A Tough Act

Abhimanyu Dassani, Who Wowed as Surya in Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota, is a Star-kid With a Difference. Ashwini Deshmukh Replays Their Conversation…

- Ashwini Deshmukh

Even before his first film, Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota, released in India, it was the toast of international film festivals. It earned a standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival and also the People’s Choice Award: Midnight Madness. What’s more, young Abhimanyu Dassani, who plays a guy with congenital resistance to pain in the film, won the Best Debut Award at the Macau Film Festival. It was a defining moment when renowned director, Mabel Cheung, compared Abhimanyu to his childhood hero Jackie Chan. The film also seemed to be a reboot of his childhood memories, animated with characters like Peter Parker in Spider Man, Jack Black’s Po from Kung Fu Panda and many more…

He’s the son of actor Bhagyashree of Maine Pyar Kiya fame. His lineage can be traced to the royal Patwardhan family of Sangli… but Abhimanyu has inched his way into the industry without carrying the placard of his privileged clan. Detached from the decrees of showbiz, he follows the rules of his art. “In a world that everyone wants to be seen in, I just want to be felt,” says Abhimanyu poetically…

Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota (MKDNH) was a unique film for a debut...

Isn’t that art? Art is taking the path untried. Vasan Bala sir is a genius. When he told me about the film’s subject and the way he planned to shoot it, it reminded me of all those cartoon films I grew up on. I also got an opportunity to play the legends I look up to.

MKDNH won much praise. What’s the most memorable compliment?