Always wanted to kind of sink in slow motion and dance: Rohit Saraf on 'Ishq Vishq Rebound'

Mumbai, Jun 20 (PTI) Rohit Saraf always wanted to do a film that gave him a chance to showcase his dance moves and he's happy that he got the opportunity in "Ishq Vishq Rebound".

The young adult drama, which is a follow-up of the 2003 "Ishq Vishq", starring Shahid Kapoor, Amrita Rao and Shehnaz Treasury, revolves around four friends and their complicated love lives.

Saraf, who made a name for himself as an actor with "The Sky is Pink", "Ludo" and Netflix series "Mismatched", said the film helped him fulfil his dream of dancing on screen.

"I feel, no matter how serious an actor you are, I think one would always want to have an opportunity in life where they can kind of sink in slow motion and dance... This was the first time I ever got to do that in a film... I was very excited by it.

"It was on my bucket list. And what's even more exciting is that it really helps you connect with the audiences. Like, there were so many people who came up to us and said, ‘When we saw the song, it felt like you were singing to us.’ To me, that is such a big deal," the actor told PTI in an interview.

Marathi filmmaker Nipun Avinash Dharmadhikari has directed the movie, which also features Pashmina Roshan, Jibraan Khan and Naila Grewal.

"Ishq Vishk Rebound" is Saraf's first in the lead role but the actor said that he has never approached a film from the mindset that it completely belongs to him.

"I don't look at a film and say this is completely my film. I don't think I have that approach because to be able to say that it is my film, I would have to do everything on my own. I would have to direct it, produce it, act in all parts and then call it my film.

"It is a lot of people's hard work. All four characters in the film are important. You take one character out of the film and I don't think the film is complete.. It is everybody's film, more than the actors." The actor believes there is a strong appetite for romantic comedy films among the audiences, something that was proved by the success of the last few films in the genre.

"We were missing it, but I think starting from ‘Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar’... I think it's coming back, and it's very exciting because there's definitely an appetite for it,” Saraf said.

Jibraan Khan, best known for his work as a child artist in “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”, plays the other male lead in “Ishq Vishk Rebound”.

The actor said he has been a fan of the genre, especially for the light-hearted nature of romantic comedies.

"We need rom-coms, we need life and we need love in our country right now. I hope what we've done does resonate with the Indian lovers again... I was lucky enough to do it right now. I love to see beautiful songs and dance. I love to see the heartbreak. And we've been really lucky to have a film like this," the actor said.

Khan recalled that he was a kid when he watched Shahid's film at a theatre.

"I remember watching it at Chandan theatre with my sister and her friends. It was such a good feeling because I definitely remember coming out of the theatre singing, 'Ishq Vishk' and today I'm doing it. Like, every day I'm waking up, listening to it and watching people do it to our song," he said.

What has made the experience even more memorable is the green signal the team got from Shahid as well as his "Ishq Vishk" co-star Amrita Rao.

“He's given his support to us. He's put up a couple of (Instagram) stories for us, and I think that says a lot from him because he's given us the green signal that, ‘okay, you guys are doing justice to something that I have done back in the day.’ "It's not only him, but many of the star cast. Amrita Ma'am put up a reel on one of our songs called ‘Chot Dil pe lagi’ and I think we were just mesmerized because she's not aged one day... It's just a good feeling that the industry people are coming out and pushing us so much and giving us that push which we newcomers need,” Khan added.

Produced by Ramesh Taurani and co-produced by Jaya Taurani under the banner Tips Films Limited, “Ishq Vishk Rebound” is set to be released in theatres on Friday. PTI COR RB BK RB