Check the slideshow above Tall, fair and highly handsome – that’s Farhad aka Freddy Daruwalla for you. When this suited and booted former supermodel walked into our humble den last week, girls stopped in their tracks to get a closer look at this hunk. That he is a proven head turner was never in doubt for his confidence and ability to look good has been well documented through the several Indian and international ramp shows that he has been a part of. And the movie Holiday proved that Farhad has got his acting chops in place too. Despite playing the negative lead opposite Akshay Kumar in villain, Farhad managed to carve a mark for himself in the movie. After Akshay it was Farhad who got the maximum screen space in the movie. As the leader of sleeper cells in India, the model turned actor refreshingly avoided any boisterous display of emotions. He displayed ruthlessness and villainy with his silent, subtle yet impactful stare. For Farhad personally, the movie has been extremely exciting and satisfying. “One critic wrote that I am the discovery of 2014 which I consider to be the biggest compliment ever received,” Farhad told us with an appearance of some little pride. A former supermodel, Farhad had set his sights on Bollywood after reaching his peak in modelling. After auditioning for a few directors, he landed up at Vipul Shah’s production house where he ended up giving yet another audition but with no great success. Luckily, Vipul didn’t forget him and promptly decided to call him back while casting for Holiday. The tape of his earlier audition was show to director A.R. Murugadoss and if Farhad is to be believed, he was reportedly confirmed by the South Indian director in less than 30 seconds. The rest as they say is history. Farhad’s role in Holiday also demanded extensive physical training. And playing the baddie against Akshay Kumar meant that he also had to learn martial arts to match the karate superstar of Bollywood. Fortunately for Farhad, Akshay turned out to be a supportive co-star. “Akshay sir treated me like his younger brother. I met him during the mahurat shot and I was awed by his looks and personality. We bonded well during the climax shooting sequences when we spent about 10 days together. I used to be nervous while performing those fight scenes with him. But he made me feel really comfortable by telling me not to feel nervous. On one occasion, I accidentally hit his nose in one of the stunt scenes and I was deeply embarrassed. But Akshay was all cool and said ‘just be careful. A real fighter is the one who never hits anyone.’ I learnt a lot from him,” revealed Farhad. With drop dead good looks, Farhad was tailor made to romance on silver screen but he opted for a negative role instead. When asked about the same, Farhad said, “I never see it in that way. I got a very good role and that is what matters. Lead romantic hero or lead villain both demand different performances. I am here to act and want to grow as an actor by doing different and good variety of roles. So I am extremely happy and feel Holiday was the right launch pad for me.” While Farhad, the actor is in a happy phase today, something that rankles deep inside his mind leaving him with traces of sadness is the fact that no one from the modeling industry has called him till date to congratulate and wish him on his super successful debut. “I am a bit sad to be honest. None of my designers have wished or congratulated me except for Manish Malhotra who has been extremely supportive right throughout.” Well, Farhad success can sometimes turn jealous friends into foes. May be it’s time for you to forge new and real friendships in Bollywood.