Showing posts with label Piyush Mishra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Piyush Mishra. Show all posts
Piyush Mishra tells Gen Z crowd: "Tumhare breakups hote hain, dil nahi toot’te"
4:38 PM
Sara Siddiqui (BOMBAY TIMES; February 27, 2026)
In conversation with Anoop Lather, in a session titled after his song Ek Bagal Mein Chaand Hoga, Piyish Mishra spoke about his struggling years as an actor and his bond with Delhi on Day 1 of the fest. “Dilli se mera rishta kuch aur hai. Dilli meri mehbooba hai, aur Mumbai se meri shaadi ho gayi hai. Jab bhi mauka lagta hai Dilli zaroor aata hoon.”
Sharing his affection for Gen Z, he said, “Main Gen Z se bahut pyaar karta hoon. Gen Z se koi parhez nahi hai. Bade achche log ho tum, bas thodi jaldbaazi kar jaate ho woh alag baat hai.”
With his signature tongue-in-cheek humour, he added, “Main perform youth ke liye karta hoon, lekin ek bada aarop hai tumhare upar. Hamare zamane mein mohalle mein ek phenomenon hua karta tha – pita hua aashiq. Woh tumhari generation ne gayab kar diya. Romance ka ek ajeeb-o-gareeb tareeka nikaal liya hai. Tumhare breakups hote hain, dil nahi toot’te. Tum logon ne lutf khatam kar diya hai. Prem ke bina zindagi kuch bhi nahi hai.”
‘NSD ne mujhe sab kuch diya hai’
The actor, who spent 20 years in Delhi’s theatre circuit before moving to Mumbai to pursue films, shared that he still enjoys visiting the campus. “NSD ne mujhe sab kuch diya hai.”
He added that his home in Mumbai is always open to struggling artistes. “Jo log struggle karte huye akela mehsoos karte hain, unke liye ek parivaar hai Mumbai mein. Mujhe koi parivaar nahi mila apne time mein, lekin main woh sahara banna chahta hun. Jo bhi Mumbai aata hai, mere ghar mein you’re most welcome.”
If people knew what I was like in the ’80s or the ’90s, my image would be ruined-Piyush Mishra
9:18 AM
Through his novelized memoir, actor, thespian, singer, writer, and much more, Piyush Mishra tells a tale of many cities and how they shaped him to be the artiste he is today
Akshita Maheshwari (MID-DAY; December 14, 2025)
“I, me, and myself. That’s all I could write if I had written an autobiography,” says Piyush Mishra. We sit in the Tamboo Media office, a quaint space, full of young blood, all excited to be in the presence of this monolith of art, song, theatre, and cinema. For those who’ve only brushed past his name, Mishra is many things at once — a poet who sings, an actor who writes, a musician who performs with his whole soul, and now latest, a novelist with his new book Tumhari Auqaat Kya Hai, Piyush Mishra. A fresh take on memoirs, his book assumes Mishra to be a fictionalized version of himself, Santap Trivedi urf Hamlet. In the book, Mishra fictionalizes friends and foes.
“Many would have been hurt if I would have put their real names. So I changed their names to protect their dignity. And no one would be hurt too, except for one director. I won’t name him still, but everyone would know him if you read the book,” says Mishra in the quiet of his office.
“Thoda tedha novel hai, par ekdum seedha bhi hai [It’s a crooked novel, but it’s also very straight],” he says. It’s a memoir in the true sense then, because that’s the person Mishra is. Unconventional and eccentric (he’s a theatre kid, after all), yet very straight to the point. He sits down with Sunday mid-day to discuss life, theatre, cinema, and the new adventure of his book.
Childhood started in the little town of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, a city celebrated for its legacy of Hindustani music and also recognised by UNESCO as the “City of Music”. The musical legend Tansen was born and died in the city. Perhaps, a childhood in such a city influenced Mishra’s own leaning towards art.
“In Gwalior, I first learnt that I am capable of doing this [the arts]. That’s where I learnt it,” he says, “But there were obstacles there too, with parents, with friends. I chose a very unique profession, and I was often told, ‘Kya gaana gaoge? Kya nautanki karoge? [What will you do, dancing and singing around?]’ But I loved it too much. That’s where it all started. So it holds a soft corner in my heart.”
He remembers Delhi fondly, “Delhi and I have a very strong relationship. I lived there for twenty years. I didn’t have any money back then but theatre was everywhere. All I did was work, but I didn’t make much money. But I don’t regret it, I earned something much bigger, adapting some of the best roles, best music.”
He tells us about how he remembers being “phissadi [weak]” in Physics as a child, but theatre brought back a certain love for it, as he played Galileo and Einstein. Having spent most of his theatre days in Mandi House, Mishra has plenty, and vivid, memories of those days. “There was a bench there, beneath a tree near my office. I would spend day and night writing there.”
