JACKKY BHAGNANI

Hey Guys, to kick off my first blog I thought id quickly take u thru my journey right upto tis moment, so we can get better acquainted / catch up.

My story starts as a generously plump kid n im talking ‘hiding pizzas behind my curtain’ fat!!! Growing up for me was all about expanding size and not really developing much self confidence…thus succumbing to become a favorite target for much ridicule. It so wasn’t fun, trust me!

It was at 16 that I decided to do away with being a “Nobody”. I joint hands with Pa / my dad and worked under his guidance. For those of u who don’t know him - he’s Mr. Vashu Bhagnani, producer of many super hit  Hindi films.He has made films like coolie no.1 to biwi no.1 etc I assisted dad wit 6 of his films - Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein, Deewanapan, Silsile, Out Of Control, Vaada and Shaadi No. 1. Working on these movies taught me every aspect of a film right from technical details to acting. I interacted with people from all walks of life and unaware gained so much exposure and know how.

Being on the sets, subconsciously I developed a secret desire to become an actor. A joke at the time considering I weighed 130 Kgs….imagine if I told anyone….Dont worry, I was podgy but not stupid….I kept my secret desire to myself :o) But that craving for pizza was now replaced by dreams of being in front of the camera. I aggressively began to work on myself. Nothing prepared me for the struggle up ahead. My only weapons were my determination and my passion to reach my goal.

Stringent diets and rigorous work outs helped me shed the kilos. Knowing perfectly well that a fine body is not all it takes to be a good actor amongst today’s pool of talent…I began developing and enhancing my acting and dancing skills.

Post Graduation, I went on to earn a diploma from the reputable Lee Strasberg Institute of Theatre and Film in New York where classic celebrities such as Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro and Angelina Jolie among others have studied. I would definitely recommend tis school to all of u out there who wish to tap the creative artist inside of u and find ur own unique identity and voice along with havin a blast ofcourse ; )

I was MAD enough to learn the ropes of performing stunts too. Brutal falls (ouch), severe wounds (Ouch, OUCH!) and 2 courses of 6 weeks each in Dirt Bike Riding & Cable Maneuvering in Australia and Elementary stunt training in L.A. I dont know i have managed to be descent enough atleast but it was so much fun doing all that 

Im an absolute adrenaline junky by the way… I will go into volumes about that in my next blog…..

I must tell you I LOVE DANCING too. My friends call me ‘Chaabi ka Bandar.’ I cant blame ‘em..…If u ever catch me somewhere….watch closely coz Il surely be dancing :o) To pursue my passion, back in Bombay I took up quite a few dance workshops in different styles and improvised and mastered each step.

By 2007, I modestly state - I was in  good enough shape physically mentally and emotionally . My father was was finally convinced of my conviction and that was a compliment in itself. Together we worked on numerous scripts, met with many directors, did our share of R&D on many projects and eventually at the end of the yr found the perfect script in Kal Kisne Dekha (KKD) and the right chemistry to work with Director, Vivek Sharma.

The script in itself demanded an ideal mixture of Thrill, Romance, Emotion, Action, Comedy, basically overall valuable Entertainment….Thus extracting much from an actor’s performance. [ Il let you be the judge on tis one he he he  ]

The making of KKD commenced on 18th of June, 2008. We executed a non-stop, lengthy schedule in the beautiful landscape of South Africa. We managed to complete 60% of the film shooting in this first program. The rest of the film was shot in scattered parts of the world depending on the demand of the scene. Action sequences in Bangkok, College snapshots in India, Glorified songs in New Zealand all followed to complete the movie in January 2009. Shooting the movie opened a whole new world for me. Every day was a learning curve; I shot some exciting concepts that tested my stunt training capacity to the fullest like jumping off a cliff… PHEW!!!… I had the pleasure of working with a veteran actor such as Rishi Kapoor and imbibed much from his experience.

Soooo……After losing 60 kgs of weight, narrowing down to a waist of 29” from 44”, going from being the shy guy to the “up for any challenge” guy and after all not the pushed over one anymore…..NOW MY FILMS READY!!!… n Im ANXIOUSLY anticipating its release!!!

So heres my story so far…. from now on I hope we’ll walk through it together…

Till then adios be good and i shall catch up with you guys soon 

and yes i promise my future blogs will not be so long couldnt help in this one as this was my journey tried my best to squeeze it as much as i could hehehe

Regards 

Jackky Bhagnani…