Exclusive interview with Aidan Whytock South African Actor, Director and Producer

By Jean-Paul Eliard

The 30 July 2021

Hi Aidan, I'm glad to do this interview
Thanks so much for having me.

What could you tell us about your character in Mimi which releases  the 30 July 2021 on Netflix and on Jio cinema ?
I play John, Summer's husband. We're the two Americans who kick off the story about surrogacy.

Without giving too much away, we are two parents caught in a tricky situation trying to resolve it the best we can, but that may not work out well for Mimi... you'll have to watch the film to see how it turns out.

What did you interest when you read the script ?
Firstly it's based on a true story. Fact is stranger than fiction and this is certainly true here.

Movies often have good guys and bad guys; Rohan has written a beautiful complex script where everyone does good and bad things, just like we do as humans in real life. 

How was the filming with Deep Joshin, Kriti Sanon, Sai Tamhankar, Evelyn Edwards,........... and with director Laxman Utekar ?
What a wonderful team. My favourite artists to work with are ones who collaborate and give more than they take.

This was very much the case here - Evelyn had a monumental task to accomplish - learning Hindi and performing such deeply raw emotions; she was amazing to work with. Kriti and Pankaj are such giving actors. We would play and bounce off each other.

I particularly enjoyed adlibbing with Pankaj and finding the humour in the moments. As for Laxman - wow, what an empathetic director.

He would always listen to ideas and be open to explore and create together.

I'd work with him anytime. 

How long did the filming for this movie take?
We started around October 2019 (I remember because I'm South African and it was the Rugby World Cup, which I watched in Mandawa).

We shot until Feb 2020 but then Covid struck and we had to wait over a year to shoot the final scene - the dance sequence.

How did you prepare for your role ?
I always focus on the emotional journey a character goes on. It doesn't matter if it's a soldier or a father - we're all human and have our internal and external struggles.

In this case John and Summer are essentially good people, but life challenges them and they make some bad decisions.

So I remembered all the bad decisions I've made in life.

It also really helped shooting in India, as that made it really easy to imagine being a stranger in a strange land. 

What do you like when you are actor, producer or Director ?
The first thing for me is to be excited about the story and the people I'm working with - that makes the work fun.

I also look for something novel and interesting. All of that was true of Mimi and her team. 

I know it is difficult to predict what the future holds for movies, TV series, etc. for the moment with Covid-19, but what is your next challenge / project?
I've just had to cut my hair really short in preparation for a military movie so I'm looking forward to that. Covid is keeping everyone guessing so who knows what will happen.

Do you wish to add something ?
I want to say thank you to Dinesh Vijan and Maddock Films for making this all happen and a huge heartfelt thanks to India and all her wonderful people who helped make this movie a reality. 

Thank you very much for your interview Aidan and I wish you all the best.

More information about  Aidan on Instagram and on IMDb