Abhimanyu Dassani: "'Nikamma' has more stylised action. It’s not kick-punch-punch-kick"

Actor Abhimanyu Dassani

Abhimanyu Dassani made his acting debut in 2018 with Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota. He followed that up with romantic comedy Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021) and now he’s all set to step out in Nikamma.

The 32-year-old son of actress Bhagyashree and Himalaya Dassani, is in no hurry but he’s a man with a plan. In a 2018 interview, he told me that he has a 21-year plan to build a robust body of work. Discounting the two pandemic years, Dassani says his plan is still on track. In this interview he speaks about director Sabbir Khan’s Nikamma (June 17, 2022) which co-stars Shilpa Shetty and Shirley Setia.

From 'Mard Ko Dard' to 'Meenakshi Sundareshwar' to 'Nikamma', how do these three feature films fit into your larger plan?

Every time that you want to put Abhimanyu in a box, to make yourself feel safe, I will break out of that box. If you think I will do a festival film like Mard, then I will do a romantic film like Meenakshi, and then just as you think he’s a romantic hero, I will do a commercial action film and from there I will go to a slapstick comedy like Aankh Micholi. So yes, it is a strategy to do every genre because I want to explore, and not just for the heck of exploring. I have changed my voice, walk and look for each of the films. I am also trying to understand my capabilities and limitations.

Which genre do you prefer – action, romance or comedy?

I enjoy action. It comes easy to me and feels natural. I enjoy it even as an audience and as a performer.

How different is the action in Nikamma compared to Mard Ko Dard?

The training was very different. In 2019 I went to Turkey and learnt Krav Maga. Nikamma has more stylised action. It’s not kick-punch-punch-kick. It’s got different emotions, flavour and aesthetics. Even if you think the moves are the same, they are being performed in such a different way that the moves will look and feel different.

What excited you about Nikamma?

I made an unconventional debut and then made an unconventional romantic film, now this is an unconventional commercial film. At the crux of most commercial films is a love story that drives the protagonist, but in this film the family values and principles drive the plot. I could relate to this because behind every decision of mine sub-consciously is one statement: that I want to make my parents proud. Nikamma is more than a word. It’s a feeling. Being nikamma (useless) at a young age and having a life lesson that changes us is very close to each of us. I realised I too have been through that, getting clarity on what I wanted to do in life and the kind of person I wanted to become. So this film is like an ode to that part of my life.

It’s not clear in the trailer, but what is the relationship between your character and Shilpa Shetty’s character?

It’s that of brother-in-law and sister-in-law (devar-bhabhi), and this relationship is the catalyst in the film. We wanted to leave a little suspense and surprise because I don’t want everything revealed in the trailer.

You say it's not a conventional commercial vengeance story, but it does seem a bit like that.

Even if the soul is an old soul, the story is very relatable and new age in terms of the things he likes to do and not do. Here’s a young man from today’s society coming of age. One of the themes is to remind us of the importance of family values and traditions which has been shaken a bit in the last few years and it's questioned by a lot of people. But for me, I am the person I am because of the values given to me by my family. And the devar-bhabhi relationship has not really been explored in our films.

All four of you, your sister Avantika included, have been or are in front of the camera. What is it like at home now?

My house is like a studio. There is one trial going on here, one photo shoot going on there. It’s like a circus. Everyone is very individual and makes their own decisions, but we have each other’s backs, like a tight family.

Considering your mother did not want you to get into acting, how does she feel about both her children being in the industry?

She feels very proud, but also worries because of the way actors live. Fortunately, we have both been honest, sincere and passionate towards our work and hopefully we will be consistent in our efforts so that one day she will be recognised as Avantika’s mother or Abhimanyu’s mother instead of us being measured as Bhagyashree’s children.

Are you quite involved in the filmmaking process?

From start to the very end, I am very involved. Fortunately, the directors have believed in me so far and it has been a collaborative process. With the little experience that I have, I am glad my inputs have been helpful. That might be a generational gap that I am able to bridge for them to be in touch with audiences. Perhaps it helps that I am not really from the film world - I am not in the party circuit, no one really knew me before my film came out, no one really knows about my personal life. I keep to myself. I have a certain self-awareness that I think I bring to the table. I am glad it has been appreciated.

What newer genres are you looking forward to tapping into?

I am patient and will take one film at a time. The pace is good. I have two films releasing this year, including Aankh Micholi. I would like to experiment in a genre that India has not seen before. For now I am going with the flow, with 21-year goals in mind.