Darsheel Safary: The Tare Zameen Par Heartbreaker Is Now Doing A Coming-Of-Age Comedy

He is no longer the child prodigy who broke millions of hearts in Taare Zameen Par. Once upon a time—okay, not so long ago, it was 2007—Darsheel Safary was the youngest actor to be nominated for Best Actor alongside Shah Rukh Khan in Chak De.

A  lot of water has flown under the bridge since then. Now Darsheel is poised for a debut as a leading man.

“I am 20 now and no longer the kid from Taare Zameen Par. It’s surprising how people remember that film and my character Ishaan to this day.And I don’t mind. In fact I love it…as long as they don’t pull  my cheek,” laughsDarsheel who is now going to be playing the lead in a  film called—believe it or not—Quickie.

Bachcha badaa ho gaya hai!!!

“I knew you were going to say that. But I was hoping you wouldn’t,” Darsheel mock-sighs. “I did quite a few films as child including Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children. But it’s Taare Zameen Par that I am know for. Fair enough. But I’ve moved on. I am grown up. The transition from child actor to a leading man has been smooth. I did theatre in-between.I think I am now a fully passionate student of acting and cinema.”

Quickie just fell  into Darsheel’s lap. “It’s one of those things that are bound to happen in life. I didn’t want to make  my debut as a leading man in any random love story with six songs , two new girls, and three location changes . I wanted to do something that would reflect my own state of mind and the way people my age react to love and life.Quickie was just what I wanted.”

Darsheel describes with excitement the moment he walked into the produccer’s office. “It was like going into a treasure house. There was a handmade poster of Sholay, visuals of Baahubali and Robot. The place felt like I belonged there. It’s the coolest place to hang out and I don’t mind driving down from my home in town(SouthMumbai) to the producer’ office in Andheri. If just hanging out with them is so much fun, I can imagine how  much the film would be to make.”

Quickie, directed by debutant Pradip Atluri, will be a quickie.

Says Darsheel enthusiastically, “We start in March and finish in 40 days.I am super-excited because the film talks a language that I do and discusses young people’s  preoccupation with dating, breaking up , one-night-stands and lack of commitment.”

In the meanwhile Darsheel is busy catching up his movie viewing. “I’ve become  a passionate movie buff.I watched the entire Hobbit series in one  night. Now I am watching the classics.No, Taare Zameen Par is not my list of must-see films.”