Mahat Raghavendra on Double XL: ‘I was given equal dialogues in Tamil and Hindi’

Mahat Raghavendra

An outsider in the acting world, Mahat Raghavendra pursued his dream of becoming an actor to be a part of Tamil and Telugu movies. The Tamil film Jilla (2014) actor, who is awaiting the release of his next Tamil film Kaadhal Conditions Apply, has made his Bollywood debut with Double XL which released on Friday. Also starring Huma Qureshi and Sonakshi Sinha, the movie sends out the message of body positivity — a subject Raghavendra feels a personal connection to. Edited excerpts from an interview:

How did the opportunity of being a part of Double XL come your way?

I work in Tamil movies and I always thought that the Hindi audience should also know about us. However, for that, I thought we should just make good Tamil films. Last year, I was approached by someone from Mumbai to come down for auditions but nothing worked out from those meetings. This year again, I was asked to join a Zoom call with people from Mumbai, and the writer Mudassar Aziz was on call with me. He briefed me about the role and sent me the script. I didn’t understand a lot of the Hindi lines but since my wife (model Prachi Mishra) is from Uttar Pradesh, she helped me out. I was really happy after reading it and came down to Mumbai for the shoot.

This is your debut Hindi movie but the protagonists are the two women. Did you have any apprehensions about taking up this role?

When I started my career in Tamil movies, I was one among five leads in Mankatha (2011), while Ajith sir was the main lead. So, I see this in a similar light. Getting a good opportunity and a good script is more important for me than playing a lead. Moreover, I connected with the script because it is about people who are pushed down in life because of their weight or looks and I have been through that phase.

Can you elaborate on that?

I was fresh out of college when I started looking for film work. Some people who were close to me would keep telling me that I am not lead material and I should try for other roles. Their intention wasn’t wrong but that’s how they perceived me. Fortunately, I did not feel that way. I don’t think anyone else can decide your future. There were some comments about how small my eyes are and other things about my looks. One feels hurt when people try to break your confidence but I accept the way I am and here I am now.

You don’t come from a film background. How did you get interested in acting?

Southern actor Simbu has been one of my closest friends since childhood. Simbu started as a child actor and I have seen him working. I started falling in love with the process of filmmaking and acting. The seeds of wanting to act in films were sown in my childhood. Simbu directed his first movie at the age of 17 and I saw him go through the entire process and I fell in love with films even more.

The cast of the just-released Double XL, (from left) Huma Qureshi, Mahat Raghavendra, Sonakshi Sinha, Zaheer Iqbal

Do you think that the audience’s familiarity with actors from the south in recent times has made it easier for actors such as you to access Bollywood?

I think the audience's perception has changed because of the advent of OTT platforms. Language is not a barrier any more. In Double XL, my character is a Tamilian who knows some Hindi and I was really happy to see that in the script. Back in the day, people from the south would get stereotyped in a certain way but here, I have been given equal dialogues in Tamil and Hindi. These are such beautiful steps in making one feel integrated. Bollywood is also welcoming films and people from the south industry. At the end of the day, people want good content. Having said that, as an actor who wants to work in many other industries, I also feel that one should be aware of other languages and be comfortable speaking them. Training myself to speak the way a Ranveer Singh or Ranbir Kapoor does and act in a Hindi film as a local boy is a different kind of challenge. I have started taking diction classes to improve my Hindi. In Kapil Sharma’s show, I told them that my Hindi is like a bullock cart now; by the next film it will be a Ferrari! (Laughs.)