Ahan Shetty made an impressive debut last year with Sajid Nadiadwala’s Tadap and I was mightily impressed by the intensity in his eyes, his dedication to the craft and his action skills. A few days ago, the film had its digital premiere and Ahan has been one excited man for that feat as he believes that now his film gets to reach a whole new demographic.
The young actor received a warm welcome from the industry when he entered into films and he credits that to the love and respect his father, Suniel Shetty, has built and received over the years.
He says,
“Because of dad, I have seen what it was like even before getting into films. Dad has received so much love and appreciation and gets so much respect in the industry that now it is trickling down to me. Everyone has been so amazing ever since I made my debut. The day the trailer released, people like Amitabh Bachchan sir, Akshay Kumar, Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgn came out to support me, also because they have such a strong relationship with my father, and I am really grateful for that. The industry is just one big family.”
Amongst all this love and appreciation, there was one call that Ahan received and he holds it very dear to him. As I ask him about it, he opens up.
The young actor shares,
“The day the trailer released, the first phone call I received when I woke up was of Rakesh Roshan sir’s. He told me that he was so happy for me and said that I have a very bright future ahead of me and he was really excited to go and watch my film. That call changed my whole mood and it was like a dream waking up to that call.”
Even amidst the pandemic, Ahan had a big launch with a grand premiere planned for Tadap, with the who’s who of Bollywood attending it. But the reactions I was excited about to know was of the actors in Ahan’s own family, his dad Suniel and sister Athiya Shetty, and he shares them with me.
He reveals,
“My dad actually turned around and said that he didn’t expect this from me, in a good way. That made me feel proud as I was able to make my dad feel that way. I had put a lot of hard work into that film and there had been a lot of ups and downs in the process, but they stood by me through all of that. So, to finally have them see and appreciate the final product was really a proud moment for me. And Athiya was just telling me to be myself throughout, whatever happens and be honest with myself.”
Ahan has now become one of the most sought-after young actors and there are a lot of offers coming his way, but the actor stays mum on them right now.
He says,
“I can’t really talk about much right now. Within the next month, we will make a few announcements. For now, all I can say is that I have a four film contract with Sajid Nadiadwala and I am looking forward to working with him again. I want to try different genres and not just stick to only action. I have worked a lot on my performance and I want to explore everything.”
It was good to see a big launch happening in the industry after so long, and Ahan’s performance in Tadap proved that it was well worth the hype. I am now really looking forward to how his career will shape up and the choices he will make, but I am sure he will do wonders on screen.