Harshada Rege (DNA; February 24, 2018)

Vicky Kaushal’s work in movies like Masaan and Raman Raghav 2.0 won a lot of praise. This year, the actor stepped into a new zone by being part of the first Indian film made for a digital streaming platform. The actor was seen in Love Per Square Foot, the quirky romantic comedy that premiered on Netflix recently. His future projects — Raazi and the Sanjay Dutt biopic — will see him sharing screen space with Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, respectively. We caught up with the actor to talk about his digital film debut, future plans, and love for the big screen.

This is India’s first film that was screened directly on a digital platform. Are you happy with the response that it has got?
It’s special because it’s a new thought that you conceive and try to execute. You are working every day for 16-17 hours over two months. Eventually, when it reaches the audience in around 190 countries, it’s a great feeling. Getting messages from people of countries with whom you have never interacted before is amazing. They don’t know much about Indian cinema, but when they watch your film and tell you that they have liked it, that means a lot.

Has it been any different from how you would shoot a film meant for the big screen?
Not really. Every film has its own challenges. With a film like Raman Raghav 2.0, the space is so intense that playing that character is tiresome. Then there are movies like Masaan, where you are so restricted by the budget and there’s so much to shoot, that it’s a challenge to make it. With a movie like Love Per Square Foot, the content is light and breezy, but when you have to cover a city like Mumbai, which is almost like an important character here, you have to face different kinds of difficulties. However, these are also the things that you enjoy. When a team takes up the task of making a movie, it can be difficult and tiresome, but you are happy to get a chance to tell the story that you want to. As artistes, we are always up for such a challenge.

Unlike your earlier films — Masaan and Raman Raghav 2.0 — which were intense, this is a light-hearted movie. Was that the reason you took it up?
It definitely was. This was a genre that I hadn’t explored as an actor. Also, when I heard the narration from director Anand Tiwari, everything worked. The story, the character, the humour...I was smiling throughout the narration. The story is so relatable. It’s one of those stories, which we see around us all the time, but nobody has narrated it. The dream of finding a house in Mumbai is something that people are talking about constantly or it’s on their minds. Here we managed to convey that struggle in a fun and humourous manner.

Do you see yourself doing more work on digital platforms?
A film has to suit the medium. It’s about getting a chance to be a part of a good story. The point is to reach the audience. The trend is changing... you never know, eventually a majority of films might be made for digital platforms. But I dreamt of being part of cinema because I have seen actors on the big screen. That’s the reason I wanted to be an actor. So. my dream of being on the big screen will never die.

Considering you are new in Bollywood, wasn’t it a risk to invest your time in a film that would be seen on a streaming channel?
When we shot the film, it was meant to have a theatrical release. Yeh decided nahi tha ke iska final release kis medium pe hone wala hai. Eventually, when I got to know that it would release on a digital platform, obviously, we asked questions. But producer Ronnie (Screwvala) sir has an extraordinary vision. He understands the trends well. He explained it all to us, and now we are reaping its benefits.

Weren’t you apprehensive that you are investing your time into a film, which won’t have a theatrical release?
By the time the decision was taken to stream it on a digital platform, we had made the film. Whenever a new trend sets in, you do have a lot of questions. You are trying to understand the trend as an audience yourself. Almost all of us are subscribing to digital platforms and are hooked on to their content. When you know that you are the first Indian film to come out on this platform, it’s a huge honour. Its reach is immense, not just in India, but across the globe. That people around the world are going to judge Indian cinema on the basis of this film is a huge responsibility. We are happy that people are reacting in a positive manner.

How did Ranbir Kapoor’s cameo happen?
That was the time when I was just locked for the Dutt biopic. We used to sit for workshops when I was finishing this film. Ronnie sir and a few other people from the crew had worked with Ranbir before. They made a call and he was sweet enough to agree to come on board.

You are working with Ranbir in the Dutt biopic and Alia Bhatt in Raazi...
It’s been wonderful working with both of them. They are great to work with and really secure as actors and human beings. Working with them is easy as they don’t have starry airs... They don’t carry any extra baggage. They just come on the sets and do their job like the rest of the crew. When your co-actors are amazing, your work shines. So, it’s wonderful to act with them.

Are you playing Gulshan Grover’s character in the Dutt biopic?
No, I’m not playing Gulshan Grover. I play a very close friend of Sanjay Dutt. I can’t divulge much about my role.