Actor Navneet Malik believes that working with big stars is a great opportunity for newcomers like him because there is so much to learn from them.
This year, Malik will be seen on the big screen as the younger version of actor Sanjay Dutt.
“My entire concentration has been on this theatrical film. Working with Sanju Baba was a real treat, but playing his younger self on screen was a huge challenge. Though many have attempted it in the past, only a few have been successful. That’s when my director stepped in, and he told me to watch movies like Rocky, where I could pick up on the right nuances of the superstar. Working with a celebrity of his caliber is a huge learning experience that no acting school can teach you. “I am completely awestruck by him,” says the Heropanti-2 star.
“Initially, only work matters for younger actors,” Malik says of cinema as the best medium for learning. However, films are the true playground where you can prepare and understand your growth as a performer. The results are immediate, and it truly transforms you into an artist. Every path in the entertainment business leads to cinema. “I mean, you can always find an actor who is doing exceptionally well in another medium but still wishes to appear on the big screen someday.”
Malik, who began as a model, was unable to reach Mumbai following the final round of a modeling pageant in China. “Due to some issues, I went back home and didn’t think of going to Mumbai. In the meantime, I also passed up an offer from SRK Production because I didn’t realize it was from one of the biggest banners. Anyway, I don’t think it had to happen then. Later, at the request of a friend, I sent in my audition tape and was accepted into the Love Hostel. So, what I lost then, I eventually gained later.”
Malik will appear in Neeraj Pandey’s web series in addition to his film ‘The Virgin Tree’ with Sanjay Dutt.