Cut to now, it’s been 23 years since Mishra came to Mumbai. “The entire topography of the city has changed in the last 23 years. Too many flyovers have come, a lot of crowd, a lot of cars too,” he says, “I still live in the quiet corner of Versova, but soon there will be flyovers here too. But you can’t challenge change. Even I have to accept it.”
He segues into talking about change in Bollywood. “Cinema too is as different as night and day. Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bharadwaj, Imtiaz Ali, Rajkumar Hirani, all of them came in the early 2000s. They brought a lot of change to cinema.”
But being in Mumbai is no easy task, even for Mishra. There’s a constant give and take. “I got money, real money for the first time in my life. That’s what it gives you. And I earned a lot of fame here. In the first twenty years of my career, only a limited, theatre-going audience knew me. Mumbai gave me everything, it gave me my band, my poetry collection, and now this book.” But the cost to pay isn’t cheap either.
“I would only recommend you become an artiste if you truly wish to. It can’t be forced. It needs hard work and a lot of studying. Even in my theatre days, I studied sculptors, writers, architects, playwrights.”
A certain tug pulls Mishra between the two cities. “Mumbai is a commercial place. You work instantly, and you make money instantly, you earn fame instantly. But really, you can’t compare Mumbai and Delhi.”
As he sat down to write this memoir, Mishra had to reflect a lot. Going through his entire life journey brought back memories he didn’t even remember making. But there were hard times too, like his alcoholism, which he touched upon in the book. At 62, Mishra is now sober. “I revisit only from a distance. When you look from too close, the pain can be too much. I like a bird’s eye perspective,” he says, “A generation of people started looking at me as a God. If they knew what I was like in the ’80s or the ’90s, my image would be ruined,” he jokes, “So I thought why don’t I tell them myself.”
But even in the days of his struggle, what kept Piyush going was “my work, and my wife. She worked. She told me when we got married, ‘If you love theatre, you do theatre. I am working, I will provide.’ I realized how important money is to live in society, and moreover, how difficult it is to make it.”
I destroyed relationships with alcohol and anger, but I don’t do that anymore-Piyush Mishra
9:04 AM
Actor, lyricist, singer, playwright, a man who can turn a word into a punch in the gut. At 62, Piyush Mishra is still impossible to slot. His memoir ‘Tumhari Auqat Kya Hai, Piyush Mishra’ reveals yet more facets: the teenage misfit; the NSD rebel; the furious artist who once threatened to douse a director in petrol over stolen credit. And also someone frightened, and brutally self-aware. Fresh off touring the US and now India with his indie band Ballimaaraan, Mishra spoke to Mohua Das about how he tamed his old ‘jungleepan’
Mohua Das (THE TIMES OF INDIA; November 26, 2025)
You insist the book isn’t an autobiography, but a novel. Why tell your true life through fiction? Did it allow you to say things that ‘Piyush Mishra’ couldn’t?
I didn’t introspect the way people imagine. I just emptied myself out. While writing, everything flowed straight from the heart. Only after finishing did I think, ‘Maybe I’ve revealed too much.’ But I didn’t want to go back and dilute it. You can never reveal everything about yourself, no matter how honest you try to be. Still, I’ve put out about 90% of myself in this book. But there are women and men in these pages who are alive and have moved on; I’ve made mistakes too. Giving a full ledger of every detail is difficult. So, I used fiction to create a little distance but the truth is intact.
In the book, you keep switching between Priyakant Sharma at home, Santap Trivedi in school, Hamlet at NSD. When do these selves take over, and which one is you now?
At home, I was Priyakant Sharma. After my aunt adopted me, I became Trivedi. Later, Mishra. And at NSD, I became Hamlet. Not because the play made me popular but something inside me shifted. To separate from Hamlet, I consciously performed characters that were completely unlike him, yet Hamlet kept walking beside me. His questions — to be or not to be? Who am I? What is my identity? What is real? What do I hide, or reveal? — became mine. But these switches don’t confuse me. They remind me I’m all of them, swinging between those selves.
You hide some identities with rhyming names — Samar Bajpayee, Aniket Kashyap, Som Puri — but reveal others like Irrfan Khan. How did you decide who to disguise and who to name?
It’s emotional. The people whose real names I’ve used — like Irrfan Khan, Deepak Dobriyal, Mita Vashisht — simply came and went from my life. But the ones I disguised — Samar Bajpayee, Aniket Kashyap, Sambal Bhardwaj, Som Puri, Nadeem Shah — had a deep emotional impact on me. If I wrote openly, my pen might have turned unfair or harsh. You’ll still know who they are. Also, there’s no slander in the book. Whenever there is a woman in the story, if there was a mistake, it was mine. Alcohol was my mistake. Anger too. I’ve exposed my own faults.
