Gurmeet Choudhary to sizzle on-screen again

He shot to fame and became a household name when his portrayal of Lord Ram on the mini-screen won him acclaim. His successful appearances on dance reality shows like Nach Baliye and Jhalak Dikhlaa Ja only consolidated his place in the average, TV obsessed Indian’s heart. Mahesh Bhatt and Fox Star Studios saw immense potential in the tall, dark and handsome army-lad, Gurmeet Choudhary, deciding to launch him in a grand way, in Khamoshiyan last year. The wait’s been long, but the actor has finally found the right project for his second outing in Vishal Pandya’s Wajah Tum Ho.

“I didn’t want to sign anything, hastily. In fact, I used to get film offers even when I was playing Lord Ram on television. However, none of them were worth jeopardising my thriving television career. Then I was launched in Khamoshiyan, which put me out there. Still, even after I had a fairly successful launch, I didn’t wish to rush into things. So, I waited for the right project,” Gurmeet reveals.

The actor is also all praises for his director. “Vishal is an extremely talented director. His previous two films, Hate Story 2 and Hate Story 3, were labelled erotic thrillers, but were extremely rich in content. He once told me he’d write a story for me,” he gushes. “He actually narrated the script of the film at an airport and I was hooked right then. I always want to work with a good director who’s backed by excellent producers. The film has murders happening real-time on live TV. A genre like that requires immense research and Vishal’s done some serious homework on it.”

It’s not just Vishal who has done his research, though. Gurmeet, who is often cast as the object of the femme fatale’s desires, plays a lawyer by profession and did his own share of research. “I can confidently say that I put in my 100 per cent for this film. While method acting helps, I also believe in rehearsing with the costume on — not just my lawyer’s outfit but also my civil attires. I would visit the Andheri court as well, to observe the proceedings. My family believed I had finally lost it when I changed the name-plate outside my house to that of my character,” he guffaws. “I am really excited to play a lawyer on-screen, a profession made iconic by the likes of Amitabh Bachchan in Pink and Sunny Deol in Damini. I believe when you work hard, even if you are a mediocre actor, the audience connects to you.”

His intimate scenes in Khamoshiyan sent the temperatures soaring and he’s managed to pull an encore in Wajah Tum Ho with his steamy scenes with lead actress Sana Khan. Gurmeet, evidently flushed, reminisces, “I have been a shy guy throughout my life. I have liked girls in the past, but I could never approach them. Even when I had to profess my love to Debina (Bonnerjee), who’d eventually become my wife, it was she who had to prompt it out of me, after a five hour long conversation yielded absolutely no results. So you might imagine how difficult these intimate scenes are for me. Instead, I’d be working out before the shots with a vengeance, since I am to be bare-chested and the crew would be puzzled. But I’m glad the shots were done in a single take.”