Jubin Nautiyal and Nikita Dutta open up about their wedding rumours - Exclusive

Singer Jubin Nautiyal

and actress Nikita Dutta recently collaborated for the song 'Mast Nazron Se'. The two have also been hitting the headlines for a rumoured relationship. In an exclusive interaction with ETimes, Jubin and Nikita get candid about their equation, shooting for the song, rumours about their marriage, upcoming projects and much more. Excerpts:

Your latest song is like welcoming the great Indian wedding season. How was it working together on the song?
Nikita Dutta: It was great. I think exactly what you have experienced watching it is how we felt when we were trying to create that experience for people. So we had a lot of fun and I got to work with a lot of good people, especially, I think on the top of the list is Jubin, and the entire team who's kind of put the song together. It's really good to hear views like this because this is what we were really hoping that people say about the song.
It has already garnered good views...
Jubin Nautiyal: You don't get to sleep a day before you're about to release the song, so it's still the same hustle. It's such a big step for a musician and an actress, to do a mainstream video song where there's a marriage going on and when there's too much that happens around. So it was a bold step and we did it, we took the risk.

Nikita: I'm really glad that you're saying it's difficult to sleep a night before the video release. Because the day the video was going to come out, a night before that I was terribly restless and I was on the verge of picking up my phone and messaging Jubin, 'Are you going to sleep because I'm facing a tough time? But I didn't because I was like, 'Maybe he's just cool about this'. I wish I texted you. I totally know the restless feeling, the good kind of butterflies that you get.



Jubin, of late, you are featuring in songs, which wasn't the case earlier. What made you want to face the camera?
Before the lockdown, I would go to do playback work and I would sing for films and suddenly films were off. I can't stop making music and so I kept making music. So then Mr Bhushan Kumar was like, 'Why don't you feature yourself? Let's try something.' We had done a video which is called 'Humnava mere', that was the first video, and also the last for a while. That was also peaking and raging, so he was like, 'Let's go for it, let's do a video' and then we started doing. We started from 'Meri Aashiqui', this entire sound of the 90s, and it started with the lockdown.
Nikita, on a scale of 1-10, how much would you give him when it comes to acting in this song?
I'm going to be very honest. A lot of people kept saying that he's a non-actor, singer, but I have seen him on set and I think with time, because he's been doing music videos, I didn't feel like he was a non-actor at all. He's very kind to say that he's trying but I think mentally he underplays himself. But he's done a very good job that you can see in the music video and that has come very effortlessly. So yeah, I think he's fabulous at that.

When did you guys first meet?
Nikita: My second show on television back in 2016, its title song was sung by Jubin. Those were his initial days also, he was starting out one of his first few songs. So we met then but I think we connected again about four years ago and that's when we have stayed in touch over time, regularly, and I think that's how our friendship has grown stronger.

Nikita, don't you think you should also work in some film he's playing a romantic hero?
I think that's completely his creative call. As much as I know of him, he loves his music, he loves the fact that he has a beautiful voice and he can reach out to people through that. So if ever he wants to experiment, he has already got the qualities of an actor. He's already great, but it's up to him. There are so many actors who sometimes try their hand on a mic and they want to sing, I'm definitely not one of them. So I think that he's also been saying that he's not one of those who want to come into acting and he's very happy reaching out to people with his music.

Nikita, there was this party where Jubin actually sang 'Dil ka dariya' for you. Were you surprised?
Yeah, I was not expecting because a lot of times, I have told him that this is the song I have of yours on my playlist and this is one of my favourite songs. So I didn't expect him to go out there and it was also the first time I was hearing him sing live, that song. So it was like the one thing that I keep hearing on my headphones, it's live right here in front of me and he's singing it. So yeah, that was a little overwhelming I would say.
You guys were linked to each each other and it was even said that you both are getting married...
Jubin: We laughed it off. We went for another coffee date and laughed about it. See, sometimes clarifying things is what spoils it. We realised that if we put more inputs into these talks, this is just going to blow out of proportion and if it's not true then why to misguide it. We just kept shut about it. Our families called us for sure, we just told them the truth. But eventually, it worked out for the song. So I think everything happens for a reason.

