Actor Aashim Gulati, who played gym trainer Leo Mathews in Homi Adajania's "Murder Mubarak", says he has been getting a lot of love for the role despite his brief appearance in the star-studded murder mystery.
The actor, also known for performance in "Taj: Divided by Blood", "Hostages" and "Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara", said he had initially auditioned for a different role but said yes to Leo, who ends up dead in the initial moments of the movie, because of director Homi Adajania and veterans like Dimple Kapadia, Karisma Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi.
"'Murder Mubarak' was a fun ride and I said yes to it. I had a small part... I was travelling when Homi called me and said he wanted me to play Leo, even though I had auditioned for another character," Gulati told PTI in an interview.
"There were so many heroes around me that I'd grown up watching. I love Karisma Kapoor's work, I'm a big fan of Pankaj Tripathi and Dimple Kapadia ma'am.... I had a great time, even though it was a small part. Surprisingly, I've been getting a lot of love for it," he said about the Netflix movie that also featured Sara Ali Khan and Vijay Varma.
The actor is now looking forward to the release of "Kahan Shuru Kahan Khatam", opposite singer-actor Dhvani Bhanushali. The movie explores themes of love, relationships and self-discovery.
Gulati plays the role of Krishna in the movie, which, he said, had all the ingredients to become an entertaining film that would appeal to the audiences today.
"It's got comedy, romance, a little bit of action and then there's this sweet message that is also important. I think it just had everything that we need today to get people to come to the theatres and watch," he said about the movie, directed by debutant director Saurabh Das Gupta and backed by Vinod Bhanushali and Laxman Utekar.
The actor is among the handful of performers who have successfully transitioned to the big screen after a successful career in television. Gulati said it is all because the audiences are more accepting now.
"Times have changed. Earlier the mediums were restricted. If you're a star on television, then people just want to see you like that, and then they sort of bracket you in that manner. But now there are so many more opportunities. There are so many more mediums that have opened up," he said.
The film's title, "Kahan Shuru Kahan Khatam", pays homage to Lata Mangeshkar's timeless classic "Ajib Dastan Hai Yeh" (1960). Gulati said it is a blessing to be associated with such an iconic title.
"To be part of a film featuring her voice and to dance to that is a dream come true. I always say, 'We must have done something right and made good choices' to have this collaboration. It's awesome and feels amazing," he said.
"Kahan Shuru Kahan Khatam" also stars Rajesh Sharma, Rakesh Bedi, Sonali Sachdeva, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Vikram Kochhar, and Himansh Kohli.
The film is slated to release in theatres this Friday.
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