Akhil Kapur, the nephew of Vinod Khanna, is all set to make his debut into the industry with the upcoming film Desi Kattey. The 28-year-old newcomer has been biding his time for the perfect moment. “People promise you this and that but you have to do it on your own.”
He says that because he has grown up in the film fraternity, he always wanted to get into films. He studied in New York’s Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute but eventually came back to India. “I interned on
a couple of movies before being approached by Anand Kumar for this script,” he says.
But coming from a famous background does have its drawbacks. “It can have a negative effect sometimes because people can expect too much — not that it hasn’t helped of course. I have gone to movie sets with Akshaye (Khanna) on numerous occasions and have learnt a lot. I am very proud of my family.”
The story is about two young boys who make katte (country-made guns) and want to become gangsters. One follows the dream while the other trains for the
Commonwealth Games. Akhil says that it’s a story that the youth would like.
Working on the movie has been an amazing experience for the young lad. “It was killer! I was so sad that we were done. I had a memorable experience with Sunil Shetty; he had so much to offer. And Jai (Bhanushali) and I hit it off well – we are like brothers now,” he says,
He chose this script because the role was unusual. “I’ve always been interested in dark characters; not a villain but dark. I didn’t want something conventional,” he adds.
His biggest inspiration is Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone. “He had nothing before. But after ‘Rocky’, he even got an Oscar nomination.”
The young actor also has great respect for his fellow Bollywood co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui because it took him 17 years to come up. He relates to these actors as he himself spent the last six years struggling to find his footing. When he isn’t acting, he says that his passion is martial arts. “It’s my biggest passion and I’ve been learning it since I was three. I have a martial arts business so now, both my dreams have been fulfilled!” he says.
He hopes to direct in the future. To aspiring actors and possible fans, he says, “Hang in there and go watch Desi Kattey!”