You describe fear as something that “lives, eats and drinks” with you but you also managed to tame it. Are there still fears that refuse to leave?
There’s a fear that never fully goes. Due to my environment, family dynamics, fear was inevitable. After my stroke in 2010, something shifted. I softened. The fear is still there, but it’s under control. Vipassana and meditation helped and even cured my psychosomatic issues. Most of my relationships were destroyed by anger and alcohol. That old jungleepan in me is less. I don’t do the alcohol-rage routine anymore. Passion now coexists with process. If something feels wrong, I walk away. I approach things calmly, systematically.
Was fear why you avoided Bombay for years?
Yes fear, maybe even an inferiority complex. Everyone who left before me became a star —Anurag Kashyap, Ashish Vidyarthi, Vishal and Rekha Bhardwaj. In Delhi, at NSD and Mandi House, I had respect even without money. That gave me a false sense of safety and I loved theatre, even if it didn’t pay. My first Bombay visit drained me emotionally and financially, and the thought of moving felt impossible. But when I finally moved to Bombay, it tamed my fears. People took me in. I learned that acting, music, writing… it’s also business. In Delhi, it was only passion.
Tell us about your band Ballimaaraan where the songs have poetry, satire, politics but you resist being called a ‘political’ artist?
Calm works better than rebellion now. I take light jabs where needed… mujhe taana kasna aata hai, par main pyaar se taana kasta hoon. I know how to tease and taunt, but with affection. The songs can be social or political, but I don’t cross the line because I want to keep talking about whatever I feel like (love, politics, society). I speak to the youth in their own slang. They see I understand them, and they value that I’m 62 and have seen more of the world. Maybe Ballimaaraan is a strange, lone lyric-driven band in that sense because I know how to talk or comment without hurting anyone. Art may pinch but its intention is never to give pain.
You end the book saying, ‘My life has been one big commotion’ but you’ve finally found ‘stability’. Why revisit the chaos now?
You can call it closure. I wrote this book three years ago, when things had finally begun to settle. Earlier, there were phases of loneliness, chaos, noise. Achievement is supposed to bring peace, but it never did for me. In the last seven years, I’ve found purpose. Before that I kept asking, is the purpose work, sex, women, money? No, yaar. There’s something beyond that. I realized the pollution was inside me. I also wanted to say clearly who I am. People had begun treating me like a saint, but my truth is very different. If they still respect me after knowing the truth, great.
Gen Z made Aarambh Hai Prachand a hit-Piyush Mishra
8:39 AM
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; March 2, 2025)
In a recent conversation at the National School of Drama in Delhi, Piyush Mishra shared that it’s been 16 years since Gulaal came out, yet every time he visits college campuses, there’s one constant request and it’s for the song Aarambh Hai Prachand. Excerpts:
‘AAJ SABSE ZYADA JO AARAMBH HAI PRACHAND BAJTA HAI WOH CAMPUS MEIN BAJTA HAI’
Sharing an interesting observation, Piyush revealed how people keep telling him ‘Gen Z haath se nikal gayi(hai). Sahitya ke baare mein kuch jaante nahi hain yeh’. To this, he commented, “Arey bhaiya! Ye Gen Z hai jisne Aarambh Hai Prachand hit karwayi hai. Aaj sabse zyada jo Aarambh Hai Prachand bajta hai woh campus mein bajta hai. Students aate hain aur do songs ki demand hoti hai – Ik Bagal Mein Chaand Hoga and Aarambh Hai Prachand.”
‘LIKHNE MEIN MAZA NAHI AATA, CREATE KARNE MEIN MAZA AATA HAI’
Piyush said that he doesn’t feel like creating anymore. He said, “Ballimaran (his band) has expanded so much with tours across cities. So, I’m like, now I don’t want to create anymore,” adding with a laugh, “Lekin biwi ki kitni tareef karunga? Bachchon se kitna baat kar lunga? Teen din ke andar mere andar ka woh keeda aa jata hai aur kehta hai – kya kar rahe ho yaar tum? Just after three-four days, I feel like I should write something new, I should create something. Lekin likhne mein maza nahi aata, create karne mein maza aata hai. Band mein maza aata hai – it’s a live audience. Jab tak main apni energy wahan nikaal nahi leta, mujhe neend nahi aati.”
‘If by 50 you have earned everything, only then are you inclined towards spiritualism’
Piyush, who is now in his 60s, told the audience, “I think if by the age of 50 you have earned everything be it money, status or love then only after 50 are you inclined towards spiritualism. But if you have not found all this in your life by 50, then even after 50, you keep looking for these things in life.”
