Young and restless

He’s the son of Shekhar Suman and he has all eyes trained on him because of his relationship with controversial actress Kangana Ranaut.

Adhyayan Suman can’t stop talking enough about his dad, mentor Mahesh Bhatt and girlfriend Kangana Ranaut

He’s the son of Shekhar Suman and he has all eyes trained on him because of his relationship with controversial actress Kangana Ranaut. No wonder then that he exudes the confidence and energy of a brash teenager. “I haven’t bagged seven big films with versatile roles because of my relationships. It’s my talent that’s won me this status,” he says, referring to his future projects with the likes of Mahesh Bhatt, Guddu Dhanoa and Ganesh Acharya.

But the 20-year-old isn’t in denial and wears his status unabashedly. “I know I’m one of the luckiest. While there are millions waiting for a single break, I’m already doing A-grade cinema. I grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth — my parents never refused any demand I made, be it for money, Mercedes or mobile phones — and I’ve already found love in my life.”

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Though Raaz — The Mystery Continues, which releases next month, isn’t his big-screen debut — Adhyayan’s performance was barely acknowledged in Haal-e-Dil — it is his first in a leading role. The young actor plays Yash, a television journalist who hosts a show that debunks superstition. His love interest in the film, Nandita (Ranaut), starts getting possessed by the unseen, setting the grounds for a thriller. In contrast to his character, Adhyayan fears the supernatural. “I’m even scared of darkness. And the unit, aware of this, would often play pranks on me,” he laughs.

Between conversations, he often goes into the “young-yet-wise” mode. Talking about Haal-e-Dil, he says, “One can’t learn unless one makes mistakes. If I hadn’t read bad scripts I wouldn’t know today what’s good and worth working on.” He, however, also acknowledges that “dad knows best”. “Dad’s my hero and my ideal. So he screens all the scripts before I touch them. And I update him every night on the work front.”

So, has he inherited his father’s comic sense? “I can’t touch him, not yet, but Mahesh Bhatt, with whom I’m doing Jashan, says I’m good,” he grins, and goes on to elaborate how Bhatt thinks he is the next big thing in Indian cinema. Despite having big names attached to his bio-data, the brazen actor does not “feel the pressure to perform”. “I don’t think I need to prove anything to anyone. I’m aware of my capabilities and I’m very ambitious — I want everything right now, success, fame, work — and I will get it all.”

But he mellows down to a teenage lover when Ranaut is mentioned. “It was love at first sight. We were destined to meet. It may sound filmy, but it’s true,” he grins.