Bollywood actors Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez claim that they have put in their sweat and blood into their latest action comedy, A Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky, out in the UAE this Thursday.
While the dishy Malhotra learnt how to master a slew of death-defying stunts in his dual role, Fernandez took the help of a Dubai-based pole dance instructor, Roksalan Chubenko, for the song Chandralekha.
“We were racing against time. We just had two months to learn a new sporting skill. But Jacqueline was a star student who was incredibly fit and could lift her own body weight. I give her 10 on 10 for her effort. The proof of all that hard work is in the song in which she looks amazing pole dancing,” said Chubenko, from instructor from Milan Pole Dance Studio in Dubai.
The two spent more than two hours training every day for two months in Mumbai to perfect the movements.
But the film isn’t about dancing with dexterity alone. The action-comedy is said to feature mistaken identities, a racy plot, wicked humour and breathtaking stunts.
Gulf News tabloid! spoke to the stars to find out more. Here are 10 things to know about A Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky.
1. Sidharth Malhtora plays a dual role in the action-comedy.
“It’s the first time in my career that I am playing two characters in one film. My characters, Rishi and Gaurav in this film, are interesting with their varied nature and personality. There’s Gaurav who lives in Miami and he’s that typical NRI [Non Resident Indian] who works in a nine-to-five job. He yearns for a big family and even gets that big house for his prospective partner. He trades his sports car for a mini-van and he even employs a cook in preparation for his life ahead. All he’s waiting for is a girl to say ‘Yes’ to his proposal. He dreams of a sweet and normal life. But Rishi is a loose canon. He lives in Mumbai and is lonely, brooding and aggressive. He’s the one doing all the action in this film. That duality of my role is what drew me to this film,” said Malhotra.
2. A Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel and Risky is not India’s answer to Mr & Mrs Smith, the Hollywood blockbuster starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
“I wouldn’t compare it to Mr & Mrs Smith. Our film and the characters are so different from the Hollywood film. The only similarity, is perhaps, that both belong to the action-comedy genre. Our film has a unique story and slick action sequences. It’s not a larger than life action film. It’s high on style and has substance. This is not a typical double-role Bollywood style film either. There’s a unique flavour of mistaken identities thrown in and our edit pattern is not linear which makes it an interesting watch,” said Malhotra.
3. The films features Jacquline Fernandes, who plays Kavya from Miami, in this action comedy.
“I have been a part of big action blockbusters [think Dishoom], but I never had the chance to do action sequences on my own. For the first time in my career, I have action scenes where I get to beat up the villain. It was spectacular. I loved the parts where I am a part of crazy car-chase sequences and I got to do some stunts there too,” said Fernandez.
4. It’s not the action scenes that killed Fernandez, but the pole dancing in the song Chandralekha.
“It was so difficult to pole dance. The idea of a slick pole-dance choreography for the song Chandralekha came to us because we wanted the song to reflect the vibe of Miami. And I play someone who is sporty, athletic and adventurous. The song shows someone who’s winding down after a hard day of work and enjoying themselves in the evening. But it’s not easy. I ended up getting bruised and injured after hitting against the pole several times during practice. It kills you. After the first rehearsal, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. It’s true we wanted to bring something new onto the table and tap into that energy/vibe of Miami, but it was strenuous to say the least,” said Fernandez.
5. Fernandez arranged for a pole dance instructor, Roksolana Chubenko, from Dubai to fly down to Mumbai for the two-month training.
“She was amazing and taught me all the tricks. During the rehearsal period, I didn’t need any other work-out session because pole dancing makes you super fit and brings up your heart rate,” said Fernandez. Actor Malhotra add: “It brings up the heart-rate of those watching too. I was the lucky one to observe the two. It was very distracting, to say the least.”
6. While Fernandez had to master climbing up and down a pole with grace, Malhotra had to learn how to execute gravity-defying stunts.
“I did most of the action myself in this film. There was a lot of hand-to-hand combat, bike chases and slithering down buildings. We even had a scene where my car gets into an accident and I survive it in top form. But the action isn’t larger-than-life, we have kept it real. In Bollywood action films, we rarely show the reactions of a hero when he gets hurt in an accident, but in this film we show that and I even have a dialogue to express my frustration. He’s not some superhero here. He gets bruised and doesn’t shy away from showing pain and frustration,” said Malhotra.
7. Hollywood action director Cyril Raffaelli, whose credits includes directing and choreographing stunts for the Transporter series and The Incredible Hulk, was a part of the action-stunt crew of A Gentleman.
“Raffaelli is an amazing guy. He’s so cool and I got to learn a lot from him. We have given our blood and sweat for this film and I even have an injury on my right hand to prove it,” said Malhotra.
8. A Gentleman: Susheel, Sundar, Risky is directed by Krishna D.K and Raj Nidimoru. They earlier directed, Flavors, which navigated the film festival circuit around the world.
9. Audiences are hungry for good content, and our film delivers on all counts, claimed Fernandez and Malhotra.
“In recent times, the audiences want to watch a film that is worth their money. It’s not just about content, but it’s also about how that good content is presented. We are competing now with good international television, web series and we have to give great content in totality,” said Fernandez. Malhotra believes that a film’s failure is a reflection of the inherent flaws in that project.
“The viewers don’t get convinced by stories or they have high expectation from a film and the story turns out to be something else. In the past, one of my films didn’t work because there were flaws in it and we need to accept it. A good film will be appreciated always. Just look at films like Lipstick Under My Burkha or Hindi Medium which did exceedingly well. Good content always work,” said Malhotra.
10. Reports that A Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky was sanitised by the Indian censor board, CBFC, and a long kissing scene was snipped by the former CBFC head, Pahlaj Nihalani, on his way out is false.
“Nothing has been edited. We are happy with the certification. Barring minor cuts, everything is still intact. All the kissing is still there,” said Malhotra with a laugh.
Don’t miss it!
A Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky is out in the UAE cinemas this Thursday.
