Neil Nitin Mukesh reveals that the film industry can get very ‘toxic': ‘Everyone is certainly frustrated'

Indian Express

11-05-2025

Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh is currently gearing up for the release of his debut web series, Hai Junoon. While the show marks his entry into the digital space, Neil has been part of several noteworthy films. However, he has also experienced a side of the industry that many hesitate to talk about. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Neil opened up about his journey in cinema, navigating career setbacks, and shed light on the often-overlooked beauty standards that men face in showbiz.
Revisting the time people said 'he is over', Neil shared, 'At the beginning of my career, someone had told me to never wish to take a break, because then a time will come where you will keep hunting for work. I got so scared with that statement. My first film, Johnny Gaddar, got stuck. Sometimes you don't realize that your break is self-doubt, which you have not put in yourself; others have put it in you. People say things like you won't be able to do this. It is the one thing you will constantly keep hearing, and I have heard it so many times. Any time there is a lull, people will say he is over. But who are they to decide? I am still here, still working, trying to feed my family.'
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Pointing out the double standards of the industry, Neil Nitin Mukesh recalled the time when a film critic made a mean comment about him, and the industry backed him. He said, 'Once very long ago on Twitter, one of my films was coming, and a very reputed critic then wrote in his opening sentence that he wondered how someone was paying Neil Nitin Mukesh even now for a job. I responded to him that I didn't need his validation to work hard, prove myself, and provide for my family. My entire industry stood by me back then. But that day I lost it with those self-proclaimed critics and understood that the voice everyone has gotten with social media has changed.'
Stating what has kept him going all these years, the actor added, 'Here we celebrate when a film doesn't work on a Friday. You are happier for someone's failure than for someone's success. When you are around that atmosphere, the only way forward is to have that passion and self-belief. I believe we should keep trying, even if it doesn't work out. Then there won't be any regrets.'
While Neil Nitin Mukesh has faced his share of criticism in Bollywood, he admits that the journey has, at times, become toxic. He shared that it still continues, and said: 'It does happen, and it happens to a point where it gets toxic. I have seen that a lot, and I still see that a lot. I don't like that conversation. For me, an industry is like my family, at least I used to feel that. If I work or I am hoping to work with somebody, aren't we all a part of the same fraternity? Isn't it our job to call up each other and laud the work? But those phones never come, unless the person is extremely close to you. On your face, nobody will say that.'
'Back in the days of my father and grandfather, there used to be no inhibitions or agendas in friendships. Filmmaking used to be a different world. Mukeshji and Raj Kapoor sahab used to sit and make a film together. Raj Kapoor Sahab was such a stalwart filmmaker, his filmography is like my bible. He wouldn't need an editor like Rishikesh Mukherjee, still, he would go to Rishi Da to get his films checked. Here we hide, be it our look, our trailer, unless it is released. There is no finger pointing. What has happened is that everyone is certainly frustrated. Everyone hasn't tasted success fully. They have that little ambition in them, they haven't gotten that opportunity, and that has come into the system. Unfortunately, it's spreading as a norm of existence, which is not what it should be,' he added.
Neil Nitin Mukesh also commented on how appearances often invite unsolicited remarks from others — something he clearly disagrees with. Talking about the struggle to change perceptions, the actor said, 'Today, there is so much body shaming that happens. There are actors who say, 'This guy should lose weight.' Why? Talk about the performance, na. For my role in Hai Junoon, I drastically lost weight, but after COVID, I gained weight. I had done Saaho and had to bulk up for it. When I lost weight for this role, people started asking me if I was suffering from some illness.'
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He added, 'Looking a certain way is a handicap. It might be very good for your endorsements and self-confidence, but sometimes it's a perception that people create. Half the time we are battling, making you believe that we are worthy of being looked at from another perspective. Half the time, it's me just fighting it out, that don't go just by my skin tone or my goldie locks hair. I am more desi than anybody in this room. Sometimes seeing an artiste, I feel that I could have played the part better. But you don't get that chance.'
'You have stalwarts who have proved it in the past, like Kamala Haasan sir, who moulded himself so beautifully into such great characters. Today, even Shah Rukh sir pushes himself to mould into different avatars, a Hrithik Roshan is doing a Super 30 colours himself dark, Saif Ali Khan playing a Langda Tyagi. So sometimes, looks can be a handicap. Just because I have to come across as a thinking, method actor doesn't mean I have to be in rags,' Neil concluded.
Neil Nitin Mukesh's latest web series Hai Junoon releases on May 16 on Jio Hotstar. The show also stars Sumedh Mudgal, Priyank Sharma, Jacqueline Fernandes, and Siddharth Nigam in important roles.