Neil and Sonal’s special connection

Neil and Sonal’s special connection

    For Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonal Chauhan, their friendship has come full circle. The two met as strangers on the set of 3G, became friends, got linked up, and eventually did not interact for six months after the shoot ended. But now, they are back together, promoting the movie, with the camaraderie of a mature friendship. The film is a suspense thriller, where the duo experience supernatural circumstances after the leading man buys a 3G-enabled phone.
Neil and Sonal talk about similar memories from their shooting schedule — the gang of people they hung around with and being marooned on an island like Fiji. “When we landed in Fiji, everyone’s first reaction was that it is such a beautiful place, why are we shooting a horror film here. But, then things just rolled. It was one big party,” says Sonal. Neil adds, “The shooting was dhamakedaar. We didn’t realise when it started or ended. This is the only film where I didn’t do a day of extra patchwork. In fact, we filmed more than what we would plan every day. And, after the day’s work was over, all of us would hang around together — Sonal, her sister, the assistant directors, including my brother Naman, our producer Viki Rajani and the directors Shantanu Ray Chhibber and Sheershak Anand.”
    “When I first started working with Sonal, I felt she was held back. I helped her loosen up a bit, to not worry about things like how pretty you are looking during a crying scene. And she helped me understand that each person is an individual. She made me take a completely different approach while working with her,” says Neil. Adds the actress, “Neil is a very good costar, helpful, easy-going and supportive. He has a lot of inputs, which helped me a lot. After pack-up, he is a naughty child.” Quips Neil, “I am, a 31-year-old child!”
    3G, produced by Next Gen Films and presented by Eros International, releases March 15.

Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonal Chauhan