Aditya Seal on Rocket Gang, aerial silks dancing and the possibility of The Empire Season 2

Aditya Seal had acquitted himself memorably in a dance-off with Tiger Shroff in Student of the Year 2. The 2018 film, with Aditya playing campus jock Manav Singh Randhawa, is considered his breakout, though he's been acting in movies since a child. He's best remembered as the peeping teen from the controversial Ek Chhotisi Love Story (2002), and later, as an adult, from films like Purani Jeans, Tum Bin 2, Namaste England and Indoo Ki Jawani. 

A former teen star who can dance, Aditya has now been tapped to headline Rocket Gang—an upcoming 'dance horror-comedy' featuring children and directed by choreographer Bosco Leslie Martis. The film was announced in 2019 but is releasing only now (on November 11). In the meantime, Aditya has made his name in the OTT space, appearing in shows like Fitraat, Forbidden Love and The Empire, and married longtime girlfriend Anushka Ranjan in a private ceremony last year. 

We spoke to Aditya about working on Rocket Gang, the pressures on kids in movies, seeking out 'character roles', and the status of The Empire season 2. Excerpts...

Are you a trained dancer and did it come handy on Rocket Gang? 

Since my childhood, I’ve been training to become an actor, so my father (late producer Ravi Seal) made me do everything. He made me learn how to fight, he made me learn dancing. So I knew Bollywood and some Hip-Hop. 

But honestly, on the first day when I went to Bosco’s and we started rehearsing, we started on the song 'Bang Bang! Raath Bhar…', a groovy and cool song so I got the steps easily. I thought acha pure film mei aise hi gane hai, aise hi tracks hai (the film has similar music throughout) then I’m going to ace it. When the next day the proper training started, I was like 'Okay.. we need time for this'. The dance was fast, quick, clean. I was not used to this kind of dancing. What you see people do on shows like Dance India Dance, it was at that level. 

Which was the toughest sequence? 

There was this one song, a romantic track, which is not yet out. I'm doing a version of aerial silks dancing in it. And while I’m just hanging over there, I have Nikita (Dutta) in my arms, and she is not harnessed. So it’s on me. If I drop her, she is down, she will fall 20-30 feet from there. And my arms are in pain... and we had to do 2-3 takes at least. We had to look into each other’s eyes and be all romantic (laughs). Well, that’s the work. 

The film has kids from reality shows. Is life much different for them now compared to when you started out? 

I was chilling when I was their age. My father never put any pressure on me. But these kids, they have to manage school, their studies and their reality shows apart from doing a lot of dance training. I’m sure they love it, but it’s still a lot of pressure. I’m glad to see what they are doing but if it's taking a toll on their mental health, if it’s putting pressure on them, then we need to rework something. So that's something the parents need to think over. 

There's a lot of competition, with some kids being forced to become breadwinners for their families

Absolutely, that is unfair. I believe a kid should be allowed to be a kid for as long as he or she can be. I still feel there is a child inside me and I’m fighting every day for it, to not let it die. I always say that growing up is a trap. I had heard this before and I do realize it now why they say this. 

I'm quoting you from a 2019 interview. "I want to play characters now. They may not be hero characters or come from a big banner. I want to be appreciated for the roles. What Ayushmann and Alia have done, is what I want to achieve."  Does this still hold up for you? 

My aspirations are still the same. I want to do characters. I love doing characters. I find it far more challenging - not that I am saying that I am shying away from them - to do fights and dances, something that takes a toll on me, physically and mentally. But when it is something to do with a character, and you want me to invest mentally in a character, I am all for it. Like I played an ordinary guy from Pakistan in Indoo Ki Jawani, or an heir to the Mughal dynasty in The Empire. 

The Empire had ended with your character, Humayun, being named the successor. The series had courted controversy for allegedly glorifying the Islamic rulers of India. Will there be a season 2? 

I had met the producers and we did have a discussion. But even they were a little iffy. They were not 100% sure because they were getting a lot of backlash. I am not certain about another season happening but I have been waiting for it. Even before The Empire Season 1 came out, my director Mitakshara Kumar and I were already discussing how we want to play with my character. I remember training myself in horse riding, though I could only do it for one day and got injured. 

What's next for you? 

I have completed another film. It is with Jio Studios. It’s a beautiful story. We are targeting the first trimester of the next year, anytime between January to March-April. I should also be starting something new in the beginning of next year.