Mihir Bhanage (BOMBAY TIMES; March 24, 2020)

It’s been a couple of days since Marathi film and theatre actor Amey Wagh returned from the USA and the actor is in home quarantine for 14 days as directed by authorities. Amey was part of the team of the play, Amar Photo Studio, which had gone for a US and Canada tour on March 5. What was supposed to be a 40-day and 14-show tour, was cut down after three shows, owing to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. The team is now back in India. However, their return wasn’t free of issues.

Amey shares, “We returned in three groups. The first group reached without any issues, but the second group faced a lot of trouble because flights were getting cancelled. My domestic flight in the US got cancelled as did the initial flight that I was supposed to take. After much coordination, I landed in Mumbai on Thursday night.” In fact, the second group, which flew out, including actress Parna Pethe, had a taxing travel of almost 40 hours, thanks to cancelled and rescheduled flights.

Ask Amey about his experience at the airport on return and he replies, “The entire process of immigration, health check-up, etc., was very smooth. I had made up my mind to spend at least 4-5 hours at the airport under these circumstances, but I was out in an hour’s time!” The actor was ‘stamped’ for home quarantine at the Mumbai airport and will be spending two weeks at home. “I don’t have any symptoms, but the next 14 days are crucial. So, I will be staying at home and doing things that I have missed out on in the last few months,” he says.

About his stay in the US, Amey says he had a very different and unforgettable experience this time. “We were staying at my relative’s place in San Jose. After the local authorities announced closure of all public gatherings, people stayed indoors, so did we. We would step out only for grocery shopping. But after the outbreak, people panicked and, as we know, they were stocking up on supplies. So, when we went to the supermarket there, there was no toilet paper in stock, neither was there a single loaf of bread available,” he shares.

Amey also adds that while the tour being cut short was disappointing, it was necessary. “It’s something no one predicted would happen. In a crisis like this, authorities need to take appropriate measures to prevent further spread and we should do our best to support them,” he says.

While they are away from work for a while now, Amey shares that he and Nipun Dharmadhikari might do short episodes of their popular web show from home in the next few days. The actor is also utilising his time doing household chores. In a video he posted on Saturday, Amey was seen cutting onions for breakfast.

Besides Amey, the other team members who returned from the US, including Parna Pethe, Nipun and Siddhesh Purkar, have also been home-quarantined.

The actor on playing a loser in his new film who struggles to find a love interest
Renu Deshpande-Dhole (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 21, 2019)

Amey Wagh’s physical transformation from a lean, agile go-getter in Faster Fene to an overweight, stubbled slob has been the talk of town ever since teasers from his upcoming film Girlfriend were first revealed on social media. But for those who’ve seen his body of work over the years on different mediums, what’s more striking is the big departure the actor has made from the characters he’s embodied so far.

Immensely affable and gregarious off-screen too, Wagh’s popularity among his predominantly young fan base has been built on the basis of the 31-year-old’s unmistakable charisma, his wicked wit and his casual coolness. Comedy web sketches, anchoring gigs, youth-oriented TV shows and largely likeable roles in films have capitalised on these strengths so far. But in Upendra Sidhaye’s directorial debut titled Girlfriend, his role as the bored nerd Nachiket (aka Nachya), struggling to find a love interest, seems to have demanded a divesting of his very personality. “That’s exactly what attracted me to this role. After the director and producers read the script to me, the first thing they said was that they don’t think I suit this role at all. And honestly, it is hard for me to play a loser and an under-confident guy (laughs). But that’s why I chose acting as my profession, so that I get a chance to break all these shackles, and be who I can never be,” Wagh says.

He thanks filmmakers for throwing different challenges at him and then, with characteristic swagger and smirk, pats his own back for having proved himself capable of taking such risks. “I am among the few fortunate actors of my generation whom directors have imagined in such different roles. I don’t know how the makers of Faster Fene saw me as the quick-witted Banesh — I’m so lazy and slow; I take my own sweet time to think, get up and move about. Similarly, I’m nothing like Nachiket in real life. But that’s the fun of being an actor,” he reiterates.

From not relating to Nachya at all to growing very fond of this character, it has been a journey in empathy for Wagh. “I’m really feeling sad that I won’t get to meet this character now that the film has ended. I came out the film having befriended this guy and had started feeling really protective about him. We have so many Nachikets around us whom we think of only as these ‘poor guys’ who don’t have much to say. But they are actually really good at heart. In fact, I have a few friends like that and I picked up a few mannerisms from them for this film,” he explains.

