When Neerja actor Prashantt Guptha met his idols Mithun and Govinda

Prashantt Guptha left his family business in New York more than a decade ago, to pursue his Bollywood dreams. Today, he is happy to have been a part of films like Ek Vivaah... Aisa Bhi (2008), Issaq (2013), Neerja (2016) and The Tashkent Files.

Prashantt’s move to Mumbai was triggered by a childhood dream. He says, “It all started in 1989, when Mithun Chakraborty came to the US for a stage show. I was seven then. I still remember his performance. He had danced to the song, Krishna Dharti Pe Aaja Tu (Disco Dancer).” By the end of the show, he had decided to become a celebrity like Mithunda.

Later, he became obsessed with Govinda. “I was so awestruck by him that I wanted to replicate his hairdo and dance like him,” he recalls. Once in Mumbai, Prashantt got an opportunity to meet both his screen idols. “I acted in The Tashkent Files with Mithunda. While he was the protagonist, I played the antagonist. It was a dream come true for me, and I told him about how he had changed the course of my life. I also met Govinda when we were invited as chief guests at an event,” he says, adding that he hopes to meet his other screen idol, Amitabh Bachchan, one day.

Meanwhile, the actor is also excited about the release of his upcoming Hollywood film,

A New Christmas

, which releases next month. Talking about shuttling between two continents, he says, “When you do something you love, it doesn’t feel like hard work. I want to do as many films as possible across languages, and am keeping my fingers crossed.”