Nikhil Siddharth Kirrak Party Interview

It’s been a hectic few days for Nikhil. The jam-packed schedule of promoting his upcoming film might as well have taken a toll on him. But that’s not the case! Even though it is late in the night at 12 am, the young star is in high spirits, and becomes all the more enthusiastic when you begin talk about the upcoming film.

“I don’t think I have been as excited and nervous about any film in the past. I haven’t slept properly in over five days. The stakes are very high for me with this film. One is the emotional connect that I have developed with Kirrak Party. You know, it’s just that when you love something or someone too much, you just want the best to happen in that regard. I have loved every film I have done but I have to confess that I have never enjoyed working on any film this much!” he explains.

It’s interesting how Nikhil was not even keen to work on the film in the first place. Notably, the actor has never been part of remakes before and this is the first time in his career of over around 11 years, he has taken up a remake (of Kannada film Kirik Party), and he sure seems happy he did. “I was not convinced about the film. In fact, when Anil Sunkara garu asked me to watch the film, I did it only as a formality with the clear intention of saying no in any case. However, the first few moments of the film drew me in, and I was convinced that I had to do this film,” he reveals. Well, it’s quite a big deal then, that he has become so attached to the film, that he may not have even been a part of in the first place!

Having made a successful debuted with Happy Days in 2007, this is the first time since then that Nikhil took up another role as a full-fledged college student and he tells us that it has been all a major dose of memories. “This film was a trip down the lane of nostalgia for me! First, it took me back to my college days when I was a student in Osmania University and had a blast. We’d taken our own trip the police station, even though it wasn’t on a serious note. And of course the squabbles between the seniors and juniors. I have seen it all in real life, and bringing it into life was amazing for me,” he explains, adding, “Shooting in a college atmosphere also reminded me of the days I worked on Happy Days and how I was a struggling nobody then. I really have come a long way.”

It’s endearing to see Nikhil talk about anything related to Kirrak Party, While in one breath he’s gushing about the group of friends he’s made for life, in another he gushes over how cute his co-star Simran Pareenja is. Well, he’s got ample praise for Samyuktha Hegde too, who he thinks is one hell of a performer. But underlining it all is something else that Nikhil likes about the film. “It is a fun film at the heart, no doubt. But I love the message that the film aims to give – the need to respect women. It’s been dealt with so wonderfully and I am quite proud of being part of such a film,” he states, even as he adds that the film will be a bundle of memories for most people who miss their days of college. While the original was a long film of around three hours, director Sharan Koppisetty and team reworked the film, retaining its essence to shorten it to a little less than two and a half hours.

The angle of romance was quite spoken about in the original and Nikhil suggests this film too has some beautiful moments. “Some sequences have been shot so beautifully, I can’t wait for people to see them. My favourite moment in the film is this beautiful shot between Simran and I, shot on a rooftop,” he shares.

And what with the romance in his own life? Did he have his own share of love stories back in college. “Ah, that’s a tough one. I should tell you my busy film schedules have always played spoilsport and possible romances always ended up in break ups. It’s probably not easy for a girl to understand or adjust with the kind of life I life. Maybe it would be safe to say that my love for films has kept me away from the love of my life,” he states thoughtfully.

— Pranita Jonnalagedda