Maqbool se mujhe itna faayda nahi mila jitna mujhe milna chahiye tha-Piyush Mishra
6:40 AM
Divya Kaushik (BOMBAY TIMES; October 26, 2024)
“Main film star to nahi ban paya rockstar zaroor ban gaya,” Piyush Mishra said this a few times as he sat on stage to introduce his band Ballimaaraan in Delhi before beginning his music tour Udankhatola. The singer, actor and writer was here to talk about his association with the band, his love for music and how at the age of 62 he has now became a rockstar.
“Gulaal, Maqbool karne ke baad bhi mai film star nahi ban paya kyonki mujh par koi paisa lagane ko tayyar nahi hai... Mujhe laga rockstar achhi upadhi hai ye li ja sakti hai. The kind of response I am getting from my concerts I feel agar mai khud ko rockstar kahunga to mujhe sharam nahi aayegi. I am enjoying this, I may be exhausted when I go on stage, but when I perform and if the show goes well, I am transported to other world. I feel like I have done something. Acting mein apna dum laga do uske bavjood woh response nahi milta hai, haan theater mein milta hai,” he said.
‘I think I am a gifted person that I can act, write, sing’
Piyush told the gathering that he started writing in his childhood and feels that this is something that comes naturally to him. He said, “I think I am blessed that I can act, write. I wrote Sharam Kar Lo (poem) when I was in class eight. Ye ho gaya, maloom nahi kaise ho gaya. I used to write, sing, paint, ye sab ho jaya karta tha. There was some force guiding me, I think I am a gifted person.”
“When I joined NSD I was a kid, but I became a youngster in NSD. When I moved to Mumbai, then Gulaal happened, Maqbool happened, Maqbool se mujhe itna faayda nahi mila jitna mujhe milna chahiye tha. Gulaal was a flop but was a hit on Internet. Then Gangs Of Wasseypur happened and I earned some money. I am 62 now, I only take work that I like.”
‘Jab mai Dilli mai tha Mandi House ke bahar jhaank ke nahi dekha’
Piyush shared, “I miss Mandi House a lot. Jab mai Dilli mai tha, Mandi House ke bahar jhaank ke nahi dekha. Mandi House mein toh meri jaan basti hai. Wahan ka ek bhi kona aisa nahi hai jahan maine rehearsal nahi ki ho. Mere samne kai generations nikli hain, Tigmanshu Dhulia ki generation, Adil Husaain ki, Nawazuddin ki, Pankaj Tripathi ki aur Zeeshan Ayyub ki generation. In sabko apni aankhon se dekhna aur mai ab bhi kaam kar raha hoon, ye bahut badi baat hai.”
‘I celebrated after Naseeruddin watched my play’
Going through the display reminded him of the “good old days.” One of the highlights of the exhibition was the red cycle.
“I don’t know how they (his bandmates) got it here. There is a brief story about this. On August 8, 1985 I did a play which was directed by the same person who directed the Hamlet, Fritz Bennewitz. Naseeruddin Shah came to watch the play, woh to khuda the uss waqt hamare liye. Naseer liked the play, he hugged me aur main toh bilkul hi pagal ho gaya tha. To celebrate that I decided to go to Badkhal lake in Faridabad on my brother’s bicycle. There was a milestone that read Gwalior 320 kms, I thought let’s go to Gwalior. I reached there in two and half days aur haalat kharab ho gayi thi. Ye cycle us lambi yatra ki gawah hai,” he shared.
Aaj kal theatre mein paisa hai-Piyush Mishra
9:47 AM
Navya Kharbanda (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 27, 2024)
On World Theatre Day today, actor Piyush Mishra, who has been part of the stage for four decades, says that the joy of performing a play is unparalleled compared to cinema. “Usmein maza aata hai kyunki live interaction hota hai. Cinema mein aap audience tak camera ke through pahuchte hain, toh live interaction ho hi nahin paata. Also, unlike cinema, theatre has a scope for rehearsals. You can rehearse for at least two months to improve and experiment with your performance,” says Mishra.
Reflecting on his journey, the 62-year-old recalls his humble beginnings: “In the earlier days, I even did theatre without getting paid. But, aaj kal theatre mein paisa hai. Gone are the days when big producers didn’t put their money into it. Having said that, paisa nahin hota hai toh hum bahut complaint karte hain. Lekin jab paisa aa jaata hai, hum sochte hain ki ab toh paise se sab ho jayega... production value badh jayegi... Kahin na kahin paisa aate hi theatre pradooshit (polluted) ho jaata hai. I’ve seen that for 40 years.”
