“After seeing this performance, I don’t think any producer will want to cast Himanshu Malik any time in the future”
“Giant robot would give Himanshu a run for his money”
“Models cannot act – the adage has been proved once again by the hero Himanshu”.
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Way back in college, a group of friends had attended a photo exhibition in Mumbai’s famous Jehangir art gallery. As we moved along the various walls, one section was on male nudes! Amidst the giggling of the girls, we could spot the well known Milind Soman as one of the faces. While the rest were unknown, a few faces were familiar. Of these was a captivating photograph of a young man lounging out of a bathtub. There was a look of innocence on his handsome face and the silhouette made the sense of vulnerability appear even more stark. (For those that are in the danger of fainting, here’s a smelling salt – all the photographs were black and white – cleverly concealing the vital parts!)
I had seen this face in some ads, but couldn’t recollect which. A year later, Himanshu Malik became the Vimal man.
Modelling career:
In those days, being chosen as the model for a Vimal suitings ad meant that one had arrived. There onwards Himanshu went on to become the topmost male model of the country. Being of a generation close on the heels of international models like Milind Soman and Arjun Rampal meant that standards had already been set very high. But Himanshu rose to the occasion and was among the most sought after and highly paid in the fraternity.
Born and brought up in Delhi, Himanshu was an all rounder in sports and studies and went on to become an engineer from the Delhi College of Engineering in 1994. But his internationally suited looks and well toned physique led him to a different career – modeling – and Mumbai beckoned. And as they say, the rest is history.
In a short span of time, he landed almost all top assignments like Vimal and Raymonds and he was the favorite among photographers.
Music Videos:
Modeling, according to Himanshu, was a brain dead field. For an intellectual person like him, walking the ramp was extremely boring and non challenging as time went by. His popularity as a model landed him in a few charttopping music videos like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s “Afreen Afreen” with Lisa Ray and Sonu Nigam’s Deewana “Kuch tum socho, kuch hum sochein” with Gul Panang. A few such music videos later, Himanshu was all set to set foot into the big bad world of Bollywood.
Bollywood Bamboozlement:
Not having a godfather in the industry can become a serious liability, as Himanshu discovered to his dismay. Further, having good looks and a background as a model is a liability as viewers and critics preempt your performance by labeling you as a “bad actor”. (The opening lines of this review are some of the comments I’ve read on Himanshu’s performances).
Himanshu was on the verge of being cast in Mira Nair’s “Kamasutra” but things did not work out. He had to settle for the job of Ms Nair’s production assistant.
He had to undergo further humiliation and shoddy treatment from Ram Gopal Verma who gave him a bit role as a foolish rich guy who was Urmila’s suitor in “Jungle”. Himanshu didn’t fit the part as he looked far better than the film’s hero Fardeen Khan, but the script ensured that he got a raw deal nevertheless.
Being good at adventure sports like paragliding, flying and scuba diving, he started a paragliding school in Manali along with a friend, Manish Singhal, called the Mahindra Rush Paragliding Camp. Unfortunately, the venture folded up very soon.
Not wanting to give up, Himanshu finally landed a role in “Tum Bin” along with three other newcomers, Sandali Sinha, Priyanshu and Rakesh Bapat. Himanshu’s character “Abhigyan” was noticed among the crowd and was empathized by the viewers. The film was quite successful.
But his big break came with Govind Menon’s “Khwahish” where he was the leading man. With big mouth Mallika Sherawat as the heroine, the entire first time crew gave it all they had to come up with a successful film. The duo of Malik and Mallika steamed it up with bold dialogues and bolder situations. Unfortunately the film was packaged as a semi porn flick with the focus on the much pouted…er sorry… touted 17 kisses and the skimpy beachwear of the two actors. While the skin show certainly did its bit to add to the look and feel of the film, the charm of the characters and the subtle and sensitive portrayal by Himanshu was lost out. While everyone noticed his kissing charms, his shower scenes and the underwear sequence, audiences ignored the underplaying of the character which was done with competence. Infact Himanshu’s Amar was a perfect foil to Mallika’s Lekha.
Among Mouthshut’s reviewers, very few were able to discern the quality of the film and ended up giving it a bad rating. Even worse was the verdict on performances. However a few reviewers like monbat, lavagopal, arundewan and deepakbhota gave the thumbs up.
One of my favorite reviewers mouthshutdotcom (Muneeb) had this to say:
“Himanshu Malik after the successful “Tum Bin” has improved a lot, in acting department, as well as in overall appearance. He has acted very well and can be a GREAT superstar, if he works in more sensible films than this and if he uses his talent in right way!”
I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY!
While Mallika talked her way to infamy and popularity, the reticent Himanshu still finds it tough landing good roles. Once again bit roles in films like LOC, Rog and Rakht didn’t do any good for his career.
Ultimately the choice of roles is an important decision which can make or break one’s career. For an actor with immense potential like Himanshu, this is a critical aspect.
Let us wait and watch if his latest release “Jackpot” lives up to its name!