‘Was bullied in school for my skin tone’

India’s fascination with fair skin dates back centuries. But actor Neil Nitin Mukesh found himself on the other side of the radar for being fair. From his early years, the grandson of renowned singer Mukesh, grappled with bullying in school due to his complexion and foreigner-like appearance. “I used to be bullied a lot in school for being fair and looking like a foreigner. I was told that my mom and dad adopted me,” he recalled. The ‘New York’ actor also mentioned how his appearance sometimes worked against him in the roles he aspired to play. Yet, he never let that deter him.

Having worked with some of the finest filmmakers in the industry - Pradeep Sarkar, Vishal Bhardwaj, Sooraj Barjatya and Madhur Bhandarkar and making his debut with Sriram Raghavan in ‘Johnny Gaddar’ - Neil has managed to create a mark of his own in the film industry. He deliberately chose to play unconventional roles right from the start, even when his family had reservations. “I chose deliberately to do ‘Johnny Gaddar’ as my debut film. I was offered a love story by the same producer on the same day. I chose to do ‘Johnny Gaddar’ and my parents were really upset about it. ‘What are you doing? You’re killing five people on screen in your debut film’. But I wanted my craft to speak and not my skin colour,” he said.

His latest role as Mickey Mehta in ‘Hisaab Barabar’ on ‘Zee5’ is yet another layered character, an eccentric and corrupt banker with a blend of menace and comic relief. “Very rarely do you get roles that are effective and to a point where you want to be a part of a story that’s much more than just glam,” he said. When Neil first heard about ‘Hisaab Barabar’, he found the character ‘delicious’ and immediately wanted to take it on. “Here’s a character that's slightly eccentric, slightly a comic relief almost, but at the same time, he is someone who induces threat,” said the ‘Indu Sarkar’ actor.

In fact, he has collaborated with ‘Indu Sarkar’ actor Kirti Kulhari on ‘Hisaab Barabar’ too. “R Madhavan (who plays the lead) is like a brother. Kirti and I haven’t shared screen space up until now. We’ve done two films. She’s a darling and a fantastic actor,” he said.

Playing an antagonist is nothing new for Neil. He has done it before in ‘Golmaal Again’ and ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’, each role demanding a different approach. Mickey Mehta, however, stood out for him because of his belief in his own ideology of deception. “Mickey is a guy who actually believes in his ideology of thugging people,” he said.

Having worked in Bollywood and the South Indian film industry, Neil admits he feels there’s a constant challenge to break stereotypes. He pointed out how preconceived notions often limit opportunities. “It’s a bit of a challenge to convince your filmmakers and casting directors when you look a certain way. With all due respect, Saif Ali Khan is one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. He’s a Nawab but he also goes and plays Langda Tyagi in ‘Omkara’. So, I hope the directors and casting directors look at me from all angles.”

His absence from screens in recent years was a conscious decision, as he wasn’t willing to compromise on the quality of content. “I’m not an insecure actor. In that sense, I’m not in a race to release three films every year and get my audience to watch them. If that was the case, I would have sold myself long ago. I was busy with my home production - ‘Bypass Road’ and ‘Saaho’ - which took us about two years to make.”

Post-pandemic, while OTT has emerged as a great platform for storytelling, Neil feels the industry is still caught in a loop of casting based on perception. “OTT is such a beautiful space. I want to break out of my mould. I need to be given a chance to fly. I want to do something that’s meaningful,” he smiled.