“3G is horror film with love story as main crux”: Neil- Sonal

By Devansh Patel -

March 15, 2013 - 4:14 AM IST

Ever read a horror story only to find out it is the best love story when you finish it? Yes, House of Leaves, written by Mark Z Danielewski has a passage that goes - "No matter where you are, in a crowded restaurant or

“3G is horror film with love story as main crux”: Neil- Sonal

on some desolate street or even in the comforts of your own home, you'll watch yourself dismantle every assurance you ever lived by. You'll stand aside as a great complexity intrudes, tearing apart, piece by piece, all

your carefully conceived denials, whether deliberate or unconscious. And for better or worse you'll turn, unable to resist, though try to resist you still will, fighting with everything you've got not to face the thing you most

dread, what is now, what will be, what has always come before, the creature you truly are, the creature we all are, buried in the nameless black of a name. And then the nightmares will begin." Sonal Chauhan and Neil

Nitin Mukesh best describe their film as Mark Z Danielewski's book - a psychological horror with a beautiful love story woven in. Directed by Shantanu and Sheershak, 3G hits cinemas nationwide today. Let the

nightmares begin!

The one phone call that changed your life for the good and bad...
Sonal: A director from Vishesh Films saw me and he knew the girl who I knew and got my number. I got a call from Mukesh Bhatt and he wanted to meet me. That's how I got my first film Jannat that changed

my life for good.

Neil: I got a call from Sriram Raghavan from one room to the next. For six months, I was working with him and he calls me from the other room and gives me a cheque of 51,000 rupees and says, "You start

Johnny Gaddar tomorrow".

But what about calls that spook you out?
Sonal: Your calls always spook me out (laughs). There is this stalker that I have who knows everything about me. Fans are fine. But for this one I had to file a police complaint because he is a little sick and

needs professional help. He calls both my numbers, he has my address, has my email address. He wants to even marry me. I don't really want to get into the details of the messages right now.

Horror has a niche audience. This is the first for both of you. Did you at any point think of not doing a film like 3G?
Sonal: When I got a narration of 3G for the first time, I found there is much to the story than just horror. The most important emotion that drives the film is love between the two people. My character

Sheena is standing by this guy throughout for the love she has for this guy played by Neil. It's a horror that we haven't grown upon. It'll keep you on the edge of your seat.

Neil: 3G breaks the clichÃ©s. Though there is supernatural in it and typical moments of scare, but it goes in the space that is more psychological where you see the flip of the character. When

somebody is with you and you know him inside out and then he becomes a stranger is a scary thought. The mystery of what's happening in this man's life is what 3G is all about. Horror isn't explored more. Not

just the critics out there but everyone considers horror as taboo. I hope the genre itself is given importance. It's also entertainment.

You are one of those rare actors who've worked with two director duos - Abbas-Mustan and Shantanu -Shershak. How do the two work in tangent?
Neil: I think it's very interesting. Both Abbas-Mustan are so clear. It's uncanny. It's the working relationship they've maintained. Shantanu and Shershak are technically very sound. If one is following

performances, the other is following the edit pattern. If one is following the shot taking, the other one is into framing the shot. That understanding is there. They haven't lost their plot.

Actors always take time to come out of certain characters they've portrayed onscreen. Did it take time for you guys to come out of the horrifying experiences?
Sonal: When you are associated with the film day in and out, and sharing your experiences and thoughts, normally you hear films being shot and stories off screen. So we did have our own experiences but

people would merely see it as a marketing gimmick. I didn't really let myself suck into the horror stories (laughs).

Neil: The one film that I took time to come out of was Jail. To get out of a 3G character was not difficult at all. After pack up I used to watch cartoons and was the usual Neil at home.

Did Fiji come across as a Bollywood loving island country?
Neil: You won't believe this but Fiji is filled with Gujaratis. 50% of their population is Gujaratis (laughs). I got 'chunda' 'thepla' 'dhokla'. I got the gujju delicacies to relish on. My grandmother was a Gujarati. I am

one and I love their food. But honestly, our director once called us before we reached the location to take a u-turn and return to our hotel as there was a stampede. Nearly thousand people had come to watch the

shooting. They love Bollywood movies. 3G is releasing in Fiji.

How menacing can you get in a film like 3G? You've shown signs of it in Saat Khoon Maaf and David.

Neil: Each human being has his own reasons behind his madness. It depends on the portrayal of my character. Saat Khoon Maaf was frustration and complexity. This is something else. It had to be

subtle, calm and cold. Players was an out and out baddie. So he had to be slightly larger than life and a bad guy all the way. David had to have some class in spite of being cold blooded. In 3G, Sam isn't

a normal guy. You see layers of madness. I didn't derive the madness from psychological state. I just became another guy.

You must have a Hollywood or a Bollywood actor who you get inspired from. Who do you look up to?
Sonal: I've always looked up to Kajol. I love her. I have immense amount of respect for her. She's magical. Every time I want to do a scene I always think how she would do it. I am a big fan of DDLJ but I loved

Hamesha to Dushman to My Name is Khan. She is so natural. She laughs and creates magic.

Any Hollywood film in the similar genre as 3G you've loved?
Sonal: Honestly, I am still waiting for a film that can scare me completely. There were portions in Grudge and The Ring that did scare me but not beyond that.

Neil: The recently released Mama is s*** scary. I love the classic cults - The Omen, The Exorcist, etc.

What satisfies you? What gives you a high?
Sonal: Money is important. Box office collections do give you a high. But for an actor in me, I get the creative high. When the audience relates to me and when I connect to my audience is what gives me the

high.

Neil: For me, it's the praise and for people to accept what I am doing. Good movies are a high. Unfortunately, box office has become an important norm. You think I am not facing it right now? David

didn't do well at the box office. My producers tell me that I am to be blamed for the debacle of David. That's not right. But at the end of the day, the only thing that keeps me going is that someday my investment

will come through.