else, maybe I wouldn’t have been judged like that.

F.A.L.T.U proved to be a success. Talk about it?

F.A.L.T.U was supposed to be my first film but it didn’t happen. So after Kal Kissne Dekha, I took the script to my dad and approached Remo asking him if he would like to direct it. He was the choreographer for my first film and we had a nice rapport. Interestingly, many people had asked us to change the name F.A.L.T.U. A lot of senior actors and director told dad and Remo, ‘Jackie’s first film has not worked, people anyways think he is faltu so why call his film F.A.L.T.U. Who will go to watch his film? I then met Raju Hirani at a party and asked him if I should change the name. He told me,’ if you change the name from F.A.L.T.U, this film will not work because 80% of the people in this country are treated as faltu. Geniuses are only 2% who are born and the rest become geniuses from faltu. So don’t change the name was his advice and I am thankful that we heeded to the same.

Rangrezz earned you great critical acclaim but the film didn’t do well at box-office. Comment?

Rangrezz was nice as a lot of people finally praised my work as an actor. I still stand by that film even though it didn’t do the business that we were expecting it to do. This industry works more on box-office rather than performances. Also what happens is that in a case like mine because my surname is attached to the production house just performance will not work in my favour. I need to deliver both performance and box-office figures. Had Rangrezz had been done by a production house then I would have been judged only on my performance.

Tell us more about your upcoming release, Welcome 2 Karachi?

It is a fun film about two guys who leave from Gujarat in a boat which drowns. They swim back to the shore thinking they have reached India but end up realizing that it’s Karachi. It’s in the dumb and dumber zone.

You stepped into Irrfan Khan’s shoes. Any concerns?

I didn't want to do a film with Puja films after Youngistan because the latter gave me enough boost to go outside and grab films. But before I could achieve that Irrfan left the film for reasons best known to him. For the first time in my life, my father turned around and said, ‘I need you.’ And I simply had to be there. I can’t repay my father even if I sell my kidneys off. So I was in that position where god gave me that chance to repay my father in a small way.

Finally, tell us are you dating Neha Sharma?

I am single as for now and would like to keep it that way for the moment. Neha and I are great friends. She is highly underrated as an actor. Since she is a pretty looking girl, people overlook her performance.