Riteish Deshmukh calls learning the banjo “really tough”

Riteish Deshmukh will soon be seen in a whole new avatar. Playing the role of a rock star banjo player, the actor revealed that getting the role right did come with it’s difficulties.

“When it comes to understanding banjo, the instrument, it was really tough,”��The Indian Express reported him stating.

He went on to say, “I learned the technique from the professional guys and then adapted it to the style of the character which was a big task. I had to stand and play which people usually don�۪t.”

Deshmukh’s look replicates that of a rock star, however there was one person in particular the actor looked to for inspiration, “I��kept Zakir Hussain sir somewhere in mind while playing the character. I have not copied him as he is too huge for that. But, the way he feels the music was an inspiration.”

Gaining a wider understanding of the banjo and the music scene, Deshmukh expressed why he feels the classical instruments and street music industry isn’t as celebrated as it once was. “Technology is the reason why street forms are losing their worth. Keyboards took the place of the banjo. And now with DJs coming in even the keyboards are gone. I have heard DJs play and I have heard live, the way live sounds is altogether different. Their energy is different,” he stated.

The film tells the story of a street music band struggling to get noticed. However when a girl from New York arrives to help them everything seems to change. According to Deshmukh, the film addresses the real struggles street artists go through, as he went on to express, ” ‘Banjo�۪ represents the street artists to some extent. It talks about the issues they face. It is based on a particular type of street art but the issues these artists face are the same. The movie shows that if the artists are given the right platform they can achieve great heights.”

Also starring Nargis Fakhri, ‘Banjo’ is set to hit the big screen on 23rd September.