Skill over surname

Catching viewers’ attention with Kaala five years after his debut film Baazaar, star kid Rohan says he bagged each role on merit and not nepotism

In 2018, Rohan Vinod Mehra made his Bollywood debut with Baazaar, starring as parallel lead alongside Saif Ali Khan. After the mainstream debut, however, the actor hasn’t been seen on screen as frequently as one would have expected. Last month, he caught the audience’s attention with his performance in Bejoy Nambiar’s web series, Kaala. When we sit down to chat with him, our first question naturally is: how does he view his five-year run? “Since I didn’t play the conventional game of promoting myself, people assumed I haven’t been working. But the truth is I have been working every year since my first film. I pride myself that every opportunity I have landed has been my own doing,” he states. 

A still from Kaala

One would assume that finding his footing would’ve been easy for Rohan, son to late actor Vinod Mehra, in an industry that is often slammed for its nepotistic ways. But the actor insists he has built his career painstakingly on merit. After Baazaar, he was seen in 420 IPC (2021), and the third season of Four More Shots Please (2022). “Despite working on a film like Baazaar, instant stardom eluded me. I have auditioned tirelessly for each role and made things happen for myself.  It’s a journey I take immense pride in,” he says. He is happy that his efforts have been noticed in Kaala, which sees him as a wrongly discredited army man. “The reviews have been humbling and affirming. I like to think that it’s a testament to the power of perseverance and my love for the craft.”

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