Q. You said in an interview that the switch from a chartered accountant to an actor was the biggest risk you’ve taken. That seems to have paid off with the glowing reviews you’ve got for Gold right?
Sunny Kaushal: Yeah it has, it really has. See, moving from chartered accountancy to acting was more of an epiphany that I had. I realised that I don’t want to spend time learning something I’m not going to do, I’d rather spend my time in learning something that I will do. But what has paid off really is the grind post that. That’s just a shift that you make once you realise what you want to do in life, but after that when the grind begins in the career that you choose is what pays off later. And that is what has happened - about six, seven years of sheer hard work.
Q. In Gold, you played Himmat Singh who opened the scoring against Great Britain as early as in the third minute during the 1948 Olympics. What was the auditioning process? Also what was the preparation for that like?
Sunny: I got a call from Nandini Shrikent who was the casting director on the film, that there is a part in an upcoming film directed by Reema Kagti. I went and auditioned for it with Reema and that’s how I got the part. After that the first very obvious thing about the preparation was learning hockey, apart from everything else. My focus was that I should know how to play hockey because that is an area where we cannot cheat. Tomorrow if a hockey player watches this he shouldn’t feel like “Arre, yeh toh cheating kiya” (“Look, they have cheated.”) So it was a process of about six-seven months where we would learn hockey and work with real hockey players and get trained under real coaches.
Once that was done, I kicked off the psychological process of playing Himmat. The training with real life hockey players helped because I realised how they think and view life and that formed a large part of playing Himmat. The phsyical transformation also came with it, I didn’t really pay too much attention apart from growing my beard and hair to play a Sardar. In the morning we’d be practicing hockey for two-three hours and then in the evening doing our functional training so that we can convincingly look like an athlete. But I did not have a sketch in my mind that this is the body I will make. Himmat is a village boy, very raw so I wanted him to look lean and athletic and basically look like a hockey player.
Q. Gold is your second film and a big one at that , can you see a change in attitude towards you from people and from the industry, or is it too early?
Sunny: There is a difference in attitude, because when you are appreciated people look at you a certain way. And all the praise that is coming my way, I take it as humbly as possible. Appreciation really fuels your fire and of course its opened doors for me to meet new people in the industry. But in terms of things like brand endorsements I feel like its too early for that.
‘Gold’ has really opened new doors for me in the industry.Sunny Kaushal, actor.
Q. There’s so much talk about ‘nepotism’ currently, but you’ve said in interviews that your father, the celebrated action director Sham Kaushal warned you in the beginning itself that being his son would not make it easy for you. What has the struggle been like, if any?
Sunny: So its been six years since I decided to foray into the industry, but I’m very grateful to my father that he took a decision like that. He started all by himself, he came into the city and whatever he has done is on his own. That sort of a thing I feel comes from your parents and is instilled in you, so even we did not want any kind of help and we wanted to make it on our own. To be very frank, I really don’t know about other people because I really don’t know much about nepotism. I don’t even read about it much to be able to answer from that perspective but from a personal point of view this wasn’t the case with Vicky and me.
People knew or even if they didn’t, they would eventually find out that we are Sham Kaushal’s sons but that’s it. That wouldn’t make a director put faith in me. Its my own talent and what I prove that will help me make a name for myself. And why not, I’ll give you a simple test - when we are giving exams in school, you have to pass to get promoted to the next grade. So its the same thing here, you prove yourself and you get promoted.
It was necessary also for me to grow as an actor, because you start off by thinking that you know everything but actually you know nothing. The moment you step out and give your first audition and the camera is put on in front of you tumhare khoon pasine choot jaate hain phir (you are terrified.) You realise you don’t even have the confidence to stand in front of the camera, so how are you ever going to act. It’s very necessary to go through that.
Q. Your brother Vicky has been having a great run at the movies. I know you’ve been asked this a lot but there must be pressure to live up because comparisons are inevitable right?
Sunny: You know for people it might seem like a big deal, but the comparisons between us have been since childhood. So the dynamic is still the same, yes now on a larger scale but really not much has changed. And his journey is quite inspirational for me and that’s what I take it from it. Eventually you do carve out your own niche, because everyone’s journey is different.
Q. With Gold, you’ve worked with the likes of Reema Kagti, Excel Entertainment and Akshay Kumar. Going forward what are the kind of films you’d like to be a part of and film-makers you want to work with?
Sunny: You know I’m still discovering my art and craft, so I’m not really restricting myself with saying that I want to work with these filmmakers or actors. I want to work with whoever is willing to say a good story. Now cinema has changed so much that people are coming up with really amazing stories to tell and entertain people. So I want to keep myself open and learn as much as I can. You know, work with as many people as I can.
But I’ve always felt a connect to Rajkumar Hirani’s work and recently even Meghna Gulzar, R. Balki and Shakun Batra. There are some really nice filmmakers and there’s so much new talent as well.
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