Despite the challenges, Mishra is optimistic about the future of theatre. “I don’t think theatre is any less appreciated now. [Theatre ka scope] pehle se badh gaya hai,” he says, adding, “It is a live art, woh kabhi marr nahin sakti. Kareeb 120 saal pehle, cinema kahan tha? Par theatre tha... Shakespeare (William Shakespeare; English playwright) ke waqt se hai.”
I had forgotten about Kanjoos Makhichoos after I finished shooting for it-Piyush Mishra
8:23 AM
Piyush, who stars in Kanjoos Makhichoos, on prioritizing writing over acting in films
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; March 22, 2023)
If you ask Piyush Mishra the key to a thriving career, he would attribute it to poor memory. “It’s important to work, and more important to move on after finishing your project. If you remain lost in the memories of your past work, you will lose your mind,” says the actor, who has been in the movie business for over three decades.
To him, his upcoming ZEE5 film, Kanjoos Makhichoos, is the perfect illustration of his point. The senior actor had shot for the Kunal Kemmu and Shweta Tripathi Sharma-starrer two years ago. “I had forgotten about the film after I finished shooting for it, and moved on to other projects. How long will I be stuck on one film?”
The actor-writer’s detachment from his work could also be attributed to his lack of interest in being on screen. While he has given memorable performances in Rockstar (2011), Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012), and Pink (2016), Mishra states that movies are strictly a means of earning money for him.
“Cinema is like an occupation for me. Writing, poetry, making music, and theatre are my passions. When I entered showbiz, I was fascinated [with acting in films]. But after a few years, I didn’t enjoy it much. It’s not an actor’s, but a director’s medium.”
Hindi films don’t want my lyrics, I am outdated for them-Piyush Mishra
7:47 AM
Jaspreet Nijher (CHANDIGARH TIMES; January 17, 2023)
Actor, lyricist, singer, Piyush Mishra began his musical tour with Chandigarh recently and credited this city for his band’s genesis. “In 2015-16 Nishant Agarwal, a fan from Chandigarh insisted I should form a band and he moved to Mumbai for this reason,” says the actor also known for his satirical poetry in films like Gulaal (Aarambh Hai Prachand), Gangs Of Wasseypur (Ik Bagal), Black Friday etc.
Commenting on his late advent as a music performer, he says, “That is because I never considered myself a singer. I am not a riyaz type of singer, I am a theatrical voice.”
Blunt to a fault, he confesses that incessant working for years brought a madness and love for distortion. Self-admittedly a “heavy alcoholic for many years till I found Vipassana as a cure,” Piyush says, “Just four years ago I realized I spent too many years only working for applause, not even money and that I have a life beyond work. I hardly spent time with my wife, my sons who had grown up and a dog. I tasted creativity in disordered form with tedha cinema and could have failed playing out my eccentricities, but I got lucky. Back then I was a communist, waiting for a revolution. It’s only now I feel normal and want to be likeable as a person, not just as an artiste.”
Success, he says came to him at 46, with Gulaal and he loved leveraging music for socio-political commentary. “I am settled now, I have lived out all my madness. I am now questioning myself through a semi autobiography that lays bare my life including my alcoholism.”
As for when he is giving lyrics for a film next, he shrugs, “Hindi films don’t want my lyrics, I am outdated for them.”
"Lakeer ke fakeer mat bano": Pankaj Tripathi's advice to young actors
7:56 AM
Actor Pankaj Tripathi talks about the essentials of the craft that every budding artiste must know
Ashish Kumar Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 30, 2022)
Actor Pankaj Tripathi never misses a chance to remember and thank the industry veterans who have helped him hone his craft. “I’ve taken acting lessons from many seniors, such as (actors) Naseer Sahab (Naseeruddin Shah), Manoj Bajpayee, Piyush Mishra, the late Om Puri sir and Irrfan,” says the actor, who recently hosted an acting workshop in Mumbai, conducted by his teacher from National School of Drama, Delhi.
“As actors, we barely get to revisit the basics of acting. The whole purpose of the workshop was to brush up on the skills and revisit the art,” he tells us.
Tripathi, known for his roles in Mirzapur and Mimi (2021), doles out some advice for budding actors: “Lakeer ke fakeer mat bano. Don’t be rigid with your thoughts and opinions, particularly when it comes to the craft of acting. And, ensure that glamour and success are not the sole purpose of doing it.”
The 46-year-old feels that actors must constantly evolve and unlearn. “It’d be wrong to say that I know all about acting. We are all students of cinema and the process of learning never ends,” shares Tripathi, who will be seen in the film OMG 2 and season three of the web show Mirzapur soon.