Nikita, this is the first time you've been linked with someone...I have never been linked up with anybody. So yeah, it's funny. Even with family and close circle of friends, I like sharing everything about my life with them, so when something like this comes up, I know for a fact that at least that area of people are going to be at peace and be like, 'No, this is of course a fake news' and they will be aware. So I didn't get any flak from there but there are a lot of other people, extended relatives who were reaching out. They were like, 'Is it true? Is it happening?' So I think the first day, we were a little taken aback. We were like, 'What is this? Has it blown out of proportion?' But then I think we should have that attitude towards news and trolls that you should just laugh it off because everybody has the right to say whatever they want and you can't go and give a clarification to every individual. So that's what we did, we just sat back as eventually they'll just come to know when the song comes out, so let's just not say anything right now.


Jubin, you're not as active as Nikita on social media. Do you think it's better that way?
Social media and all these things that are around, I make sure that I don't make them a part of my life. These things were there so that I can support my music. My music should be my life. So I have maintained that. If I don't post for some days, I get calls saying, 'Sir post karo.' So I do something but this isn't something that I'm doing religiously.

What about you, Nikita?
It's easier for me to put things out, say on a platform that just requires you to write, because then I don't think, it's just whatever is happening with me, whatever I'm feeling, I just put it out there. Of course with the media that require you to show yourself, post pictures, it's very similar like him. I have to make that effort because I'm not somebody who documents my entire life. I'm not going to go everywhere and be like, 'Okay first I want to click a picture, my food is here, I want to click a picture'. So that is something I have to make an effort for and I'm not letting people who do that, down, because I think that somewhere makes a connect between you and your fans. So I know that we should be doing that ideally. So just like him, it's an effort and a thing that I want to try and make it happen.
Your fitness videos are inspiring to say the least. Is there a lot of pressure to be what you want to be?
It's very sad that in spite of so many things going around body shaming and about how we should accept ourselves the way we are, even today if a person gains weight, the person is looked down upon, especially in case if women. And I'm saying this with personal experience that we women go through so many internal things happening inside our body, you never know what a female is going through. So it's a worst thing to comment on her weight gain or weight loss for that matter, because there could be something really wrong about the person and they're trying to overcome and still put on a brave face. I have been battling my own health issues for many years now. But I've chosen to fight it and continue that way. So the least I do is that I try to not go very unrealistic because that's also what happens on social media, people keep putting up things that they don't believe in, just to be acceptable. So I just try to stay true to myself and do what I actually believe in.
So you do somewhere feel that the pressure is there as you are a known face, to be in a certain shape, to look in a certain way, or to be known in a certain way?
Now I'm feeling that since I've started featuring. There is definitely certain kind of pressure around it in our line of work. But I don't know that how much that pressure will get to my head, I'm still to explore that. But right now I'm just comfortable, I'm not too worried about how I'm going to look on camera. But at the same time, I want to look more presentable if I'm doing more music videos and we need to work for that.


What are your upcoming projects?
Nikita: I have a film coming out this year, which is called 'Rocket Gang' and apart from that I think whenever we're closer to their announcements and release dates, we will be able to speak about it better.

Jubin: I'm hoping to start work on my album this year. I want to write some music.
Nikita, you recently lost your phone!
I had my phone snatched away when I was out for a walk in the evening and that happened in Mumbai, in Bandra. People came over on a bike, snatched the phone out of my hand, and I could do nothing. They did tap me on my head, distracted me and the phone was just snatched out of my hand. Yes, I did file a complaint and the cops were very kind. It took them two weeks and they found my phone back, they found the two people who had stolen my phone and they were put behind the bars.