Ishaan Khatter Exclusive: The Royals Era, A Cannes Debut, And A Full Dhadak Moment With Janhvi Kapoor

"Yeah, I know when I've nailed it!"

That's how our conversation with the man of the moment, Ishaan Khatter, begins.

His latest, The Royals, has all the razzmatazz of a blingy modern show. Ishaan Khattar's washboard abs have opened the floodgates to a slew of memes, while his chemistry with Bhumi Pednekar is also being talked about.

In a Bridgerton-esque set-up, Ishaan as his Royal Highness Aviraaj Singh commands your attention, and the show passes the test of being binge-worthy with flying colours.

The actor who debuted back in 2017 with Beyond The Clouds, has come a long way with International titles in his kitty now.

In a conversation with NDTV, Ishaan reveals his more vulnerable side, and whether he self-analyses his work too much.

On Not Being Unnecessarily Harsh On Himself

Mostly when actors are asked to dig deeper into their own body of work, self-criticism takes centrestage. Someone as terrific as Kareena Kapoor Khan has gone on the record to say that she never watches her movies. 

Is that a trend then to leave room for improvement?

Ishaan begs to differ, "I'm not unnecessarily harsh on myself, for sure. When I saw my first film Beyond The Clouds at the BFI Film Festival in London, with an audience of 2,000 people, I realised that I could be a little objective about my work. The first time you see yourself on screen, you can't see anything but yourself and you don't notice the film. I was able to watch the film. I had my opinions."

Ishaan's filmography has him from a lovestruck middle-class lad, running down the streets of Udaipur to win over his ladylove in Dhadak; to living life, "king-sized", surrounded by all the riches and jewels as "The Royal" of Morpur.

Ishaan tells NDTV, "I had my opinions about my work, that it was not tipping too much in any one direction. It's personal; it's my own thing. I don't share everything with everyone either, but I think when you're able to look at your work and assess it, it's a sign of growth."

The Royal Mess

While it's very easy to get swayed by all the sparkle and la dolce vita exteriors in The Royals, it's the more emotion-laden scenes that grab your attention.

Ishaan owns the screen when he has a meltdown, his raging arguments with Sophia (Bhumi), his frustrating conversations with his deranged family, and beneath it all, a childhood lesson from his father that made him turn against his royal life. It's all woven into his character in The Royals.

Ishaan elaborates, "I think Aviraaj as a character is very different from me. There was a significant distance for me to cover, to find Aviraaj and become Aviraaj, but at the same time, I think I did bring myself to the character quite a bit in the more sensitive moments, as you mentioned."

He adds, "I wanted to delve deeper into the father track. A lot of it was withheld from the audience and you don't ever see Aviraaj and his father together, there was a deep woundedness to that part. He's very sensitive about his relationship with his father. It was probably a very good relationship. It's probably the one good relationship. Until it wasn't. I wanted to bring that out, I guess I succeeded."

The Battle Of Numbers Vs Content Is King

There are some projects one does for numbers, while there are some that an artist picks just to showcase calibre. The latter need not necessarily lead to fruitful results in terms of commercial gain.

Ishaan sheds light on it for he has been at both ends of the pole. He's been daring to debut with a content-driven film like Beyond The Clouds which found its calling at a reputed Film Festival, then he's also donned the loverboy image in Dhadak.

But does the pressure get a bit too overwhelming at times between what to pick and what not to?

Ishaan says, "No, I think once you've decided to do something and if it's drawn you in, it's more excitement and maybe nervous excitement. Sure, it takes a lot of thinking out of you, but I also try to not be academic about it. Something on the page could read amazing and then it could be executed badly. You can work with the most successful director, and make their most unsuccessful film, that's just how the nature of the business is."

On His Bond With Brother Shahid Kapoor

Ishaan Khatter and Shahid Kapoor's sibling bond has always been a sight of great delight. Ishaan's face lights up when he speaks about his brother, as for someone who's had his highs and lows, his advice is paramount to The Royals actor.

Ishaan says, "You know it is a beautiful thing that my brother once told me. He said, 'Be the sun, be the source yourself. Don't try to find the light that's shining off of somebody else. Just be your person and trust what you are bringing to the table."

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Has Shahid been a strict critic of his work though, or was there no flaw to find?

Ishaan says, "Not at all, trust me, he's not always been appreciative. He's been very appreciative sometimes and it means the world to me because I know he would never just say something to me to make me happy. But he also keeps it very real with me, tells it as it is, good and bad, since the beginning."

Cannes Calling

It's a Cannes state of mind for the young actor who is heading to the Film Festival with his film Homebound this year. The film also stars Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa. It is having its world premiere under the Un Certain Regard section and is directed by Neeraj Ghaywan.

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Ishaan has other pressing matters at hand though, the actor jokes, "You know there are two things that I always do at the last minute; packing, and not letting the moment sink in until it's happening!"

Trying to find the right words that justify the feeling of victory, Ishaan says, "It's a very special film. I'm not worried or nervous. I'm also a big admirer of Neeraj Ghaywan and I've wanted to work with him for 10 years. I think he's made a beautiful film. I gave it my everything. Let's see now."

Is His Cannes Dream Rolling The Way He Had Envisioned It?

Ishaan reveals if his mood board for Cannes is going as planned. 

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"Cannes, it's the mecca of film festivals and I always said to myself, 'I want to go there with a film. I don't just want to go there, I want to go there to represent my film. I am going to give it to myself, I am very proud of it," says Ishaan.

There are several videos of the kids that Janhvi and Ishaan were back when Dhadak was released. It is a time capsule that takes you back to the days of Dhadak, and their lovely friendship and innocence.

Ishaan smiles wide as he says, "I think it's one of the nicer things about social media, like a mirror. And you look at yourself and you're like, wow, I used to think like that and be like that?"

Speaking of Janhvi, Ishaan adds, "I think we were able to kind of lean on each other during that mild darkness, you know, high stakes, very special moment for both of us. We did find a great friendship. I'm so happy for her and thrilled for her as well. She's committing to parts to also keep growing as an actor and I wish the best for her and for the film we are presenting now."

As Ishaan is busy revving up, with his Cannes debut fast approaching, The Royals continues to be a buzzing conversation. For that, and for what's around the corner, he's ready to go all in.