Actor Mihir Ahuja has been part of web series like Bard of Blood, Mission Over Mars, Taj Mahal and Feels Like Ishq. Mihir has also proved his mettle in films like Super 30 and Dolly Kitty Aur Chamakte Sitare. He now stars in the web series Feels Like Home, a coming-of-age drama which sees Mihir in the role of Akhil Gandhi, a nerd but for cricket. He used to be the best player in his hometown. Born and brought up in Ghana, he comes from a very conservative family in his tight-knit community of Indians back home.
In a conversation with News18.com, Mihir talks about his role in the show and the memories from it. He also speaks of his favourite scene from the whole web series – shooting at Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi. The actor shared that he has always been ‘a Ranbir Kapoor and Imtiaz Ali Fan’, with reference to the film Rockstar.
Speaking about the show, Mihir said, “Feels Like Home is a show of four boys coming from different places and staying in one house. They have totally different personalities, and it is not just about parties and drama but it’s about heartbreaks and responsibilities, and what you go through when you are in the age bracket of 20 to 24. You have college, you are worried about your career. You have to be serious in your life. Everyone expects a lot from you. So, you have to meet the expectations and follow your passion. Feels Like Home is a show about four boys, their vulnerable state, their heartbreaks, their responsibilities, and making it home all together.”
The actor said that many people go out of their hometown to study in college, but they don’t feel at home in a different city. He said that the show captures that feeling. “I came to Mumbai, I’m from Jamshedpur. So, people stay in PG and hostel but they don’t get the feeling of staying in a home. You still miss your parents, you still miss home. Many people feel homesick, but once you find that father figure, brother figure and mother figure, that stays with you in the thick and thin always, then you feel at a home man. And the show is exactly about that, it is about 4 guys staying together, fighting, loving each other, hugging each other, of course, it is a wonderful comedy-drama.”
Speaking about working with Preet Kammani, Anshuman Malhotra, Dolly Singh, and Vishnu Kaushal, the actor said, “They all are amazing personalities, and amazing actors and amazing human beings. When we were shooting Feels Like Home, it actually felt like home. There are many shoots that you do, and you don’t get the kick from inside. But on the sets of Feels Like Home, everyone had an adrenaline rush, and we enjoyed ourselves so much on set, and we used to make fun of each other, and roast each other, and after all, we are all brothers and I really enjoyed it. Everyone on the show was elder brother to me, because I was the youngest on the sets. It so happens that if you act like something, you become one. And in 10-15 days of shooting, we actually become our characters. Also, off-screen we will behave like our characters.”
When asked about his favourite sequence from the show, Mihir said that they shot for a sequence at Nizamuddin for two to three nights, and it was “really difficult” to shoot there. We shot at the same place where Kun Faya Kun was shot from Rockstar. It was such a blessing shooting there. I’ve been a Ranbir Kapoor and Imtiaz Ali fan always. So, when you see the film Rockstar, and you are shooting at the same place, it gives you chills. So, we related to the feel and stated that if Rockstar did well, our show will also do good.”
Feels Like Home, which also features Preet Kammani, Vishnu Kaushal and, Anshuman Malhotra, starts streaming on Lionsgate Play from June 10.