The loser-guy-gets-hot-girl track of the film seems to have hit the right notes with Marathi cinema’s famously bold actress Sai Tamhankar being cast opposite Wagh. Having played off female co-stars like Parna Pethe, Mithila Palkar and now Tamhankar, who command their own strong screen presence instead of merely being ornamental beauties, Wagh is aware of the strength they bring to the film. “I believe every strong actor goes towards making a stronger film. And Sai is someone I’ve always had huge respect for. Her work has consistently been good, even in films that weren’t so great. From being a fan boy, I can now say we have developed a kind of camaraderie after working on this film.”

More than the chemistry with the costar, however, Wagh believes that it’s the director-actor equation that truly shapes the film. “That’s why I always look for good directors to work with. I know that as an actor, I don’t have much control over the fate of the film. I can only act well and promote my film. Whether the film works or not is not in my hands. So I make sure at least the process of making the film is enjoyable and enriching, given that I only do one or two films a year,” he says.

With Sidhaye (who’s credited for writing Mumbai Meri Jaan, among others), that desire was completely fulfilled, says Wagh. “I was introduced to him on the sets of Muramba. Nipun [Dharmadhikari, friend and director] had told me that if you want to know the best of what’s happening in the entertainment world, follow Upendra’s FB Page. He’s a film geek, who’s seen all kinds of cinema. It was a learning experience working with him.”

While Girlfriend releases on July 26, Wagh is looking forward to two web shows this year (Hindi and English) and a Marathi multi-starrer Dhurala, directed by Sameer Vidhwans, next year. “Even when I’m not on screen, I keep reaching out to audiences through my plays and live shows. Every medium has a separate viewership, but once they see me on one platform, they are curious about my other work too. So hopefully, my different audiences will overlap gradually,” he says.

Deepali Singh (DNA; March 4, 2018)

From becoming a viral sensation with her cup song that increased her followers from 5,000 to 45,000 overnight two years ago to acting in web series to completing the shoot of her debut film Karwaan, which sees her sharing screen space with Irrfan Khan and Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar has come a long way. The 25-year-old Maharashtrian girl with her trademark curly hair is over the moon with the love she has received for her two web series, Little Things and Girl In The City, and for her role as Indu in the critically-acclaimed Marathi film Muramba. Now, as she readies for her big-screen debut in Hindi cinema, she tells After Hrs that she could not have planned her life better. Excerpts...

Whether it’s Meera Sehgal from Girl in the City or Kavya Kulkarni from Little Things, your characters have mostly been chirpy. Do you think you would be able to pull off a serious role?
I think that happens because I am like that in real life. But my films allow me to explore another side of my personality. Also, since it’s just the beginning, it’s exciting to explore whatever opportunities I get and fortunately, I have received enough of them. So, Indu in Muramba is not a chirpy, neither is the girl in Karwaan. Or for that matter, my character Ria in the play Dekh Behen was also not like that. They are intelligent, confident, and spunky girls, but they are different characters. So far, the audience has liked them.

You stay with your conservative Maharashtrian grandparents who, you had said, did not approve of your profession. Your roles in web series have dealt with concepts like live-in relationships and pre-marital sex. How comfortable are they with it now?
They have been large-hearted and have come around, just to let me be an actor to start with. They are aware that this profession comes with a lot of pre-requisites. They also know that I’ll not do anything that is not required.

In fact, before watching Muramba, I gave them a disclaimer saying Amey (Wagh) and I share a kiss. I know it wouldn’t have been easy for them, but they were very brave about it. Now that they’ve watched the film, it’s a big weight off my chest. I won’t say they are okay with it, but they understand.

How did you land the role in Karwaan?
I went through the usual process of auditioning. I have auditioned for the casting director Nandini Shrikent earlier and knew director Akarsh Khurana as well. They suggested I try for this role as they thought I fit the bill. I had to wait a long time before I was told that I had bagged it. It was such a nervous and exciting wait for me! I had done a supporting role in Katti Batti but this is my debut as a lead in a Hindi film. To put it simply, it’s a big deal to have your face on a poster.

How was the experience of working in the film?
I knew Akarsh from my theatre days, so even though I was extremely nervous about working with Dulquer Salmaan and Irrfan Khan, I knew there was someone around if I needed advice or guidance. Karwaan has been my favourite set to be on so far. My co-stars are such talented artistes. I was like a wide-eyed kid, constantly learning.

Tell us about your equation with your co-stars...
My equation with them was quite funny. I was really nervous but they were not intimidating at all. I constantly keep singing or humming, so, Irrfan sir called me Binaca Geetmala, and Dulquer called me Jukebox. After a point, Dulquer was like, let me suggest songs to you, so I know what you’re singing because my list of tracks is really random. I’m an old soul so I sing old numbers, but I can also switch to 2000s or ’90s hits.