Reader\'s Digest IN 02.2020

Reader’s Digest

Back in India, Death of a Salesman

drew a lot of attention. Would you say

that a wider audience noticed you af-

ter it? Did it help you land roles in

Hindi films too?

I suppose it all played a part. But no,

I do not think this particular play led

me into Hindi cinema. It isn’t that

I was using it as a stepping stone.

I always wanted to act in both [films

and theatre] and have never viewed

my life in the cause-and-effect way that

some strategists can. I’m a bit more

fatalistic that way.

You directed your first play, Bull, in

2014. Are you planning to write and
      direct more plays?
      Bull was very hard because of a
      personal tragedy. And it happened
      right in the middle of the rehearsals.
      I haven’t thought of directing again.
      I enjoy creating and imagining the
      entire world of the play, and I enjoy
      pushing and being surprised by actors
      and all there is to discover about the
      interpersonal dynamics of a scene.
      At this moment, however, I am more
      interested in exploring the world
      as an actor.

You have done a few web series and

enjoy a huge fan following there. Can

we expect to see you more on that

platform?

Yes, I suppose so. It is such a

blossoming medium. I don’t think

we fully understand just what is

achievable with such a long story

arc. I think the limits are still being

pushed and the experimentation

with its form and structure are still at

a very nascent stage. I am currently

acting in an international web series,

but it is all hush-hush. I hope to act

in many more.

The short film, Sometimes I Think

About Dying, was shortlisted for the

Oscars, and your portrayal of Robert

impressed viewers. How do you

choose your roles? What tips the

scales before you say yes?

I try to think about the story and how

my character affects the flow of events

and truth. I loved this script, but I did

this particular project because a friend

asked me to. We managed to pull

together a team of old friends (seven

of us, in fact, who all went to Emory in

the US together) to make it.

Tell us about your upcoming projects.

There is season two of the web series,

Made in Heaven. Then there is Ballet

Boys (about two working-class boys

learning ballet) by Sooni Taraporevala,

Taish starring Pulkit Samrat and

Harshvardhan Rane, directed by

Bejoy Nambiar.

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readersdigest.co.in 117

I ENJOY CREATING

THE ENTIRE WORLD

OF A PLAY AND

BEING SURPRISED

BY ACTORS.