Vikrant Massey remembers watching the Malayalam film, Forensic (2020), and being impressed by its premise. Little had he imagined that two years on, he would headline the Hindi adaptation of the same name, helmed by Vishal Furia. The actor recounts,

“I thoroughly enjoyed it when I watched it the first time. The film was an eye-opener [on the field of forensic science] and gave an insight into how it functions. I have always believed that the story is the most [crucial aspect] of a film, and the story of Forensic intrigued me as an actor and a viewer.” 

The upcoming ZEE5 film, also starring Radhika Apte, revolves around a series of child murders in Mussoorie. A forensic expert, essayed by Massey, is roped in by the cops to aid them in hunting down the serial killer. In Forensic, the actor has found a project that he deeply believes in and the vision of which aligns with his own — something that admittedly doesn’t happen as often as he would like.

“The idea is to go beyond the screen-time and try to bring change [with one’s movie]. But there are days when you have to cut corners. In the past, I have done that to create opportunities for myself. It has made me realise that I would probably, some day, be in a position to do [the films I believe in]. [Today], there are certain things that I am not able to implement [even though] I believe in them. On most days, I try to voice my opinion, but I am a small fish in this ocean. It’s not an actor’s prerogative on what should be done and what should not be done. What has improved is that we have become far more democratic with regard to people’s opinion.”

To understand his part better, Massey met forensic experts. “We had forensic officers on the set. The sophistication with which they operate is unbelievable. They are under tremendous [pressure], and they handle stressful situations day in, day out. After this film, I have more compassion for them.”