Abhimanyu Mishra (BOMBAY TIMES; October 19, 2018)

Sumeet Vyas has been in showbiz for 18 years, written and directed plays, done some radio and TV (Rehna Hai Tere Palkon Ke Chhaon Mein, Chandragupta Maurya, Stories by Rabindranath Tagore) and got his breakthrough in Hindi films with English Vinglish. The actor spoke us to about his upcoming projects, his career goals and much more. Excerpts...

Going by your filmography, you seem to have done a bit of everything. Has it been a conscious decision?
Now it is a conscious decision. When I started, I was primarily doing theatre and ads and TV shows just to earn some extra money. But it was only when I got my first prominent role in Rehna Hai Teri Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein in 2009 that I realised television was a bigger medium, and I could earn a lot more. But by the time the show ended, I had decided not to do any more television shows because I was getting too comfortable. I was not satisfied with the kind of work that was happening there. So I decided to take a different path and that’s when the struggle began. I did a lot of small roles that hardly gave me visibility in films. But it was web shows that got me recognition. And once I got that recognition, I was in a position to choose the kind of content that I wanted to do.

Days of struggle, when seen in hindsight, make for great stories. But it also takes a toll on one’s personal life...
I come from a lower middle-class family, so my parents never had big expectations from me. They were happy that I was earning enough to sustain myself. But I was very sure that making a lot of money could never be the goal in my life because if it happens, one can never do the kind of work that gives one satisfaction. I never wanted to be in that zone. I wanted to be in a place where I chose to be.

Isn’t it difficult to accept that the days of struggle continue even after putting in so many years of hard work?
I would be lying if I said that it doesn’t matter to me. But I was clear in my head, as to what I wanted really badly. And if it’s good content that gives satisfaction, then one must let go of fame, popularity, money and stardom. On days when I see others doing well, I keep talking to myself to calm myself down. I take long showers, where I just tell myself that I must keep going at it, if I want to be satisfied with my job. And I might sound humble, but I am very arrogant in my head. I don’t want to be anyone, I just want to be me.