Nihaar Pandya is ready for Bollywood

Nihaar Pandya is all set to make his big Bollywood debut in the hugely anticipated Rani Laxmi Bai biopic, Manikarnika. The Kangana Ranaut starrer, which has been in the news ever since the movie was announced, will see the model essay the pivotal role of Baji Rao II.

Says Nihaar, “For me, to debut as the character of Bajirao II is challenging and exciting. To get every nuance of every character perfectly, I underwent multiple acting workshops, and an extreme makeover too. The strenuous war scenes of the film required me to learn horse riding and sword fighting, from Nicholas Powell, one of the best Hollywood action directors, who has directed action on films like Braveheart and Gladiator.”

Incidentally, Nihaar had a bit of a role to play in the movie being in the news in July. He accidentally hit Kangana’s forehead with his aluminium sword, causing a deep wound.

Recalling the incident, Nihaar says, “She’s a thorough professional and is different as soon as the camera is on. I’m glad she treated the accident so well and continued shooting. I was more troubled by the questions thrown at me by the media. She was very accommodating, and eased the situation down, as it was a timing issue that lead to the accident.”

Manikarnika, produced by Kamal Jain and Zee Studios will be directed by Krish, and will see Nihaar share screen space with other stalwarts like Atul Kulkarni and Danny Denzongpa.

Says Nihaar, “I’ve just returned from Manikarnika’s shoot in Jaipur, and I’m looking forward to the next schedule.”