South Indian filmmakers do their research very well for the films-Piyush Mishra
8:07 AM
HINDUSTAN TIMES (December 20, 2022)
Actor-singer Piyush Mishra did not mince his words while talking about why south Indian films are faring better than Bollywood nowadays.
In a conversation with ANI, the Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) actor said, “Directors of south Indian films are more intelligent, have more IQ and are more innovative compared to us (Bollywood filmmakers). It’s our foolishness that we are working on the same formula forever.”
Citing the example of Pushpa: The Rise (2021), Mishra said that while the film has a typical genre, the way it was presented to the audience made all the difference. Adding more about his tryst with the south film industry, the Tamasha (2015) actor said, “I also worked in a south Indian film named Indian 2 (Tamil film) with (director) Shankar recently. In my first experience working with him, I realised how innovative he was. He presents the same concept in a variety of ways and represents the culture better.”
He also noted that languages like Tamil and Malayalam are “very old languages” and parts of “very old cultures”, making the filmmakers do their “research very well”.
On being asked whether impactful Hindi films are still being made, the 59-year-old shared, “No such films are being made in north India.”
No matter how much you try, you can’t be apolitical in a society-Piyush Mishra
8:20 AM
Mihir Bhanage (PUNE TIMES; December 1, 2022)
Be it in his lyrics or interactions, Piyush Mishra is nonchalant, often political and isn’t afraid to speak his mind. The actor-writer-lyricist was in the city recently for an event and we caught up with him for a quick chat. From his Pune connection, to memes and mimicry, and why he claims to be apolitical but isn’t, here’s how the chat progressed. Excerpts:
‘IT’S IMPORTANT TO TAKE A STAND’
Back in February 2019 while performing with his band Ballimaaraan in Pune, Mishra had taken a stand that he won’t be performing his popular song Husna (which is a letter of love from an Indian man to a Pakistani woman) until Pakistan takes moral responsibility of the Pulwama attack that happened in the same month. He maintains that taking a stand where it’s required is necessary.
“In any society, no matter how much you try, you can’t be apolitical. I call myself apolitical but mujhe ye bhi pata hai ke jahan zaroori hai, waha mujhe stand lena hi padega. I call a spade, a spade,” he says.
At a time when public figures are extremely cautious about making statements related to current issues or the system in general, Mishra is unabashedly politically incorrect. “I don’t know if being politically incorrect is right or wrong. I say things that I feel. The intent is not to hurt anyone,” says Mishra.
But it comes at a cost. “Dekhiye, jo hai wo hai. If I like a few things about a person or a party, I’ll say it. If I like something about their rivals, I’ll say that too. But isme panga ye hai ki one or the other side gets offended. I think these are things that aren’t in my control and that’s fine. Waise bhi aur 20 saal ki zindagi hai, usme kya bolein aur kya na bolein iske baare mein itna kya sochna,” he opines.
‘I RUINED MY FAMILY’S LIFE WITH MY PASSION FOR THEATRE’
Most actors are of the opinion that the passion for theatre should always be alive in an artiste. Mishra agrees, but he advices youngsters to not make theatre their life. He says, “I love theatre, but I don’t think it’s a feasible work option to keep your house running and to take care of a family.”
Mishra adds, “And this is coming from a person who dedicated 20 years of his life to theatre. I ruined my life, and that of my family with this crazy passion for theatre. I had fun doing it and my work was appreciated, but I hardly earned from it. Just for my fun or selfishness, I couldn’t continue to ruin my family’s life. You need to take responsibility and earn. Yes, my work in theatre made it easy for me to get work in Mumbai because I had either worked with a lot of people from the industry or people had seen me perform on stage. So today, I do films to earn money and keep my family afloat.”
‘MUJHE MIMICRY AUR MEMES BOHOT PASAND AATE HAI’
Besides mesmerising film lovers with his writing and lyrics in songs like Aarambh and O Ri Duniya, Mishra’s work has also inspired hundreds of memes. “Mujhe toh bohot pasand aata hai. It takes a lot of effort to do this. Memes, mimicry... I recently met an artiste named Jayvijay Sachan jo meri mimicry karta hai. I loved it. It’s an art in itself and I welcome all this with open arms,” says the actor-writer who is set to release an autobiographical novel named Tumhari Aukaat Kya Hai Piyush Mishra, soon.
“It took me 6 years to write this book. The story is based in Gwalior, Delhi and Mumbai. I started writing in 2015, then lost the first draft of the Gwalior part, probably gave it by mistake to the kabadiwala. So, I rewrote that and finished the entire book in the two years during the pandemic,” he says.
