In the two years that Ishaan Khatter has been a part of the industry, he has made some unconventional film choices, which have helped him stand out and make a mark. He debuted with Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s Beyond The Clouds, played a taxi driver in Khaali Peeli and is gearing up for an unusual comedy with Katrina Kaif and Siddhant Chaturvedi, titled Phone Bhoot.

Talking about what drives his professional choices, Ishaan says, “I’m mostly driven by instinct. There’s a great desire to reinvent and push myself into a space that I haven’t explored before, and to learn with each film. That largely dictates my choices. I want to work with certain people and I crave for experiences I can grow with. The opportunity a film gives me as an actor and the people I would possibly get to work and create with are major motivators. Other than that, it’s all about what the script makes me feel. It could make me laugh, cry, grip me or fascinate me — as long as it moves me in some way.”

Talking about his experiences as an actor, he shares, “You’ll obviously have challenging experiences with the different choices that you make. Certain scenes and characters are more difficult than others as far as connecting to them or accurately portraying them is concerned. I think that in the larger scheme of things, self-preservation is crucial. To constantly be in a healthy mind space and be consistent in your work can be challenging. As an actor, most people agree that comedy is one of the hardest things to crack. It is in equal parts exciting and challenging for me.”

When asked whether he feels that making unconventional choices pays off, he says, “Conventional and unconventional are relative terms. These are labels given by other people. When you are making a choice, these aren’t necessarily the things that you’re thinking of. But having said that, yes, a lot of actors are known for their unconventional choices, so to say. But at the same time, it’s important to be truthful to yourself and make choices that are an honest representation of who you are as an actor or an artiste. I think that’s more important.”