Manav Kaul, the actor and writer, on being philosophical, the brilliance of Samuel Beckett, and his new film
Anuka Roy (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 12, 2020)

While most of the world was grappling with the fear and anxiety of a forced lockdown, to curb the spread of the Coronavirus outbreak, Manav Kaul was hard at work on his keyboard. The actor-writer completed his fifth book, Chalta-Phirta Pret — a collection of seven Hindi short stories — and released it on July 10.

Death is the pervading theme of the book, he explains when asked about the title. “I am an avid follower of philosophy. And philosophers around the world have pondered about where we go after death. There’s no answer,” says the 44-year-old, who wrote the stories over a span of a couple of years while travelling in Europe, Korea and other parts of the world. The death of his father, two years ago, made him contemplate death even more. “One way to understand or deal with death is writing,” he says. Surprisingly, he found out while editing the first draft, that even though he intended to write about death, his stories are actually full of life.

While the lockdown has helped him finish the book, it also brought its share of disappointment. Kaul’s new play, Giving Up On Godot — written and directed by him, under his production house Aranya — was set to premiere on March 17, but the countrywide lockdown put a spanner to it. It’s uncanny that the seven protagonists in the play, too, are forced to stay in a confined space — in a different kind of lockdown.

Giving Up On Godot is his take on the classic Samuel Beckett play Waiting For Godot. “His play can be taken to any small or big town and the interpretation will be different — that’s the genius of Samuel Beckett,” says the Tumhari Sulu actor. Even though he’s upset that it couldn’t be staged, he is willing to wait for as long as it takes for things to get better. “The need of the hour is to ensure everyone is safe and help each other in whatever way possible,” he says.

In 2018, interestingly, Kaul posted a no-objection letter on his Instagram page for anyone wishing to stage any of his 13 plays. “Honestly, at one point I was tired of answering mails asking for permission to use my stories and plays,” he says. “Also, when I watch my plays or even read the books I have written, I feel I’d been a different person at the time of writing. For me, that part is over. I don’t see a point in being possessive about them. This is a way of giving back to the society, which inspired these stories.”

Among his acting gigs, Kaul is looking forward to the biopic about badminton player Saina Nehwal, which stars Parineeti Chopra. He plays the role of Chopra’s coach, for which he was undergoing training. Kaul though is no stranger to sports. By the time he’d finished school, the Hoshangabad boy had been selected by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) as a swimming talent and had to move to Bhopal to train. During this time, he watched Habib Tanveer’s rendition of Mudra Rakshasa at Bharat Bhavan and it changed the course of his life. He took up acting seriously and, after a few years of theatre in Bhopal, moved to Mumbai in 1998 to realise his dreams.

Kaul made his Bollywood debut with the 2003 movie Jajantaram Mamantaram. It was only a decade later in Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che! that he won wide recognition and acclaim. But though his performances are almost always appreciated, they don’t always translate into a profusion of offers. Kaul, however, isn’t too bothered. “I am confident about my potential. Whenever you say yes to a role, you put your heart and soul in it,” he says. “I am getting the roles that I want to perform. Eventually, you get what you deserve.” 

Manav Kaul on how he transformed himself to play Saina Nehwal’s coach in her biopic
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 18, 2019)

Manav Kaul, who plays Parineeti Chopra’s coach in the Saina Nehwal’s biopic, has been training hard for months. “I used to play badminton as a child and thought I play well. But when I met Eshan (Naqvi), my trainer for the film, I realised I knew nothing about the sport and had to unlearn what I did and start from scratch,” he admits, adding his game has improved considerably now.

Manav, however, is a national level-swimmer who was placed third at the All India University Swimming Championships. But being away from active sports had taken a toll and getting into the character was not easy. “My stamina was low, I’d fall down after just 10 minutes of playing, feeling like my heart would jump out of my body. But, Eshan was very patient and I learnt a lot from him,” the actor reveals, adding that he had to lose a couple of kilos as badminton coaches are fit, lean and agile. The actor informs that his character is not based on any particular coach but inspired by all her coaches which is why he didn’t meet anyone as part of his prep. “I had a coach for two years, Chauhan Sir, and I had him at the back of my mind as a role model,” he shares.

Manav hasn’t met Saina yet, but is very impressed with the Olympian’s career and finds her life interesting. He’s all praise for Parineeti Chopra who plays the champ on screen. “She is great fun and I have always admired her work, especially her performance in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. She is always positive and energetic, and that is contagious. I didn’t meet Parineeti much before the shoot and that helped because there was tension between Saina and her coach in real life and that translated on screen,” he informs, adding that he will wrap up his portions by the year end.

