'Homebound' actor Vishal Jethwa on prep: Hid leg injury
Vishal Jethwa—who you might know from Mardaani 2—just appeared in Homebound, which premiered at Cannes this May and was selected as India's entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars.
He shared how he got ready to play Chandan Kumar, giving a peek into the hard work behind the scenes.
He auditioned for a different role!
Jethwa first auditioned for another role but ended up playing Chandan. He actually hid a leg injury during tryouts and dropped 10kg to fit the part.
He explained that he had to lose weight because Chandan is from a small village and eats only vegetables.
Off-screen bonding with Ishaan Khatter
To make their on-screen friendship feel real, director Neeraj Ghaywan asked Jethwa and co-star Ishaan Khatter to bond off-set too.
Jethwa mentioned that they would talk about their lives and families, and even grab meals together.
That connection helped bring their characters' friendship alive.
His journey from TV to international cinema
Starting out on TV with Maharana Pratap (2013-14), Jethwa later starred in Mardaani 2 (2019).
Now, thanks to Homebound, he's traveled internationally—with his mom by his side for her first business-class flight.
"The joy of traveling with my mother internationally is very precious to me," he shared.