Actor Rajat Barmecha, who grabbed the spotlight 12 years ago with Vikramaditya Motwane’s Udaan, has today, found a foothold on the digital platform. Bring up the dozen years that have passed since his debut, and he says, “The journey has been productive. I have made two parallel journeys — one was personal and the other was professional. On the work front, I admit I faced several ups and downs; it was like being on a roller coaster. It was a different world when I entered show business. It took me two years after my debut film, Udaan, to even understand how this industry really works. When I look back, I do feel that I could have done things differently. And yet, I wouldn’t like to change anything about what I’ve experienced so far. At a personal level, I have experienced growth and maturity. From the raw energy of absolute youth, when I used to get intimidated by people and things around me to now, I’ve become more confident, composed and self-assured.”

After making a notable debut, the actor’s career took a long pause before the OTT space rebooted it. Rajat, who has been part of web shows such as Love Lust And Confusion, Girl In The City and Hey Prabhu! adds, “The industry is very different now,” reasons the actor, adding, “Earlier, producers were not ready to invest as much money on a newcomer, who was all of 21. It was less about a story and more about the actor. People have now begun to focus on content. Makers want to experiment and work with newer actors. It’s the perfect time to be an actor. In these years, I don’t feel that I’ve lost anything. These years only prepared me better, so I can take on more work and deliver some promising performances. I was offered some work, but I turned it all down because it didn’t work for me. If I had become successful 10 years ago, I probably would have lost myself about five years after that. Things are in an upswing now, probably because I can now handle it. I’m excited about the project I’ve recently completed. I’ve worked on a few web shows and I wanted to get back to films, which is also gradually taking shape. I just hope people like what I deliver.”

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While an opportunity to play a cricket professional is one that most Indian actors would latch onto without apprehensions, Kacchey Limbu actor Rajat Barmecha admits to exercising caution while taking on the film. “I am not a cricket enthusiast, and was not good at the game,” admits the actor whose character is meant to be a superlative cricketer.

“While [co-actors] Radhika Madan and Ayush Mehra also had to learn the game over 45 days, my character had to look technically sound. So, my coaching sessions would begin an hour or two earlier than theirs, and would end later too. Often, I wasn’t afforded the off-days that the others were. Before the training, I didn’t even know what cover drive and square cut were. Today, of course, my game is  significantly better.”

Shubham Yogi’s directorial debut, which premiered at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, is headed to the World Film Festival of Bangkok on December 3. Subsequent screenings will be held at the International Film Festival of Kerala on December 12 and 14. “It is great for a small [budget] film to come out and travel to various festivals. Consequently, the festival round gives the movie a much bigger platform and reach, back home,” points out Barmecha.

He concedes that ahead of the TIFF premiere, he was uncertain about a foreign audience’s reaction to a film about cricket. “But, it was wonderful to see that people were reacting to every [emotion]; they even reacted to a scene that was a commentary about an issue.”