EXCLUSIVE! A fun interview with a fun cast of a fun movie: Team Nikamma gets candid

Mumbai (Maharashtra): The upcoming Bollywood film ‘Nikamma’ will surely be a roller coaster of laughter and fun and the cast of the movie confirms why. Talking to First India Filmy, the main leads Abhimanyu Dassani and Shirley Setia and director Sabbir Khan give an insight into the fun equation they share as Team Nikamma.

Shirley Setia opened up about her experience working on her debut film, calling it a dream project. “I feel blessed to have worked with Sabbir sir and Abhimanyu. To start my Bollywood career with such a film is like a dream that has come true because of Sabbir sir and Sony. I had tried before this but maybe others did not believe in me as much as he did,” she said.

Talking about casting Abhimanyu, Sabbir Khan revealed, “I had just watched the trailer of his first film and loved it. I then met him like I meet anyone for a business meeting and I formed such a connection with him that I had a feeling he was here to stay. I love two things about him: one that he has an innocent face and second that he can portray intensity whenever required.”

On how he chooses such entertaining but different films as projects, Abhimanyu stated, “Doing different types of projects was a conscious decision. I have previously said that just to feel safe we try to put others in boxes. So, every time anyone puts me in a box, I’ll do something completely different.”

The actor added, “Nikamma is an unconventional commercial film. The soul of the film lies in family values. So, it is a blend of new GenZ lifestyle with Indian traditional values.”

To talk about her chemistry with costar Abhimanyu, Shirley revealed that he was very caring and protective. She said, “I remember we were shooting in a Lucknow Mela where he was very protective and caring. He made me feel so comfortable.”

Sabbir also joked about how Shirley’s fans protested, demanding them to make the actress sing for the film. “Her voice obviously is extraordinary but I had so much pressure from everyone that I had to request her to sing a song for the film,” he joked.

About his immense physical transformation for Meenakshi Sundareshwar and Nikamma, Abhimanyu disclosed, “I shed 10 kgs for Meenakshi and I had put on 7 kgs for Nikamma. But Sabbir sir gave me a chance to do so many action scenes that I had to take up the opportunity no matter what.”

The team also applauded Shirley for her dedication and recalled how she despite having a high fever shot for three days during a song sequence.

Director Sabbir Khan further spoke about working with a fresh pair in Nikamma, “I felt that they both had an honesty right from the beginning. I never felt that they would back down from hard work.”

Remembering the moment his mother, actress Bhagyashree got emotional at the movie trailer, Abhimanyu stated, “It is a moment for life.”