It has been 25 years since Purab Kohli began his acting career with the TV show Hip Hip Hurray. Over the years, he has also dabbled in films as well as the OTT medium. Today, the actor shuttles between his current base, the UK, and Mumbai to manage his career. In a conversation with Bombay Times, he talks about travelling back and forth for work, his definition of success and his love for his craft. Excerpts:

Ask Purab whether living in another country puts him at the risk of losing out on opportunities and he says, “I don’t feel like I am missing out on opportunities. One of the reasons to move to London was to get more international work. But yes, shuttling between the two countries is hard. My family is in London, so I plan my shoots according to my kids’ holidays. They love travelling to India. Shuttling has become a part of my life, and it makes me more conscious of the work I want to choose because every time I have to take up work, I have to leave my family. It’s a long commute, so you have to be sure that the work you do is worth it.”

After over two decades in the industry, the actor now feels he has “arrived”, albeit his definition of the term may differ slightly from that of others. In an earlier interview, Purab had spoken about “arriving” in the industry after Rock On!! released. Today, his stance has evolved.

“Arriving is such a personal thing; it is a measurement of success in your head. Back then, I had said it because I felt it. Scripts were coming every day, and I thought I had arrived. Today, I feel being content with the work you do is important. In recent years, I have had many successes, failures, forgettable and unforgettable projects. Arriving is more of a personal space of satisfaction,” he elaborates.

Purab has admitted in the past that he had got a little cocky post the success of Rock On!!. He says, “Yes, I did go through that phase. The cockiness mainly came from the roles that I was offered after the film. I would tell the makers, ‘Why are you giving me small parts after I played such a prominent part?’ Back then, a top producer told me, ‘We cannot give you those prominent parts because bigger actors feel insecure with you in the film’. I took that as a compliment and told myself, ‘My time will come, I will have one big success as the main lead, and things will change’. But that didn’t happen. A couple of films that I had signed as the main lead got shelved, and a couple of them released, but they didn’t do anything. Then, that comment did not feel like a compliment. I felt stuck. I had to dig myself out of that dark hole.”

Purab admits regretting missing the chance to work with director Mani Ratnam. He had declined the filmmaker’s Raavan (2010), wherein he was approached to play Vibhishan’s character, which was later played by Ajay Gehl. “I don’t regret not doing that part, but I regret letting go of the opportunity of working with Mani Ratnam,” he shares.

Purab says that his process of picking up projects still primarily depends on the character, the story and the maker. “After Jal, which I had a lot of hopes from, flopped, I chased Raja (Krishna Menon) for Airlift. I knew I had to be seen in the market again, and Airlift was a good opportunity.”

Today, he is nonchalant about the results of his projects. The change came about during the lockdown when he was shooting for Out Of Love 2. “Before Out Of Love 2, everything I did came from wanting and expecting a lot. But during the lockdown, my father was hospitalized, and I was on the set and felt the love for acting. The entire shoot felt cathartic,” he signs off.