When and from where do your love for acting stem?
When I was 15, I joined a workshop at the Prithvi theatre. I was out of school and I had time during my summer vacation. My parents were not that fancy who took us on exotic vacations. So I joined Summer funk and Prithvi theatre. I wanted to keep myself physically active because I am someone who has a lot of energy. It was so artistic and lovely that I decided this is the place I want to be in. It opened up a plethora of things I had never seen. I came from a different world and when I saw this, I completely took to it. I decided I wanted to be there and till today, I am a very integral part of this fraternity. I don’t think I can ever let go of that. It keeps me rooted. It brings me back to reality.
Were you a movie buff in your growing up years?
I wasn’t actually allowed to watch so many films back when I was a child. My mum was very strict. But I remember watching ‘Masoom’ and it was really my favoruite. It was a film I kept on my VHS. I also grew up watching a lot of Amitabh Bachchan films. My mom is a big fan of Mr Bachchan. I used to come home from school and tell my mom that I will watch ‘Satte Pe Satta’ and then I will eat my food.
I also watched a lot of Disney films. My father used to work in Moscow so he used to bring a lot of VHS from Russia. Pocahontas and Mulan remain my favourites even today.
Most of your work over the years has been mostly non-commercial fares featuring challenging characters. So is there a deliberate effort on your part to be a part of meaningful cinema?
I take whatever work comes to me. I never say no to work. In fact, people have now started scolding me by saying I need to be careful with what I pick up next. There are a few thumb rules that I follow. I don’t repeat my roles. If it is a different platform, I will do it. My directors, crew and co-actors need to be good. That’s it. I have never been picky about my work. In fact, I get very few commercial work. I am quite open to everything. I am an actor at the end of the day. I do everything in my capability to do justice to the roles that come my way.
While Bollywood is predominantly a male industry, there has been a surge in women-centric content, especially on OTT. How do you look at this change as an actor?
I think it starts with, ‘Let’s do a women-centric film’ and then it ends up becoming ‘Khoon Bhari Maang’. Everything need not be about women taking revenge on men. Women are not about wanting to kill men. That is not what feminism is all about. I steer away from these kinds of stereotypes. I feel that even in OTT it was moving towards that very rapidly then again it started becoming stereotypical. They make a show about four girls getting drunk and having fun. I get a lot of calls for such shows. I just turn and run away.
I think it really requires guts to make a film or a show with a female protagonist who is strong. But it should not be for grabbing eyeballs. The narratives have to be really strong. There are some female-oriented shows that are coming up and I am really looking forward to them. If they don’t shape up well, it also ruins things for people who want to do things differently. OTT was headed for this but now they are all like, ‘let’s see what stars we can bring in…’ It is going in the film’s direction. I feel it defeats the purpose of what it started out to be.
You recently performed ‘Sir Sir Sarla’ on stage on Diwali. How was your experience working with Makrand Deshpande?
It was lovely in many ways. These people are someone who has lived life. Inko pata hai hume zyada karne ki zarurat nahi hai. These are people who are very happy with their life. I have seen how content they are. They don’t make a fuss about themselves and their work. I love such people. If I don’t come with a film tomorrow or say, Diwali or Eid or New Year, it is not going to affect your life. You are an entertainer. That is your job. They treat their work that way. I admire that. It is really nice to surround yourself with people like these.
It is very realistic. I have seen how people get carried away and get lost in the film industry. They surround themselves with morons who will tell them frequently what to do and what not to do. As an outsider, you will receive some extra advice. I have had a lot of people telling me things. I have worked very hard to be where I am today. It is only because of my hard work that people know me. They don’t know me because of the scandals I have done or where I am partying or what group or camp I am a part of. One job leads to another job. That is how these people have lived their jobs and that’s how I would like to lead mine too.
Do you feel theatre needs more attention than it is currently getting and young artists to take more interest in it?
I think more than this, younger artists need to steer away from social media. It truly is a sickness. I wonder what will happen to people if tomorrow Instagram shuts down. I have seen people who are worried sick about what to post next on social media as opposed to planning their next job. I am not taking away the fact that many people are getting jobs because of social media today. But you cannot make that your life.
Social media and acting in front of people and professional cameras are two completely opposite things. We had a time when we did not have these kinds of distractions and we only concentrated on doing good work. The way we are now, we will have no actors left, only gimmicks. People are going to talk about how good a job you have done as opposed to how good you were on an Instagram reel. These are just decorations. Nobody is interested in theatres today. It takes time to develop that interest, to work on your craft and yourself.
What according to you is the good and bad part of being a celebrity?
The good is a lot. People know you. You get a lot of respect. The bad that comes with it is that sometimes you surround yourself with bad people. There are so many voices that will try to get into your head and you need to silence those voices. You need to ask yourself what you want. Question yourself if you are compromising with your values. You need to find that quiet moment with yourself to be able to live this kind of life. There is very little control that you have over your life when you are a celebrity. This world takes away your life.
The lines get blurred somewhere. There are 100 people telling you what to do and there is a timetable for everything you need to do. Why do you think there are so many actors who talk about depression? They feel nobody understands them and nobody wants to know. And people say anything to you on social media without a thought. Although you might love all the admiration and adulation, it is not easy to be in the limelight. It just takes seconds for people to bring you down.
Are you open to western cinema as well?
Of course, I would. There are some fabulous works happening. In India, we don’t get so many options to audition. I have agents abroad. I get to know things that are happening there and the opportunities. For me, it is the same thing, whether I audition here or there. Despite having done so much work, people expect me to audition for the roles but they will not ask a star kid to audition. I like to audition there because I feel the process there is very fair as compared to what it is here. They look at your body of work, your IMDB page and they cast you based on that. Here, they will call you for an audition and then they will cast a star kid. This happens a lot here. I sometimes wonder why you do have to audition others if you want to launch a star kid. I don’t understand the process here. And there are a lot of opportunities that are opening up in the west so why not knock at that door!
