Abhishek Banerjee says his love story started with 'rejection', actor chased Tina Noronha for 6 months

Popular casting director and actor Abhishek Banerjee , who has impressed the audience with his performances in projects like _Paatal Lok_ , _Stree_ and _Bala_ , has been garnering praises for his recent portrayal in _The Great Wedding Of Munnes_ . In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, the talented actor opens up about his love story with wife Tina and upcoming biggie Bhediya with Varun Dhawan. Excerpts from the interview: What kind of reactions you received from the audience on social media for your portrayal in The Great Wedding of Munnes? Yeah, all in all everybody has been kind. I mean they have been like praising the performances, many of them love the show. Some it’s like a great comedy show and I think that’s what we were aiming at. We were aiming at just entertaining the audience and many of them are still watching it. It’s all pouring in and also like today is Sunday. So, during the weekend, usually the audience watches it more. And now today I have like started getting in mass messages, day one day two pay it’s like looking in the reviews and getting to know ki kaisa hai. And thankfully everybody has been kind to me.

Any special compliments from friends and family members I don’t know like you know many of them complimented on the song. The Cuckoo song. So, this is the first time they have seen me dance. So, for them, they were like tune theek kar liya yaar acha kar liya, because they didn’t have any expectations. So, even my friends, some of them came to my place just wanted to fast forward it to the song immediately because they want to see how I did that. Also, it’s very 90s vibe and completely out of our comfort zone and to get that and have fun with that, I think that was a big challenge and if you ask me honestly, that’s the common compliment every time somebody’s like acting vacting toh theek hai humein gaana acha laga. I am like thank you thank you. While in the show you struggle to find a girl, did you face any struggles while getting married to your wife Tina? Oh yeah, I chase her for six months first of all. I mean, it started with the rejection. So our love story started with a rejection and I had to chase her old-school style. I went after her, gave her love letter and finally 6 mahine ki mashaggat ke baad finally I was able to convince her that I’m the right one for. So yeah, it took me like good six months of my life but that’s worth it, right? If you want to spend your life with somebody. Post that you had a very smooth conversation with her parents as well? Yeah, always. I think her parents loved me. The problem was little from her side. Mere ghar mein problem mere gharwalon ke side se thi. So I had to like convince them. Tina’s parents are quite cool and I can actually sit and chill with them. The dynamics of marriage have changed in the current scenario. So, what are your thoughts on that? I feel that it’s something which if two people feel convinced that they want to put it on paper and put it in front of the relatives and celebrate where they want to announce it that they want to be together officially that’s great. And somebody who wants to take it as a ritual that has been followed for over the years and they really look at that as a very pious, kind of a cultural thing then it is good for them also. And those who don’t want to get married, just live-in and be live-in partners. They’re all so cool. Everything and any kind of togetherness, the way two people want it, I think that’s what is more important. Rest I don’t know and it completely differs from person to person what they think about marriage. Like for me I never wanted to have a grand marriage. So, my idea was to emotionally blackmail, my parents and say that you are about to get married to my place where my grandfather was born. So, that I spend less money. I don’t do a lavish hotel whatever and everything even for saying with Tina and I, we went to her ancestral home in Mangalore and we bought married day with very few and friends and family. We basically followed the COVID rule of getting married even before the COVID rule came in. Yeah. And where there were very less people. Yeah. That’s how it should be. That’s what I believe. Any scene or sequence, which was quite tough one for you or had to give many retakes? No, no. I don’t think so.  It was right down my alley. Well, I think this is the kind of humour and comedy which I have done in college, I have done in school and this is something which comes naturally to me. Especially after have done so many guys from UP. I have become a UPitein real life also and I start started talking in that lehja in life, generally. I think. So, I have any way turned into a UP boy. So to catch that character and everything, it was not really big. It was not an uphill task but the only task was to actually when you’re doing the lead of the show. And you have to basically you’re in the 99% of the scenes that show and plus a web show, usually web show mein hota nahi hai asia like that means in a web show all the characters, they have something but in special in this one because obviously the main character is getting married. So it’s every episode, it was like driving the episode. So, it was like a tiring process. Like to keep yourself high energy and to be in that zone of being and on the spot because I love on the spot humour. So just to find that balance. That was the tough part. Which medium excites you more as an actor - films or web shows? See the dream is always to be on the celluloid. I mean, any actors dream is to be on the big screen. I think that is why we all have come here, leaving everything behind. Then you shift to a different city, make our own life. Yes, we have come here so that people can buy the tickets and come to watch us. But yeah, having said that as an actor, I really want to thank the OTT space because it’s giving actors like us a chance to explore ourselves in different characters which would have been very difficult in films. Because films are always about business, so people will take less chances, lesser risks but OTT  can make us can take those risks. And because of that actors like us can flourish. The buzz of your film Bhediya with Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon is quite huge. It also marks your reunion with director Amar Kaushik after Stree and Bala. Can you please share some special moments from the sets? It is the most special project of my life. Till now, whatever I have done I think Bhediya is like the number one project which I would say that I’m doing a lot to it and I think everybody has given a lot to it. And you have to see it to believe it, probably. I can’t foresee the future but I know that we have done something cool. You’ll see Varun Dhawan , you’ll see Kriti Sanon . You’ll see all of them in a very different light. You’ve already seen them in different films and obviously, they are superstars and they have so much. But you’ll see everyone in a different space and of course, Mr Amar Kaushik , he is a magician of a director, he has a great vision and I think this film has a global vision. I mean, I really think anybody in any country will easily relate to a film like this and I think in today’s time we need to make things like that. The fondest memories here is everything. See Amar (Kaushi) bhai is like elder brother to me I’m always like more than that. He’s a Berlinale awardee director and he’s been with Majid Majidi . I mean, he has his International standards in place and he’s making films for India. So, I think the whole way he does it, the entire process is memorable right from the day one like when he narrates you the story to the last day when he says, okay, this is the tequila shot.  Tequila short is the last shot of the film. That’s how the film directors would say it globally, the tequila shot. So when he announces that, the entire process is like a joyride. And any actor, forget me. I mean if you ask anybody who has worked with him, I think that’s what they will say and the camaraderie, which I think Varun and me shared on the set and other actors. I think it was very special because I was very nervous. Because I knew that Varun is a big star, so I don’t know how to open up. I’m also very shy guy, initially like, at least initially I’m a very shy guy when I’m meeting somebody. So, it was very difficult for me to open up, but he helped me so much and it was almost like a nice buddy union and the hostel days in college. Read all the  Latest News ****,  Trending News ****,  Cricket News ****,  Bollywood News ****,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook****,  Twitter and  Instagram****.