Manish Paul Mickey Virus Movie Actress Exclusive Interviews

FTN : From a radio Jockey to a Bollywood debutante, Manish Paul has excelled in every stage of his life. The witty Paul has always been applauded for his awesome comic timings and notorious one-liners.

Manish started his career in Mumbai as a host in "Sunday Tango" on Star Plus(2002). From theaters to VJ, RJ, anchor and now an actor, Manish has had many colors in his professional life. He hosted India's Celebrity Dance Reality Show "Jhalak Dikhlaja" for two consecutive seasons and he feels the show has made his a star today.

With his debut film as the protagonist in Mickey Virus, we had a candid chat with the star in the making. Here is the transcript of the lovely conversation.

Manish, tell us something about your life journey so far. You were first seen as a VJ, then an anchor and now an actor. How exciting the journey has been for you ?

Absolutely, the journey has been really really good. God has been very kind to me, the audience has been very kind and supportive. We are nothing without the audience. So, they have loved me and somewhere their good wishes and their wish to watch me on big screen has culminated into Mickey Virus. Yes, I have worked hard. I won't take that away from me. There was a time when I quit everything and was waiting for things to come in place. So, now overall it feels good and there are many targets to achieve.

Did you want to become an actor since childhood ? As what we know is that you belong to a business family.

My father is a Chartered accountant, brother is an investment planner and mother is housewife. Basically everybody was more inclined towards studies and those kind of things. But, I was always keen to be in the industry. Thankfully, there was a lot of support from my family. I am enjoying the line. I think I always wanted to be an actor and here I am today. (smiles)

You started as an anchor, then you were seen in numerous TV serials but you quit. What was the reason behind that ?

I think everybody wants to move on gradually in life. Similarly things happened to me. I think I have hosted almost every TV show right now, every award show I have hosted. So I wanted something new and therefore, Mickey Virus happened. Moreover, anyone who comes to Mumbai wants to be a part of Bollywood and same is the case with me. People are liking the promos of the films also and I hope they like the movie also and accept me as an actor.

Your career is very successful so far as an anchor. Which show is your personal favorite as a host and why ?

I love hosting Jhalak Dikhlaja very much. Reason being Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit and Remo D'souza. And the major reason is Karan Johar as I love pulling his leg and he reciprocates in the same manner. Me and Karan shared a great chemistry onscreen and I believe people have loved it. That show gave me lot of things in my life. It gave me lot of hype, my first film also. I feel good and honoured.

You hosted with many big names like Madhuri Dixit, Kirron Kher, Karan Johar, Remo and many others. Which one name would you like to say with whom you enjoyed the most ?

As I said in my last answer, definitely it is Karan Johar (winks!). And I would like to host with Shahrukh Khan again. We had a great timing and we enjoyed hosting together.

Now you are debuting as an actor with Mickey Virus. You must be feeling great. How is the experience so far with your co-stars and the makers ?

The feeling is great. Everybody is loving the promos. My makers Star Motion Pictures are very happy. My director Saurabh Varma is extremely thrilled because evryone aounrd him has appreciated the promos and have given great reviews. He is actually surprised with my performance. He has seen me serious for the first time onscreen and Gaurav is doing fabulous job. So, these kind of things coming from the industry boost me up and I am extremely happy.

Many big names of Bollywood are supporting Mickey Virus. We saw few short promos and songs too. How encouraging and exciting it is for you ?

Yes it is. Somewhere down the line, I feel happy my hard work has paid. I have hosted many shows. So when I asked people from the industry why don't you record a promo for my film, they all came forward. So that is very very delightful. That shows that they love me. I feel honored. Starting from Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan to Karan Johar, Madhrui Dixit to Anil Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, evrybody has been talking about the film. I feel great about it.

Manish, tell us about your character in the movie.

My character Mickey Arora is a guy from Malviya Nagar. He is a lazy guy, doesn't like to work. He is the best hacker in the world. He runs a grocery store in the days and plays with viruses and anti-viruses at nights. So, that is the kind of guy he is. How he gets trapped into hacking and how he gets out of it is all the film is about.

Who is your dream co-star (female) with whom you would like to work on the Silver Screen ?

(shy) I would love to work with Katrina Kaif. She is the most beautiful lady. Deepika Padukone is also on the top of my list. If you want the list to go on I would name Priyanka Chopra. The list is actually endless. Given a chance, I would like to work with everybody (laughs).

What are your future projects ? When are we going to see the witty Manish Paul anchoring at his best again ?

I will be anchoring again very soon. In fact, talks are on for a new show. After that, my another film will be ready to release i.e "Tere Bin Laden" sequel where again I am playing the protagonist in that. So, Manish is all on the way.

Your co-star in Mickey Virus, Elle is locked in the Bigg Boss house with more inmates this season and is doing a great job. She is loved by everyone. You also gave a visit to the house recently. How much benefit can Mickey Virus get with that now that Elle has become a household name ?

See, Mickey Virus is a product. Elle is very talented and good looking. Yes, nowadays films need promotions and we are doing that. So Elle's being a contestant on Bigg Boss has definitely helped our film. Moreover, it will help Elle. Films also need to be scripted well which our director has managed to do in the best manner possible. 

Lastly, any message for your fans ?

For the younger generation I would like to give a message that there are many people who work hard but at some time they give up. So, I would like to advice them to work with passion, heart and energy. Work with your dream as dreams do come true.

For all the lovely fans out there, Go watch Mickey Virus on Oct 25, 2013. FTN News