Sumeet Vyas on how his first film with A-listers helped him let go of pre-conceived notions
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 4, 2018)

Fifteen years ago, Sumeet Vyas, then a theatre actor and budding writer, had walked into an almost empty theatre in Mumbai to watch Shashanka Ghosh’s directorial debut, Waisa Bhi Hota Hai II. He was so taken up by the crime-comedy that he went back the next day to watch it again. “I didn’t know who the director was, but was amazed to see someone new dare to attempt a one-of-its-kind whacky comedy. I remember telling myself, ‘I’d like to meet this man someday’,” the actor reminisces.

Cut to 2017, Sumeet’s meeting with Shashanka was as curious as his early introduction to the filmmaker’s work. “I knew that I was being considered for a part in Shashanka’s next, Veere Di Wedding, but I’d not been given the complete script. The rest of the cast had already started their fittings when I was finally told that I’d be meeting him,” Sumeet narrates, adding, “And when I did, he started talking about my character right off the bat. I hadn’t even read the script yet. He was stumped and asked me why I’d agreed to do the film. I told him that I was a fan of his work and he laughed. He asked me to trust him with a great part and start shooting.”

So, without reading the script, Sumeet took on the role of Kareena Kapoor’s love interest in the film. “Shashanka is the most non-filmi person I have ever met. I wanted to work with him because I thought he was crazy,” he laughs.

The wedding-comedy, which also features Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania in central roles, was shot in Delhi, Mumbai and Phuket. “The cast is fantastic but I was really surprised to see everyone being treated equally on set. As an outsider, I had come on board with my own set of prejudices about films with big stars. For me, this was a full-fledged commercial project. I don’t consider myself a star so the inclusive environment on the Veere Di Wedding set felt like a great equaliser,” Sumeet explains. But the shoot wasn’t without hardships. “Kareena is a superstar but very professional and great to work with. I was dancing for the first time, that too alongside her and Sonam, so I was scared,” he adds.

After writing the comedy series Bang Baaja Baraat and romcom Love Per Square Foot for Anand Tiwari, Sumeet wants to get out of his comfort zone by writing and directing a dark film. “I am working on a slightly darker subject with a psychotic protagonist. The idea is to surprise the audience. Writing is my passion and I don’t make money off it, so I like to take my time with it,” he admits.

Like with writing, Sumeet has plans to reinvent his on-screen image too with the Phantom Films production, High Jack, an Akarsh Khurana directorial in which he plays a DJ. “Akarsh and I have known each other since our theatre days and he’d shared this script with me around four years ago. The makers were keen to cast a renowned actor for the part at the time and I was supposed to just give feedback on the script. I remember laughing out loud while reading it and telling Akarsh that the film would be a riot,” he recalls. After Sumeet shot to fame with the shows Permanent Roommates and Tripling, Akarsh offered him the lead role.

For prep, Sumeet worked closely with electronic music producer Nucleya, who has composed three tracks for the film, and attended a rave party to observe revellers. “The film is a big psychedelic mess with rookie high-jackers, drugs on a plane and everybody tripping mid-air. It was an exhilarating experience to step away from seedha-saadha guy roles,” Sumeet says.