Model Hanif Hilal makes his Bollywood debut in the film, Table No.21 and has been receiving good reviews for his role. We spoke to him exclusively about the film, and here’s what he has to say:
Tell us about your role in the film and how you prepared for it?
My role in the film is of man who speaks and delivers his dialogues ONLY through his eyes. He is someone who oversees all the activities that happen in Rajeev and Tena’s life while they are in Fiji. You could say I am either Paresh Rawal’s main guy or then a family member. It’s an area that we have left open for the viewer to decide .How was it to work with Tena Desae and Rajeev Khandelwal?
Well, needless to say they both are committed actors. Both are fun and full of life and thorough professionals. Rajeev and I share a common passion for adventure and sports. I had once dared him to do something crazy and he did it. What the dare was? Well, that we shall talk about it some other time.
Did you have any difficulties on the set?
In terms of acting and emoting wise, not particularly! The cast and crew were super easy and everyone got along extremely well. All credit to Aditya Datt (the director). He was super calm and composed during the entire shoot. The only thing I was worried about was my beard as I don’t usually sport one and had to grow one only for this role. Its a look I have for the first time and it was simply too much. But it all turned out well.
Tell us some fun things that happened during the shoot.
Pareshji is an encyclopedia when it comes to knowledge about our industry. After pack-up, he used to tell us stories about his journey through all his years of acting and give us inside stories of the industry. So I used to look fwd to my shoot and post-shoot interaction with him.
What did you learn about yourself by playing this role?
This role was particularly challenging as it was my first ever acting job. And to add to it, I was asked to communicate only through expressions and body movement. So my focus level and understanding of this character had to be precise, or else I would come across as a retard. I eventually learnt that sometimes – ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS 😉