Baazaar actor Rohan Mehra: Saif and I bonded over our British humour

Saif Ali Khan and Rohan Mehra

"I am lucky that Baazaar chose me," says Rohan Mehra when we settle down for a chat in his suburban hotel room that overlooks the sea. "There was great struggle attached to my debut. I chased Nikkhil [Advani, producer] for this, and relentless rounds of auditions [ensued]," says the son of late actor Vinod Mehra, as he makes his entry into the industry as a stockbroker from Allahabad, who comes to Mumbai to work with Shakun Kothari (played by Saif Ali Khan).

The actor admits his casting in the offering that deals with stock market trading was a game played by destiny. "Gauravv [Chawla, director] called me to audition for a different film. But that didn't work out. He had told me simply that [Baazaar, the other film he was working on] was not for a newcomer. Still, I secretly sent him an audition [video]."

Months passed by before he got a call to take the discussion further. "It's a fabulous character. I did my best to crack the accent and personality [needed for this role]."

As it would be for any débutant, working with Khan was educational for Mehra. "Watching him work and listening to him speak is the best learning [experience one can get]. He says things with wisdom, but not with the intention of preaching. We bonded over our British humour and would often laugh [so much that] the director would have to separate us. I count myself lucky that my first film is with such a huge star; one who is grounded and humble."

Having reiterated that nepotism had no role to play in his career, Mehra points out that he had never even met his father. "He passed away when my mother was pregnant with me. I was born here [India] but shifted to Kenya [Mombasa]. I was far away from Bollywood. My town had one single-screen. I didn't grow up thinking I'd do this. I grew up wanting to be an investment banker. India always spoke to me, so I wanted to settle here. Even Nikkhil didn't know of my lineage when he signed me on."

Also Read: Rohan Mehra: I was a star kid who no one knew

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