Puneet Vashisht, who played Ronnie alongside Shah Rukh Khan in Mansoor Khan‘s 2000 film ‘Josh’, has opened up about how his role in the film was significantly cut down. Recently, Puneet spoke about his equation with the superstar, the politics behind his reduced screen time, and the personal struggles he faced afterwards.
Puneet Vashisht on Shah Rukh Khan as an actor
In a candid conversation on ‘Dil Se Dil Ki Baatein’, Puneet Vashisht shared his honest opinion on Shah Rukh Khan. He said, “Shah Rukh Khan as an actor… as the son of an actor, I can dissect him. I wouldn’t call him a great actor, but I would call him a creative, energetic superstar. He’s an entertaining man. The phase he went through, that energy, that creativity, hats off.”He also touched upon how the industry has changed over the years when it comes to nepotism, saying, “Back then, the whole outside–insider nepotism issue wasn’t so prevalent. What we’re seeing now, with Ananya Panday, Varun Dhawan, Tiger Shroff, is when nepotism has really taken hold. At that time, benchmarks were being set, the seeds of nepotism were being sown, but it wasn’t dominant yet.”
Puneet Vashisht on why his role in ‘Josh’ was cut
Puneet Vashisht revealed that he had actually trained Shah Rukh Khan in dance and that his energy on set eventually worked against him. He explained, “A lot was cut from ‘Josh’. I had trained Shah Rukh bhai in dance, and he was aware of my energy. When Mansoor Khan would set up shots, SRK was known for his energy. He would do a 10-foot jump, and I would automatically jump – mine would be 14 feet. So the focus shifted to me, and I was cut out. If I were in his place, maybe I would have done the same. But I don’t think I’m like that. At that time, he was really rising, so if anyone came in between, it was cut, cut, cut – eliminate it. I was immature too. ‘Josh’ gave me a lot, and even today people love it. I was 20 years old when I did ‘Josh’. It was supposed to take four months, but it stretched to four and a half years. My immaturity was that I focused on what I lost, not on what I gained.”
Puneet Vashisht on his struggles with depression and alcoholism
Puneet Vashisht also spoke about the difficult phase that followed, attributing it to industry lobbies that allegedly sidelined him. He said, “At that time, the groups forming – the trees of nepotism – didn’t want this energy to come in. So those groups or lobbies avoided me a lot. I slipped into depression and alcoholism. I had talent; I had confidence, but it wasn’t being used, so these things happened. But now, by God’s grace, it was all part of the process.“
About Puneet Vashisht
Apart from ‘Josh’, Puneet Vashisht has featured in films like ‘Taal’ (1999), ‘Gayab’ (2004), ‘Fanaa’ (2006), and ‘Happy New Year’ (2014). He was also a wild card contestant on Bigg Boss 9 in 2015.
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