Sudeep and I are good buddies: Aftab Shivdasani

Express News Service

BENGALURU: He’s sort of been missing in action for a while. But with the release of much-awaited Sandalwood film Kotigobba 3, Aftab Shivdasani hopes to create the buzz he once did with his Bollywood films, Masti franchise and Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3. In the city to promote his latest film, which hit screens on Friday– after much confusion on Thursday, the actual date it was to release on – Shivdasani tells us that he is still to catch the movie himself. 

“Life has definitely changed because of the pandemic, including being able to catch the premiere film shows,” he says with a laugh, pointing out that it’s not the first movie that he hasn’t seen beforehand. Playing the role of a cop in the Sudeep-starrer, Shivdasani is excited for the audience to see him on screen. “Did you see the crowd at the theatres on Friday? It was amazing to see the love Sudeep’s fans have for him and how they had gathered to watch the film. The response was overwhelming,” he quips. 

Has he managed to pick up Kannada having worked on the film? “Not yet. I had very few dialogues in Kannada, most of them were in English. I did this project because Sudeep and I are really good friends. He insisted that I work on a film in the south industry and I’m so happy to see how easy it was to work here,” he says, adding that he didn’t worry too much about the language or industry barrier when Sudeep proposed the idea of working in Kotigobba 3.  

Ready to go back home to Mumbai, Shivdasani will get busy with the promotion of Special Ops Season 2, which will release on Disney+ Hotstar soon. “I’m in talks for a few other projects, but it’s too soon to say anything. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the background,” he says. 

Bengaluru, he says, is a place that he frequents only on work. “It’s honestly not intensional, but only work assignments bring me here. I love the people, city, vibe and of course, the restaurants here. I love the Blue Ginger at Taj West End,” says the actor. 

With work picking up pace after a slow 2020, he’s also thankful for the time he got to spend with family. The last year was a special one as Shivdasani and his wife Ninj welcomed their son, Nevaeh. “I also learnt how to cook, cycled a lot, watched a lot of series and enjoyed every minute I had with my family,” he says.