Purvaja Sawant (BOMBAY TIMES; November 12, 2016)

Manav Kaul’s new play Chuhal will see him return on stage after 10 years. This light-hearted romance, also directed by him, explores the girl’s side of the story
Kusumita Das (MID-DAY; October 30, 2016)

When we catch Manav Kaul at the end of a four-hour long rehearsal in a studio at Versova, he appears surprisingly upbeat. We’re here to talk about Chuhal, his upcoming play, poised to open at the Prithvi Festival. Written and directed by Kaul, the play will see him return on stage as an actor, after 10 years — the last time was in 2006, for Peele Scooter Wala Aadmi where again, he had directed himself.

What does “chuhal” mean, we ask. “That’s the first question everyone asks me,” he laughs. “It means halki fulki baat-cheet,” he says, adding that there can be no literal English translation for the term. “I would use it often in my daily vocabulary, the play also stemmed from some chuhal-baazi, you could say.”

This is Kaul’s first play where he has explored the female standpoint. “I have always toyed with the idea and finally got down to writing it. It explores the way men see women in a relationship and juxtaposes that with how women see themselves. How does a girl perceive a relationship? What happens if she chooses to stay single for the rest of her life — these are questions the play throws up,” he says.

Chuhal is set in a village where the mindset is modern. “It’s a light, romantic comedy which also goes into the experimental space, somewhat,” he says, but at the moment, Kaul doesn’t want to explain how. He speaks highly of his cast though. “Sugandha Garg (below) plays the female lead, Aarti, and she’s fantastic — I don’t know why she doesn’t do more plays. Then there’s Amrita Bagchi, who is great too. Gurleen Judge is designing the play and she’s one of the most important people in my group. I have a fantastic team place, which is why I am able to do this. The setup is very democratic. Everyone gives their feedback, and so it becomes the group’s play, and not mine alone.”

That’s also the reason why, he says, that he ventured out to direct himself. “It’s not the first option I considered, because I feel the director needs to be out of the play to be able to see the big picture better. But it is solely because of the support system I have, that I am being able to do this,” Kaul says.

The last three years saw Manav seeped into films to the extent that theatre had to take a back-seat for a while. He candidly admits that he has found “therapy in acting since 2013” and he’s enjoying it to the hilt. “I stopped acting in 2002, because I wasn’t having fun anymore. Peele Scooter Wala Aadmi was an exception, an emergency call rather. But I rediscovered the magic in 2013 when films began to happen.”

Returning to stage acting was not a creative struggle for him, he says. “I’m really enjoying all kinds thing at a time. Right now, it’s only Chuhal for me. And it’s great that it’s opening at Prithvi. That place is like home to me,” Kaul says.

While both acting and direction give him joy, he says that it is the writer in him that “continues to surprise”. “An artist’s journey is always inward. My writing surprises me the most; I don’t know where it comes from, when it will come even. This play too, I never thought I had it in me to explore a story like this. But when it all came together, I sat back and smiled to myself. It will be a very important play in my journey, more than Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane. I know it’s something I will be proud of.”

WHEN: On November 12, at 5, 7 and 9 pm
WHERE: At Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu
CALL: 2614 9546
ENTRY: Rs 500

From acting to writing, directing and now back to acting... Manav Kaul on his 15-year journey.
Gitanjali Chandrasekharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 22, 2014)


There's hardly a story that Manav Kaul doesn't tell well. Whether it's about his first few days in 1999 when he moved to Mumbai from Bhopal ("I found a room in Charni Road East for Rs 50 a night, and was so overwhelmed by the crowds that for 15 days, I didn't even cross over to the west to see the sea"), or how his first play as writer happened ("when Kumud Mishra saw the first draft of Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane, he said he'd do it, if I finished it; Sanjna Kapoor wasn't confident, but when the play was staged we got a 10-minute standing ovation"), he describes each detail meticulously. It's to build the journey of a man no one knew 15 years ago to the guy they are calling the-next-big-thing-to-watch-out-for.

The theatre bug bit Kaul, when he was in Bhopal training as a national swimming athlete. "I was at a play... I don't remember the name... at Bharat Bhavan with friends, and was mesmerised. As an actor, I could be someone else and people would watch me, laugh with me, clap for me, congratulate me," he adds, sipping on the filter coffee he has ordered at the Yari Road cafe. "I realised that this is what I want to do."

