Team MissMalini caught up with the vivacious Neha Sharma, and the very in-character (and proud new father) Vivek Oberoi, at the TIPS office in Mumbai, where the duo told us all about their latest film – Jayantabhai Ki Love Story. Watch our exclusive interview with the costars and hear about all the fun pranks Vivek played on Neha during the shoot!
Team MM: Tell us about your roles in the film?
Neha Sharma (NS): I’m playing this modern, independent girl called Simran who comes from a small town and wants to make it big in Bombay because she loses her job due to some circumstances. She comes to live right next door to Jayantabhai and it’s about how these two people meet, both of who come from two completely different worlds and how they fall in love.
Vivek Oberoi(VO): Jayantabhai Ki Love Story is a very special film to both of us. When they approached me with the script, I realised it would cater to two sets of fans – those who loved me playing a gangster like in Omkara, Company, Shootout and another set of fans who’ve been asking me to do a love story, like Saathiya, again. So for me this was an opportunity to mix the two, to have a bhai and a lover-boy mixed together to make for a loverbhai!
Team MM: How was the on-set chemistry between you both?
VO: I had a lot of fun at this shoot at Neha’s expense.
NS: True he’s been really really naughty -rather a prankster – and he’s played some dirty pranks on me. Shall we talk about it, Vivek?
VO: There’s this one sequence where I’m rushing her to hospital and carrying her piggy-back up these stairs. We did a couple of run-through’s when I suddenly got a masti ka keeda and I went up to her very seriously and said….
NS: Yeah, very casually! I had no idea what was going on in his head…
VO: And I said to her, “I have a very serious back-problem…
NS: I think you said you had spondylitis…
VO: I can’t remember exactly what I said. I said some rubbish. I told her I had a very serious back problem and gave her some technical nonsense. And I told her, “When you sit on my back, you have to center your weight. Just remember always that your weight has to be dead-center.” And Neha said, “Yeah! Yeah VO, no problem! I will make sure we keep it that way!” So I put her on my back and I started bolting up the stairs and as soon as I reached the top of the stairs and the director yelled, “Cut!”, I just dumped her down and began rolling in pain…
NS: I’m sorry, but you shrieked! You shrieked loudly!
VO: I began screaming “Oh my back! My back has really gone! Somebody call an ambulance!”
NS: He was screaming at me, “I told you to keep your weight in the center. Oh my god, call the ambulance, my back has gone.” And the entire crew gathered around him in shock and asked him what had happened. So he told them, “I told her to keep her weight in the center but she just doesn’t get it.” And I was like, “Oh my god, but Vivek, I did put my weight in the center.” So I went and sat in a corner when no one was looking and was hoping it was nothing too serious. And then when I was about to start crying, he bursts out laughing! And I was like, “Oh my god..!”
Team MM: How are you preparing to be a father?
VO: When you’re about to get married and when you’re about to become a dad – these are the two times in life you don’t have to seek advice….it just pours in…everybody is advising you free of cost. Friends and family and other people just come up to you and say things and hence you don’t go seeking advice.
It’s been a great ride so far and I’ve put in extra effort. When I found out that “we” were pregnant, I decided that I wanted to be involved in every step of the way. So I made the extra effort – no matter how many films I was shooting, crazy schedules – to be there for every single test, every single check-up, to be there to see the first sonography, to be there to hear the first heart-beat…to experience all that along with my wife!
Even now, we’re busy spending time figuring out things like the cradle, the bassinette…all the lovely stuff that goes in to having a beautiful baby. And that’s what makes it so special!
Team MM: Will you be OK about your child wanting to enter Bollywood?
NS: Well, my parents are OK with me being an actress and I think it’s a beautiful profession because you get to do so much. You get to travel. You get to eat lovely things wherever you go. And apart from that, the satisfaction you get when you get the see the hard work that you put in. And also seeing yourself on 70mm is an awesome kick.
VO: I would totally encourage my kids and as a first lesson in learning to be an actor, I’d send them to Neha.
NS: Hahahaha…
Team MM: A message to your fans on MissMalini
NS: Please go and watch Jayatabhai Ki Love Story which is releasing on 15th February 2013, and trust me you won’t be disappointed because it’s a sweet, romantic, cute love story that you are going to fall in love with.
Pix: Khyati Gandhi for MissMalini