Neil Nitin Mukesh wants to work with Deepika Padukone again: She inspires me
Reflecting on their first major promotional activity together, Neil said, 'I think this was a magazine shoot. And I really enjoyed it because it was our first promotional kick-start to 'Lafangey Parindey'. But at the same time, the characters we were playing on screen were very different from the vibe of this shoot—very puffy colours, very young vibe.'
Calling Deepika a 'great friend,' Neil added, 'I respect that woman so much. She's putting so much hard work into her career. It was outstanding to work with her and the entire team.'
When asked if they still stay in touch, Neil responded candidly, 'Off and on. You know, with parenthood, motherhood, my family life... Off and on, we are in touch whenever we meet. We're very cordial and gracious even now. But I wish her all the best nonetheless. She's always going to be very close to my heart.'
Neil, who has worked with several leading ladies over the years, was also quizzed about co-stars like Katrina Kaif. Talking about his camaraderie with Katrina, he shared, 'I've had some fantastic co-actors, and Katrina is one of them. Very dear to me. We had a great team, fantastic shoot, and some great memories.'
But when asked to pick just one actress he'd love to reunite with from his past films, Neil didn't hesitate and said, "Deepika. I have worked with amazing actors like Katrina, Bipasha, and others, but I would like to reunite with Deepika. She's somebody who inspires me as an actor. Of course, she's drop-dead gorgeous, but apart from the glam aspect, I love that she puts in a lot of effort. She's very supportive as a co-actor, too. 'Lafangey Parindey' was a tough film — learning skating. I've seen her journey, her dedication, and her hard work toward her craft. So, for me, I was truly inspired watching that. Playing a blind character was difficult but she did it so beautifully."
Neil also praised Deepika's recent choice of roles. 'Of late, she's been experimenting with very interesting characters and roles. Like 'Chhapaak', for example—that was a film I really enjoyed. And I need to work with actors who inspire me and can probably teach me something. For her to be so confident in her own skin and go play a character like that—that's inspiring, and I admire that about her. She'll always be very close to my heart."
Neil Nitin Mukesh will next be seen in Hai Junoon, where he will share the screen with Boman Irani and Jacqueline Fernandez, along with Sumedh Mudgalkar, Siddharth Nigam, and Priyank Sharma. It will stream on JioHotstar from May 16.
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