‘Baazaar’s story will resonate with everyone’: Rohan Mehra on his Bollywood debut, dad Vinod Mehra and more

Newbie Rohan Mehra, son of the gentleman actor of the ’80s, Vinod Mehra, has not met his dad. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, his father passed away when his mother, Kiran, was four months pregnant with him. And since he can only unravel the mystery of who his papa was through conversations with people who had met him, Rohan, who has many traits (but naturally) of his late father, hangs on to my every word. After all, I knew Vinod well.

Through my conversation with the debutant, who will foray into Hindi cinema with the stock market thriller Baazaar, which releases on October 26, I discover a few similarities between him and his dad. More importantly, I find that Rohan is eager to make Bollywood his mainstay. Over to him:

Let’s talk about Baazaar.

Yes, let’s first tackle the elephant in the room (smiles). Baazaar, produced by Nikkhil Advani, Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani, is my debut film. Nikhil sir is my Godfather. This is the first time I’m facing the camera. And I must say, it was overwhelming. I’m excited and impatient for it to release. It’s an interesting movie for the time and place. Even though it is set against the backdrop of the stock market, and some viewers might think it’s niche, I personally think the story will resonate with everyone. It’s about relationships. It’s what every good story should be in my opinion like how people interact with each other, how far are you willing to go to get what you want, are you willing to make enemies and who your heroes are, etc. When you put great elements against the backdrop of the stock market, you get a story that the audience can relate to. 
It seems niche but they will be like ‘Wow, I know exactly what that feels like.’

You were the rookie on the set. So were you the pampered one?

Quite the opposite really (laughs). I was not pampered. They were like, Rohan will be there as long as you want, he is new, he will do anything and everything. If you want him to shoot overtime, it doesn’t matter. I’m glad they did that, and I shot upto 15 hours a day. In a way, they were testing me. Everyone knew that I was coming with an abundance of energy and they wanted to see how long I could sustain. I would go on the set thinking I’ve got a big scene and I’m going to give it my best, get into character and be amazing. When I first arrived on set, I would be all charged up. An hour later, I would be a little tired; two hours later, when they still hadn’t taken my angle, I would be slightly restless. However, even if I had to wait for five hours, I would make it a point to sustain my energy. After all, it is my film and I was not going to let anything come in the way. So, I was not pampered. I was pushed as hard as I could be because it was a challenging movie to make.

So, Baazaar was a solid training ground? 

It’s a big-budget film where you have the luxury of a nice brand. At the same time, it has prepared me for the conditions and times. We shot in real locations, nothing much on the studio or the set. So, it’s the best of both the worlds.

The film’s release got pushed. Did that make you impatient? Were there times you had to keep yourself motivated?

I would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel impatient and a little worried. But I had to keep in mind that such things are a part and parcel of this profession. Moreover, I got into this at the right time and right age. As clichéd as it may sound, I feel good things come to people who wait. Five years ago, I would have been like, ‘Why isn’t this happening, why am I not getting the work that I want to do?’ Through that process, I learnt that if you wait, you’ll get something good. You get wisdom from that process.

How was it interacting with an actor like Saif Ali Khan? 

I had this perception of him as a star whose films I have grown up watching. But I remember the moment I walked on the set and did my first scene with him, all that went away. The way he said, ‘Hi Rohan.. how are you?’ helped dispel all my apprehensions. It was like two co-actors working together to give the best we could. It became such a friendly contemporary relationship, rather than ‘Oh, my God! It’s Saif Ali Khan in front of me’. With due respect to him, he never made me feel that ‘You’re a newcomer and I’m this big star’. I’m thankful to him that he made my first experience on a film so lovely.

Have you been meeting other filmmakers?

Even as I wait for Baazaar’s release, I have been meeting other filmmakers simultaneously. I’m blessed that I have someone like Nikkhil to guide me. He has seen the world and has had his share of ups and downs. I’m fortunate to have him because he, Monisha and Madhu Bhojwani really look out for me.

Since you said that you didn’t know your dad, what you’re getting to know about him is through stories from others, including your family.

I guess, as you can see, it’s one of those really strange stories wherein, how many people in the world can say my father passed away when my mother was four months pregnant with me. After I was born, I went to Kenya where my mom’s grandparents lived. Two things happened. Firstly, I had a lovely childhood. Secondly, I moved to a place where no one knew my father on a personal level. They were aware of Vinod Mehra, the Bollywood actor, but no one could sit across the table and tell me what he was like as a human being. So, I grew up not knowing him. To be honest, there was a slight intrigue factor. When you’re raised in an environment where everything is given to you, you don’t seek out that knowledge. But when I moved to Mumbai six years ago, the world completely opened up. It was like knowing your dad 21 years later. People said, ‘Oh Rohan, you do this as well! Your father did things exactly like that.’ When I started learning about him, my interest increased. I wanted to know more about him. I could relate to him, I feel we’re almost the same person.. he’s not there, but I feel so close to him. Suddenly, the jigsaw puzzle makes sense. 

I meet my bua (my dad’s sister) and she says, ‘Oh my God! You’re exactly like him.’ Discovering him through other people’s experiences and interactions with him has been an incredible journey.

Like everyone else in the industry, your private life became news before your professional life had started.

Yes, it did (laughs). It’s an occupational hazard. You sign up for it. It’s no secret that I feel emotional about my family, friends. If you dig deep into my social media posts, you’ll notice that I’m very open about everyone. Whoever my friends are, I express what I feel about them.

Have you faced heartbreak?

I get the person you’re speaking about (Tara Sutaria). We’ve been great friends, she is a lovely girl. She is doing a big film and I wish the absolute best for her.