About his upcoming projects, Mishra says that he plans to do a national tour with his band early next year and has a few other projects lined up, for income of course. “And I will also have to deal with the people who may get offended after my book comes out. Toh dekhte hai. Cheezein jaisi aati rahegi, hum unko waise lete jayenge,” he concludes.
‘PUNE BOHOT HASEEN SHEHER HAIN’
Mishra doesn’t come here very often, but he says he loves Pune. “I have come here a few times. I have taught students at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), have interacted with some young theatre groups in the city, performed here and I come to visit my relatives here sometimes. Pune bohot haseen sheher hain and I hope I get to perform live in the city again soon,” he says.
We don’t have the concept of silence on our film sets-Nawazuddin Siddiqui
8:36 AM
At his IFFI session, the actor spoke about how he starts afresh for every role he does, the lack of character details in movie scripts & what he expects from his directors
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; November 25, 2022)
During his masterclass titled Journey as an Actor at the 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Nawazuddin Siddiqui shared with the audience what he expects from his directors, how he approaches his characters and why he never gets tired of acting.
‘I HAD TURNED DOWN SACRED GAMES BECAUSE I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT A WEB SERIES WAS’
In conversation with Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) member and IFFI steering committee member Vani Tripathi Tikoo, Nawazuddin revealed to the audience that he had initially refused to do Sacred Games because he had no idea about what a web series was.
“When Vikramaditya Motwane (director of the series) contacted me to do Sacred Games, I was not really sure. I didn’t know much about the concept of web shows. It was Anurag Kashyap who convinced me to do the series. Anurag showed me a world map and said that the web show would be available in every country that was lit up on the map, and that was when I understood the reach OTT has and agreed to take up the role,” he recounted.
‘HAMARE YAHAN JAB SHOOT HOTA HAI TOH BAHUT SHOR MACHTA HAI’
Tikoo informed the audience that Nawaz has been working in international projects and asked him about the difference he has noticed while working with directors in India and abroad. “Hamare yahan shoot par bahut shor machta hai. Silence ka koi concept nahi hai. Aur director chahta hai ki ismein ye actor apna best kare,” he said.
Nawaz added, “Itni awaazein ho rahi hain aur usmein kehte hain — ‘aaiye, aap ka shot ready hai. Lights, camera, action’. Thoda silence do na yaar usko, toh woh shayad behtar kar sake. Main bolta hoon silence do, lekin hamare yahan nahi ho pata. Hamare yahan silence ka concept nahi hai.”
‘I UNLEARN AND LEARN EVERY TIME I START A PROJECT’
When Vani asked her National School of Drama (NSD) senior about his approach towards acting, Nawazuddin said, “Whenever a senior director used to visit NSD, he used to ask us to unlearn all the techniques and start it all over again, and that felt like a tedious process back then. Later, I realised that whenever you do a new role, you have to start learning all over again. If you think that you know everything, then you will not be able to excel in your craft. You have to start from zero. I unlearn and learn every time I start a project. Pehle se agar mind mein le kar aao ki main toh har baar century marta hoon toh bahut mushkil ho jayega.”
‘ACTING ITNA BADA FIELD HAI KI LAGTA HAI PAANCH ZINDAGI BHI MILEGI TO BHI PURA NAHI KAR PAYENGE’
Talking about an actor’s fatigue while goingthrough the psychological and physical transformation every character might need, Vani asked Nawaz what drives him every day to act all over again. “Kahin na kahin woh aadat bhi ban jati hai jo aap ko junoon de ki har roz subah kaam karne ki. Acting mera shauq hai, main usse kyun thakunga? Mujhe realise hota hai ki acting mein hi toh duniya basti hai meri. Ismein mujhe thakna kyun hai? Kabhi kabhi toh lagta hai ki ek zindagi bhi kam hai. Jab aap deep jate hain acting mein, tab aap ko lagta hai ki abhi to bahut kuch karna hai. Sirf acting itna bada field hai ki lagta hai paanch zindagi bhi milegi toh bhi pura nahi kar payenge hum log,” responded Nawaz.
‘I WANT MY DIRECTORS TO GIVE ME EVERY LITTLE DETAIL ABOUT A CHARACTER’
Responding to a question on what he expects from his directors, Nawaz said, “I need everything from my directors. I want them to tell me every single trait of the character that they are aware of. But unfortunately, very few directors are like that in our country. When you read a script, you’ll find that there are only dialogues and hardly any details about the kind of person a character is — details about his temperament, his physicality. Set par bolte hain aisa character hai, lekin yaar yeh script mein toh likha nahi. Dialoguebazi bahut hai hamare yahan. Do page ka dialogue likhne ki kya zarurat hai jab ek eyeball se express kar sakta hai scene ko? Hum bolte bahut hai.”
