I’d get so nervous about romantic scenes that I’d not even touch my leading ladies

A lot of times, actors find themselves doing things onscreen that they would never do otherwise. Getting intimate with his leading ladies for the romantic scenes, was one such thing for actor Ishan who debuts with director Puri Jagannadh’s Rogue. “I have not one, but two leading ladies in the movie. Initially, I was so nervous that I wouldn’t even touch my co-stars,” says Ishaan, who is paired with Mannara Chopra and Angela Krislinzki in the “romantic action thriller”.So how did he manage to get over his inhibitions? “Everybody would tell me, ‘it’s okay, it’s just a character you are playing...’ But the minute the cameras rolled, I’d clam up. Finally, Puri sir had to call my brother up and ask him to talk to me. My brother told me to just trust Puri sir and go ahead. And that’s what I did — I decided to simply trust him and deliver what he wants of me,” he adds.
Well, why wouldn’t he? After all, being launched by Puri is something Ishaan has always dreamt of. In fact, his admiration for the director is so strong that he even remembers the day he first met him. “It was March 4, 2015. I had completed training in acting and was assisting my brother in his production firm to learn the nuances of filmmaking. On meeting me, Puri sir said that he would love to work with me sometime. Exactly a year later, he offered me Rogue,” Ishaan enthuses. But transforming into a Puri Jaggannadh hero meant that Ishaan had to undergo total body transformation. “As soon as I signed the film, Puri sir took me to Bangkok. He wanted to give me a total makeover and change my chocolate boy looks, so he appointed special trainers for me. It was a one month boot camp of sorts. I would start the day with swimming, spend hours boxing and finally hit the gym to sweat it out. Puri sir would call me everyday and enquire about the status,” recalls the actor.
Giving us a sneak peek into his role, Ishaan says, “Rogue is a cute, fresh love story with a lot of action and family drama. My character Chanti is a very aggressive guy. Why he becomes a rogue is something you’ll have watch the film to find out.”
Considering how much praise Puri has been lavishing on his new find (he even called him ‘the next big star’), is Ishaan nervous about living up to all the expectations? “Well, every time Puri sir says something good about me, it’s like a confidence boost for me. when somebody like him praises you, you are motivated to work harder. I hope this film becomes a trendsetter and I make him proud,” he says.