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From Bollywood to Hollywood, How Ishaan Khatter Learnt to Straddle Both Worlds
A glutton for cinema and a global actor in the making, The Hollywood Reporter India delves into Ishaan Khatter’s Hollywood debut alongside Nicole Kidman, his views on tokenised diversity, and, most importantly, the story behind how he landed the role.
Stepping into Ishaan Khatter’s sea-facing Bandra home, one is greeted by a long corridor lined with film posters, starting with Amitabh Bachchan’s 1975 action drama, Deewaar. “It was the first one I put up — a Deewaar poster on my deewaar [wall]!” the actor says with a smile.
But while re-watching the film recently, Khatter — a movie buff — almost jumped off the couch when he realised that the iconic scene of Bachchan’s character buying a building in Mumbai is, in fact, the one he now calls home!
Born into a family of actors, Khatter has cinema coursing through his veins. But he took no shortcuts; after a childhood cameo in Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005), he worked as an assistant director on Udta Punjab (2016) and Half Widow (2017) before making his debut with Iranian director Majid Majidi’s Beyond the Clouds in 2017. And from his maiden film to Dhadak (2018), A Suitable Boy (2020) and Pippa (2023), among several others in between, Khatter has built an eclectic filmography.
This month, he marked a milestone in his young career, and packed yet another surprise for his audience by taking his first step into Hollywood. Khatter left his fans guessing and asking for more with his steamy appearance in the teaser for The Perfect Couple — a Netflix miniseries — and Khatter found the response amusing. “It was smartly chosen!” he says, referring to a scene of him in the shower that sent the Internet into a tizzy.
Following in the footsteps of Irrfan Khan, Khatter says that he admires the late actor’s diversity of roles in the West, and wishes to emulate his trajectory. Now, with The Royals — Khatter’s first Indian series for Netflix — also on the horizon, one wonders who his favourite co-star has been so far. The Gen Z artiste, however, admits that he simply cannot pick, and with Tabu, Nicole Kidman and Zeenat Aman in the mix, how could one blame him?
Sitting on the sofa with Saadat Hasan Manto and Rumi on his coffee table, the actor then begins to spill the beans on his recent adventures, straddling the worlds of Hollywood and Bollywood.
Congratulations on your recent Hollywood stint! How does it feel being one of the first male actors of your generation to do so?
What I was thrilled about in The Perfect Couple was that it didn't feel like a tokenised diversity casting. Even in my young career, it's my first supporting role, but I was only too happy to be part of a project like this. It's great exposure with 21 Laps Entertainment and Shawn Levy just coming off the foothills of Deadpool & Wolverine!
How did you land this role?
I received an email for a self-tape from my agents while I was working, and the deadline was the next day! This script, however, had a mysterious air to it. And as it happened, no one was around to help that day, so for the first time I recorded the cues on an app and played off of my own voice.
With self-tapes, you can't read the room, so you can't get many notes besides the brief. But that’s what liberates you to give it your own interpretation, and that's what anyone really wants to see, right?
Interestingly, the choice to go agnostic in terms of ethnicity was a creative liberty taken by (director) Susanne [Bier] and the producers, as the show is based on Elin Hilderbrand’s book [of the same name], where the character is originally Caucasian.
What was the first thing you noticed when you arrived at the location?
I was the first cast (maybe even crew) member to arrive at Cape Cod. It was a ghost town. The only human being I met was the production assistant who let me into my room — not even any hotel staff! (laughs).
Soon after, I met our costume designer Signe [Sejlund], followed by Susanne, in person, for the first time. We then had a table read and were all shifted into private homes. What followed were four months of doing the dishes and laundry, cleaning up, practising my lines while cooking, driving myself to work.
It was fun — I've never had an experience like that before. We have a lot of help and assistance here, and while I'm not an entourage kind of actor, I still have people that I’m familiar with, like the hair and make-up team I've worked with for years. I was also dealing with an acute injury at the time, so I did my own rehab work there. It was an entirely new cast and crew, and I knew nobody there. So, while it had its challenges, I thought of it as [the equivalent of] the foreign university experience in my life (smiles).
What was it like to work with an international cast and crew?
Every director has their process, and with Susanne, nobody knows where they stand because she protects her vision.
Nicole [Kidman] was extremely generous, inspiringly sincere and very present. We had some interesting conversations, and yes, she does have very hypnotic eyes!
What really helped me sail through, though, was the fact that a lot of the cast members were in and around my age. There weren't many people in the Cape and coming from Mumbai, that was a bit of a culture shock.
What’s the filmmaking process like abroad?
I was asked this question by my co-actors as well, out of curiosity about how things work here. Essentially, we're all storytellers, and it's the same creative medium. But there's a difference in attitude, systems and protocols, even lunch. It feels more isolated there, but I think that’s the culture, and not limited to the film industry. American culture was very alien to me; the first time I ever travelled there was in 2019 after I started earning. And the second time was for this show.
Have you built a network in the West now?
I have an agent and a manager who help me navigate the ways of the world, and since I needed the standard American accent, I found a dialect coach on YouTube. His name is Erik Singer and he’s incredible. He had worked with Austin Butler on Elvis right before, and helped me over four to five sessions.
How do you choose projects you want to work on?
It's largely instinctive. I've been asked if it’s a strategy — doing things people won’t expect, but it's not. As actors, we are products of the opportunities we receive. There are different things that draw you on; for example, a film that I start this month — I won't say much because I'm being a good actor for my producers (laughs) — it’s with a director I've wanted to work with for 10 years, even before I started my career. That’s tempting, but it's still more important for me to feel connected to the script. I think if I'm not passionate about what I'm doing, I'll probably suck at it.
The trailer for The Royals has taken the Internet by storm. What are you most grateful for?
I've been a lucky man when it comes to the wonderful ladies in my career, especially directors like Mira [Nair] and Susanne. The Royals is directed [by Nupur Asthana and Priyanka Ghose] and created [Rangita and Ishita Pritish Nandy] entirely by women, so it seems serendipitous. It's the first time that I'll be seen in that light, playing a really cool part in a fun show that has something for everyone.
Tell us about the people who always have your back.
My mom [actor Neelima Azeem] has been the most consistent figure in my life, the strongest woman I know, while my elder brother [actor Shahid Kapoor] has been the most consistent male figure. I look up to him for many cues as a person and as an actor. I’ve also found a great support system in my childhood friends and family. I'm not a social butterfly, so I fraternise with people in the industry occasionally, holding only a handful of them close.
What's next for you?
I've finished three projects back to back, and I'm looking forward to starting my next now. I've gained some perspective coming off of the pandemic a year into my career, and I feel more assured and excited about this next phase.