- Gaurav Gera played Mohammed Aalam in Dhurandhar, surprising many viewers with his transformation
- Gaurav Gera told NDTV that Ranveer Singh was serious on set but fun during off-camera moments
- Gaurav Gera praised Ranveer Singh's full-hearted approach to work and life
When Dhurandhar part one released last December, many viewers went down the rabbit hole, trying to uncover the actor who played Pakistani juice centre owner Mohammed Aalam -- the handler of Ranveer Singh's Hamza Ali Mazari in Lyari.
After a few scenes, it hit them that the actor was Gaurav Gera, popular for TV shows such as Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin and Chutki Shopkeeper Aur Woh. His transformation into Mohammed Aalam was so seamless that it was difficult to figure where the actor ended and the character began.
With Dhurandhar 2 finally out in theatres, Gaurav Gera has double the love coming his way. The quiet support and rock-solid brotherhood between Mohammed Aalam and Hamza Ali Mazari / Jaskirat Singh Rangi form an integral part of Dhurandhar's emotional quotient -- something that's hard to retain in a big-scale spy action thriller.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Dhurandhar 2's Gaurav Gera spoke about working with Ranveer Singh, the actor's warm personality, and the audience's love for Dhurandhar movies.
"The last memory I had of Ranveer was when I did this reel with him around 10 years ago. I had a show called Chutki Shopkeeper Aur Woh, and he had come to promote Bajirao Mastani. The interview was 20 minutes long and I had also made a 15-second video that I had posted on Instagram. He was very sporting and so much fun," the actor said.
But things, he said, changed when they both landed on the set of Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar.
"He (Ranveer) was very, very serious on the set of Dhurandhar. I thought, 'Arey, he's not as fun as he appears in public everywhere'... Because this was a serious subject, the atmosphere on the set had to be maintained.
"But when we started shooting, whenever we had some one-on-one time between takes, he would be real fun... Suddenly, he would break into something, he would whisper something in my ear that would make me think 'Ye banda kuch bhi bol sakta hai' which I can't even say out loud. He's crazy, I love him," Gaurav Gera told NDTV.
The actor, also known for films such as Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na and Dasvidaniya as well as CID and Mrs Pammi Pyarelal, said he met Ranveer Singh last night at the special screening of Dhurandhar 2. As always, he was "full of love".
"Even last night at the screening when we met, he was full of love. I noticed another thing that Ranveer does everything fully. I'm not that bindaas. When he loves, he loves you fully. His warm hugs to everybody... Even to me, I don't think many people have hugged me like that. When he laughs in a theatre, he laughs fully. He knows how to live life fully. He's something else," he added.
While Dhurandhar 2 has just started its theatrical journey, Gaurav Gera said he knew audiences had started taking ownership over the films even when the first part released last December.
"This film no longer belongs to us, it belongs to everyone. Everybody is invested in it. It has got so much love. I really feel blessed. I feel this film has gone down in history as one of the most well-received films ever that I have seen in my lifetime. There are great films but this is personal... Nothing like this has ever happened to me before, it is a humbling and wonderful feeling," he said.
Dhurandhar 2, which released on March 19, also stars R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, and Danish Pandor.
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