What Aditya Chopra told Vishal Jethwa before working with Rani Mukerji in Mardaani 2: ‘You’re working with a…’ | Bollywood News

The one thing that’s quite common between both Rani ma’am and Kajol ma’am is that they’re both switch on/switch off performers. Which is something I should learn because I take my character home. I even get a headache, but don’t give up. There’s a scene in Mardaani 2 when I insert something sharp in Rani ma’am’s leg. I couldn’t believe that she was speaking normally seconds ago, but is now chasing me while limping in pain. Kajol ma’am also switches completely as soon as she hears “Action!”. Kajol ma’am also keeps asking the director if they want something different.
Vishal Jethwa and Kajol in Salaam Venky.
And are there any differences between the two?

I felt the difference more in my body language than their approaches. In my first film, I couldn’t even speak to Rani ma’am. It was a whole new world for me — to do a Yash Raj Films movie with Rani Mukerji, in which you’re the villain. So, there was more fear. With Kajol ma’am, I could get more involved because she knew a bit about me and I also had more confidence. Also, since I played the antagonist in Mardaani 2, I couldn’t go up to her and say, “I’m such a huge fan.” So, I kept my distance with her. But with Kajol ma’am, we needed to have that mother-son bond.
Vishal Jethwa in Mardaani 2.
Did you expect the reception to your character in Mardaani 2, given there was only a fleeting glimpse of you in the trailer?

The USP of Mardaani is that there’s always been a new face as a villain. So, I was told to lie low. I quit social media and stopped going to parties. The film did great business. The lockdown started just a couple of months after that, so a lot of people watched it then too on streaming. When the film released, I didn’t know I’d explode like that. Everyone got so scared of me. I had to even make a video call to a young boy who wouldn’t enter the washroom because he saw what my character Sunny did to someone in the public washroom. Even today, some people come up to me and say, “Mann karta hai tumhe maaru.” I tell them, “Ye jo izzat ke sath itni beizzati kar rahe ho na humari” (laughs). And those who watch Homebound, they come to me with, “Arey yaar, bechara!”

Do you remember any words of advice from Aditya Chopra or Rani Mukerji?

I first met Adi sir when Shanoo ma’am called me to meet him. He told me, “You know you’re working with a great actor. So, just surrender yourself to the director. The first film is very important.” I was sworn by those words. After the film’s screening, I met him at a party and asked him if I met his expectations. He just looked at me and said, “It was more than my expectations.” Those few words were enough for me. They say that the industry likes those ghar-jamai who’s either too good or gets you a lot of money. I think I managed to succeed on both fronts. Rani ma’am told me, “Arey wah, kya actor hai tu!” And she’d tell my mom, “Arey wah! Kya beta paida kiya hai aapne! (laughs).

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After Mardaani 2, you also played a small but key role in another Yash Raj Films movie, Maneesh Sharma’s spy thriller Tiger 3 (2023). What was the idea behind that?

If Adi sir has approached me for something, it’d be something important. If he asks me to do just a cameo, I’d do that because I’m that kind of a person. He’s made me and given me such a huge opportunity. I don’t think questioning him would be right. I trust him because he’d come to me with something only after giving it a thought.