Child artist Markand Soni, who has been a part of several television commercials as well as films like ‘Bhoot and Friends’, and ‘Khichdi: The Movie’ is returning to the big screen after a gap of 12 years with Ayan Mukerji’s magnum opus ‘Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva’ starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Not just that, it also reunites him with Shah Rukh Khan as well, with whom he featured in the show ‘Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain’.
Markand exclusively tells The Free Press Journal, about keeping up with his academics and acting, experience while working on ‘Brahmastra’, and more.
Excerpts:
How did you come on board for ‘Brahmastra’?
I got a call for an audition from the casting company, and after two rounds I was invited to the director’s house to tell me I got the part.
How did you keep up with your academics and acting?
I always knew when I was 15 that this is what I wanted to do. It was an easy decision for me because music and acting were the only things, I was good at. That said it never affected my education. My parents made sure that I went to school and then college and got my degree. And I think education is really important, so even though I was shooting, it didn’t affect my school life.
You have reunited with Shah Rukh Khan once again; do you recall your time working with him back then as well as now?
Shah Rukh Khan Sir is a gem of a person. He's someone who takes really good care of his co-actors and the people around him. There's so much to learn from him! What touches my heart the most is his humility and the love he has for the people around him.
Tell us about your ‘Astraverse’ experience
It's great when you work with people as accomplished as Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan and the other cast members. You realise there's so much you don't know and there's so much scope for growth for yourself, and there's so much more to learn.
Any anecdotes you would like to share?
There used to be an ongoing joke about the release. The director would be like “oh in the next two months I'll finish it” and we would all laugh and tell him that that wasn't going to happen and that it's going to take longer to finish because he said the same thing earlier and there, we were still shooting for it 5 months later. I think all the time that it took to make this film, was worth it! And it was worth the wait.
When it comes to child actors, not all make it big in showbiz, your thoughts?
Not all child actors make it big, because when we start acting as children, our parents support us because they think that we have the potential to grow and it adds to our profile and it helps us get exposure and at the same time have an extracurricular activity to develop a skill. By the time children grow up to be adults, they may no longer want to do it. And for some their parents no longer want them to do it. So, I think that's what it is. And I think that all of us are born to serve a purpose, some by entertaining the world and others by doing other things that makes the world a better place.
What's more on the work front?
I will be making my debut as a singer-songwriter towards the end of September. I am grateful that someone like Hriday Gattani is producing my music. Hriday is known for his music in ‘Dil Bechara’ and songs like ‘Main Tumahara’, ‘Maskhari’, ‘Udan Chhoo’ and for assisting AR Rahman Sir on a lot t of his projects.
