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I LEARNT A LOT FROM ABHISHEK BACHCHAN WHILE SHOOTING FOR ‘THE BIG BULL’: NIKITA DUTTA

In an exclusive interview with NewsX as part of its special series NewsX India A-list, actress Nikita Dutta opens up about her acting journey, her latest film ‘The Big Bull’ and upcoming projects.

After featuring in blockbuster films like Gold and Kabir Singh, Nikita Dutta is now winning hearts with her performance in The Big Bull. On the day of the film release on Disney+Hotstar, Nikita Dutta joined NewsX for a candid interview as part of NewsX India A-List.

Talking about her incredible journey so far, Nikita said, “When I was in school and college, I didn’t have acting on my mind. Like every other academically-oriented kid, I had plans of preparing for the IAS. It happened to me with Miss India when I just randomly decided to take part in it and from there my journey started. Right after that, once I was done with college, is when I got into television. Television was one of those things that came to me and it seemed interesting. I didn’t want to say no. After I said yes to my first show, that’s when I fell in love with acting. Slowly and steadily, after doing three television shows, I said yes to my first film  Gold, which worked well and that’s how Kabir Singh also happened. From there, I started getting more chances to be a part of some really beautiful films and that’s how it has come along all this while.”

When asked about her time on the sets of The Big Bull and how was the experience of working with Abhishek Bachchan, she expressed, “Well, I had a fabulous time on the sets of  The Big Bull. Abhishek, as a person, is extremely entertaining, especially off-camera. You can catch him in his best elements then. He is out there to make sure no one on set feels left out. He’s going to pull everybody’s leg. He’s gonna make sure he rags you a little bit. I’ve been a victim of that but that is what makes shooting so much more fun with him around. There’s so much I got to learn from him as he is way more experienced than me. Overall, working with Abhishek and Kookie sir and shooting for this film was fabulous.”

Nikita tested positive for Covid-19 before the release of the film. Sharing her thoughts on the experience, she said, “I was feeling very sick before I tested Covid positive. I was shooting for something and that’s when my co-actor tested positive and we decided to halt the shoot. That’s when I got tested for the first time. It came negative. Within a day I started feeling very unwell but when I got my second test done that also came negative. It was only in the third test that I tested positive for Covid-19. I got it done just for safety as I wanted to travel. So, by the time I tested positive, I had already started to feel much better and with passing days my health kept getting better. Covid-19 is inevitable now, especially for those working outdoors. They are somehow going to catch it.”

Expressing her views on the vaccination drive in India and whether it should be rolled out to every adult in the country, Nikita stated, “India is a highly populated country so it is right to prioritise how they have been doing. Though, I also feel it should be fast as, at the end of it, we all want to make a livelihood. We all step out to earn money so the soonest this can be done, the better it is for the country and everybody.”

On doing Rocket Gang opposite Aditya Seal, she expressed, “I am damn excited about it. We started this project back in 2019. Then, the pandemic happened. In December 2020, we were in the last leg of finishing the film but, unfortunately, we had to halt it again due to Covid cases on the set. But, I am looking forward to the release as it is an out-and-out dance-based film. I have never danced in front of the camera and there is a lot of dancing in this film.”

Throwing light on her other upcoming projects, Nikita said, “I am doing a horror film Ezra with Emraan Hashmi that’s scheduled to release this year. It is a completely different genre and I am playing an interesting character. I am elated with the kind of palette that I have in the coming year that the audience is going to get to see.”

On a concluding note, she shared a piece of advice for all the young girls who wanna make it big in Bollywood. Nikita said, “I have always followed one principle, that is, go with what your heart says, don’t get influenced by anybody who tells you how something needs to be done. Do what you think is right. This is one principle I have followed from day one. When I had said yes to television, there were a lot of people who said, ‘You are making a big mistake, don’t do this. You are gonna stuck over here and will never be able to be a part of films.’ When I wanted to do films and took a break from television, some people said, ‘You are saying no to a constant source of income. With films, you have to be patient and you just never know when you will get the next film.’ So I have heard all these things but one thing that I have always maintained is to follow my heart, do good scripts, good work and that’s all that matters in the end. Success, or whatever you do in the future, will follow accordingly.

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