Exclusive! Ahan Shetty opens up on shooting shirtless scenes in the freezing cold of Mussoorie

Picture Courtesy: PR

Ahan Shetty and Tara Sutaria are gearing up for Milan Luthria's Tadap, the remake of the South hit RX100. Going by the trailer, it seems to be a faithful adaptation and the makers have retained the essence of the source material. This is an unpredictable love story that takes a vicious turn and changes the otherwise perfect life of the hero. In an exclusive interview with mid-day.com, the lead pair spoke about shooting amid challenging conditions in Mussoorie, what can be the take away from the film, and Ahan particularly is excited to see the response at the Gaiety Galaxy Cinema.

When the leading man was asked about the preparation he went through, he revealed, "The script was given to me in May 2019 and I got it only for around 10 days. Milan (Luthria) sir wants to make everything spontaneous. I had to do a lot of bike prep also because I didn't know how to ride a bike before. I've also been doing a lot of martial arts but this action is a very raw action, so I didn't use any of that. So I had to unlearn a lot of techniques and stuff like that. I took on a lot of weight for this film so I was having 9-10 meals a day, but during the lockdown I couldn't maintain that regimen for so long. So I lost 14 kilos in those 10 months."

He added, "When we went back to shooting, I only had 2 months to put that weight back on, but it has been a good journey."

Talking about the challenges that the lead pair went through while shooting in Mussoorie, Tara stated, "Mussoorie is very close to my heart, both Mussoorie and Rishikesh since I shot my first film Student of the Year 2 over there. I know Mussoorie really well since I spent a couple of months over there shooting. It was very cold when we were shooting, it was difficult but all in all, it was really fun. We had bonfires and we enjoyed everyone's company."

Also Read: Ahan Shetty: After release, I'll know if I deserve to be here

Ahan added, "We were shooting in the winter, it was freezing. And no vanity vans so we were staying in tents. I was shirtless in many sequences, and since it was winter, the light would go really fast. But I love Mussoorie, I had a fantastic time."

Of course, we had to ask about the reaction of his famIly. Ahan laughed and revealed, "I have been asked this question a lot, but everyone loved the promo. I can't say much about it because they are my parents and they can be biased. But I'm really proud that I could make them feel that way. I do what I do to make me happy but also to make my family happy and to please them, so it was a good reaction."

Tara's character is very exciting for all those who have seen RX100 and very shocking for those who haven't. When asked about what drew her to this character of Ramisa, the actress stated, "It was very challenging for me to do something unexpected and unusual, so that's what drew me to Ramisa's character. I think she's very interesting and a lot of women will really like the madness she brings to the film."

Coming to Ahan, his character is very vulnerable but did he see Ishana, the boy he plays, as someone heroic, as Milan Luthria's leading men are mostly larger-than-life? He said, "He could be heroic to himself. He doesn't necessarily have to be a hero and save the day. Ishana believes what he does is the right thing and in his eyes, he's the hero"

What about the excitement to see the reaction of the audience? Tara quipped, "The action, the songs, the dialogues, we are so lucky to have such good feedback for the music. This is Ahan's debut film, it's a space I haven't done before. It has been wonderful to see the reactions to our songs. And obviously, watching the film with the audience is going to be amazing."

Ahan also sounded jubilant and said, "My plan is on Day 1, 3rd of December, when the film comes out, to go to either Gaiety or any single screen theatre because it's there that you understand that people are accepting the film or not. Looking forward to that experience."

Before signing off, when Tara was asked about what could be the audiences' takeaway from Tadap, she couldn't stop smiling, chose her words carefully and said, "If I answer that, you must have seen RX100, for those who haven't, I think, I can't say. But one of the takeaways, I won't say the main takeaway, at least this is how I felt when I watched the film, everything that was shown in the film really made me feel scared, gave me goosebumps, made me feel as intense. As actors, there's nothing more you can ask for to experience that when you're watching the film."

Also Read: ‘Tadap is like Tara Sutaria's debut as well,' says Milan Luthria