'Heroine' takes a close look at the undesirable aspect of the glamourous world of Bollywood actresses and looks at the life after stardom has passed by.
Photos: Raqesh Vashisth's birthday bash
Raqesh Vashisth with wife Ridhi Dogra at his birthday bash
"It was Madhur and his team who got in touch with me, I met him, he gave me the narration. I did not find it interesting as it was a small role. I was doubtful if I wanted to the film or not. Later Madhur insisted for one more narration. I heard it but I was again dicey about doing the film," Raqesh told in an interview.
"Madhur asked me do the film and said, 'If something goes wrong you come and catch my collar'. I was like, if he is giving a guarantee then why not do it. I am happy doing the film," he said. In 'Heroine', Raqesh will be seen playing the role of a superstar.
"I play play Sameer Khan, a superstar paired opposite Kareena where she is the heroine and our film becomes a super hit. We have quite a few scenes and dialogues."
"It is about how this journey of a heroine from one hero to the other happens," he said. Raqesh is full of praise for Kareena and Bhandarkar.
"She is amazing to work with. I remember we had a scene in a coffee shop, we were rehearsing and she was doing the scene in a way as if she was facing the camera. Even for rehearsals she did the right kind of emotions, tears in her eyes. She did not leave her performance level," Raqesh said.
"It was a great thing that she was around for rehearsals. She is fabulous. Madhur is a fantastic director and I love the kind of movies he makes," he said.
Releasing September 21, the film also stars Arjun Rampal, Randeep Hooda, Shahana Goswani, Divya Dutta and others. Raqesh made his film acting debut with Anubhav Sinha's 2001 movie 'Tum Bin'. But thereafter his Bollywood career did not really take off.
"I think I was too naive. I was too young to get into the profession of acting. I was 21 when I did 'Tum Bin'. When you are a newcomer you are bound by a contract and you cannot sign anything what you want to... you have to wait and watch," Raqesh said.
"When the contract was over, I had to choose from whatever was at my disposal. I made wrong decisions as there was nobody to guide me. I did not have much idea what was a hit and a flop. I went with the flow," he said. There have been offers from Bollywood, but Raqesh is not keen to make a career in the film industry.
"There are few talks happening but I am not that keen on going for it. Surely the industry is not meant for outsiders. If you are a big name then you are ruling the roost. If not a biggie then you are floating somewhere. Today survival is important, you have dreams, and you have to earn money. One must move on in life," he said. Now, Raqesh has achieved popularity on small screen.
"Today I feel lucky that things are working well. I like TV more. I feel it is a bigger challenge than films. Because with films I can't deal with anxiety, wait for six months or something whether you would get offers or not," he said. "TV is constant.. it's like being on stage, you get response immediately. It's a good thing. It's good for morale, great job satisfaction, great money and low on anxiety level," he added.
Raqesh is quite excited about his upcoming TV show 'Honge Juda Na Hum' on Sony with Aamna Sharif. "I play the role of Rohan who is married to Muskan. He is a painter. With colors and canvas he shows his emotions. He loves Muskaan but marriage is something that comes with a baggage... fights happen," he said. "The show is about a couple who goes through ups and downs. And then it's destiny that they have to part ways only to come back," he added.