Kaul quickly dumped the swimming career that he had moved from Hoshangabad to pursue, and worked with local productions. "Everything was so new. At rehearsals, there'd be someone who'd be singing, or playing an instrument. I'd do anything to participate, even get water or chai," adds the 37-year-old. But the novelty wore off - there'd be two productions a year and money would come from odd jobs. "I figured, if I have to struggle, why not struggle in Mumbai," he says.

It was a struggle - Kaul's first test was to stand out among 180 students who participated in Satyadev Dubey's Monday workshops at Prithvi. But he managed. When Dubey announced a play, Kaul was among those chosen for a role. "I got a call saying Dubeyji is asking for 'the fair man', which was probably me. He didn't know my name then." The play opened doors for him. Later, television and films like Jajantaram Mamantaram happened. But the acting career soon came to a halt. "I didn't want do those roles. I didn't want to just earn money, I wanted to be proud of my work." His first play, he says, was born out of this frustration.

Since then, he has written 11 more, and directed 16. He is also behind a few films including Hansa, a 2012 film which tells the story of two young children in the search of a missing father, and Tathagat - a story of a monk who after 30 years of sadhana realises that the path is not for him - which is waiting on the editing table for lack of funds.

After the long break, he is returning to acting in film. "The industry has changed. When actors perform, there is complete silence. The camera persons respond to the performance," he says, sharing the best bit of working with Hansal Mehta in the just released Citylights - the freedom to interpret his character. "I turned the role upside down. Initially, Vishnu was a manipulative villain, someone you couldn't reason with. But there's a scene where Rajkummar's (Rao) character and Vishnu, his boss at the security agency he works for, get into a tussle," he says, adding that the complexities of his character, made the role tough but enjoyable. "You can see that he also starts off as an honest man, but isn't wary of crossing the line."

There are a few good offers on hand - Sujoy Ghosh's Durga Rani Singh and Soumitra Ranade's Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai, a remake of the Naseeruddin Shah-starrer - but stereotyping is the real threat. "I will fight till I get cast in better roles," he says vehemently, harnessing his inner sportsperson.

Yet, he knows, there's little to complain about. "I am living my dream. This is the best life I could have imagined for myself," he says. "I'd also thought I'd have a chai shop somewhere in the mountains. Or a book store," he pauses. "I may still do it some day. That's another dream." 

Alisha Coelho (INDIATIMES; May 30, 2014)

While the characters that Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha play in Hansal Mehta's 'Citylights' are bound to win the audience's sympathy, it is Manav Kaul as Vishnu who will polarize sentiment. Playing equal parts oppressor and saviour in the film, it's a career standout of a performance for the actor who was last seen in 'Kai Po Che'. We had a quick chat with Manav, who believes, like some in this country, ki achche din aa gaye (good days are finally here). Excerpts from the interview:

How did you come to be part of Citylights?
I'd like to tell you that it was hard, but it was really easy. I had seen Shahid and was blown away by Hansal Mehta, and so when I met him, I told him that I would be happy to be part of even a passing shot in his next film.

What I didn't know is that he had watched 'Kai Po Che' because of Rajkummar and had really liked me in it. When I got the call for 'Citylights', I went to meet Hansal and he told me the story. After he finished the narration, I was like, 'Ok, sure. Let's do the audition' and he went, 'No need for that. Just say yes'. It was that simple.

You had very little screentime with Rajkummar in Kai Po Che, as compared to this film.
I had only a single scene with him in Kai Po Che but you know, sometimes something just happens when you look another actor in the eye during a shot. You sense something good, something great there and your own performance is affected by it too. In 'Citylights', Hansal shot the film in linear fashion and so my relationship with Rajkummar grew from strength to strength with time in the same way Deepak and Vishnu's grows in the film. I found him tremendously confident and I admire the kind of hold he has on his character.

Just like the Citylights protagonists, you've been through your own share of struggles, haven't you?
(Laughs) It's been 14 years of living a literal hand-to-mouth existence but it's my time now. And I'm glad it's come when it has. The scripts and work coming my way now are humbling and exciting. I'm ready to jump, and not just walk on.

What kind of characters do you want to play?
See, I don't want to repeat myself. I'm tired of being the bad guy. I took on 'Citylights' because Hansal allowed me to turn it on its head and play it like I wanted to. I don't want to be the leading man, I just want to pick good scripts and good films.

What's been the nicest thing said to you about Citylights to date?
I think the best compliment came from Hansal's father, who said that he wished I had had more time in the film.