He further shared, “Once Irrfan bhai was directing me in a short film and I told the actress, ‘Aa ja meri cycle mein baith ja,’ aur Irrfan bhai ne kaha, ‘Cycle toh dikh rahi hai, toh bol kyun raha hai?’” While talking about dealing with mediocre actors, he said, “Scene do logon ki wajah se banta hai. Agar koi mediocre hai toh scene nahi banega. Lekin hamare yahan chalta hai. Insaan achcha hai toh le lo usko yaar. Arey insaan achcha hai toh ghar pe bula ke dawat do usko, role kyun de rahe ho?”
When someone asked Nawazuddin, what should one do when they are not getting a role even after 10-20 auditions, he said, “Once an actor came to Piyush bhai (Piyush Mishra) and said that he wants to leave acting and Piyush bhai responded, ‘Haan sahi soch raha hai, chala ja.’ That actor was expecting that he would be encouraged and consoled. Kya hai na humein koi sambhalne nahi aayega, humein khud ko hi sambhalna hoga. Humein puri zindagi deni padegi, agar 55 saal mein mil jaye success toh koi buri baat nahin hai.”
It’s a big thing that even if 15 years later, the film found an audience on YouTube-Deepak Dobriyal
8:53 AM
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 15, 2022)
For Deepak Dobriyal, the year 2022 calls for a double celebration. As India commemorates 75 years of independence, the actor completes 15 years in the Hindi film industry. “Bahut special hai mere liye yeh saal,” says Dobriyal, who had donned the uniform in his very first movie, 1971 (2007) — based on the Indo-Pak war of 1971.
Even though it won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, the film didn’t find as many takers at the time. Referring to aggressive promotional strategies adopted by other players in the industry back then, the Angrezi Medium (2020) actor says, “Our film didn’t do all that. Toh uss samay logon ko pata nahin chala.”
However, things have changed today as good content is valued. “It’s a big thing that even if 15 years later, the film found an audience on YouTube. Good content will always find appreciation. If you have done something good and worked hard for it, it will never go to waste,” Dobriyal adds.
Looking back, the 46-year-old is grateful to all those associated with the film for making it what it is. “Manoj (Bajpayee) bhai, Piyush Mishra, Ravi Kishan and all other actors — the way we had to work in tough conditions, in temperature of minus 13 degrees Celsius, there was a lot of josh in all of us.”
While Dobriyal is glad with the way things have shaped up for the industry, there is still something he wants it to be free from — lazy writing. “We need to respect our writers more,” he signs off.
Piyush Mishra’s next is a fact-fiction autobiography
8:16 AM
Deep Saxena (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 27, 2022)
Actor, singer, writer, lyricist — Piyush Mishra dons many hats. Now, he is set to give fans a peek into more facets of his life through his autobiography. Titled Hamlet Kabhi Bombay Nahi Gaya urf Tumhari Aukaat Kya Hai Piyush Mishra, the book has been weaved into a novel, replete with facts and fictional tales.
“People have a lot of interest in the lives of those working in the film industry. Strangely, there are a lot of questions people have about me, which will be answered in my book,” he tells us.
Mishra goes on to explain why he chose this format of writing: “People mostly write only the goody-goody parts [in their autobiographies]. I find it very strange when people come up with superficial things. So, I balanced my autobiography with facts and fiction. It will have slices from my life, and some fiction. What’s the point of just writing about oneself? It will get very boring.”
The 59-year-old, who has written songs and dialogues for several films, including the recently-released Shamshera, says despite changing times and technology, he prefers the pen and paper method of writing.
“I still write longhand. My entire 250-sheet draft has been handwritten. Until and unless I write, cut and re-write, I don’t enjoy the process, though it takes times,” he adds.
On the work front, Mishra has shot for the OTT series Anarchy and will next shoot for the third season of Illegal. “I will be touring Europe with my band, Ballimaaraan, and will restart my play, Wo Ab Bhi Pukarta Hai,” he says.
Cinema kabhi mera passion nahin bana-Piyush Mishra
8:12 AM
Vinay MR Mishra (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 15, 2022)
Actor Piyush Mishra reveals he has been extremely choosy when it comes to picking acting gigs in Bollywood. “I’m earning well, I’m well settled, I’m keeping my friends and family happy. Currently, I’m doing only the things that I want to do — theatre and my band. Cinema se ubb nahin chuka hoon (but) cinema kabhi mera passion nahin bana, bas occupation bana. Live shows are my passion. Cinema is an occupation; paison ka zariya hain,” Mishra explains.
The actor is also a lyricist, but hasn’t penned songs for any Hindi movie after his last stint in Dakxin Chhara’s Sameer (2017). He cites Bollywood’s awkwardness towards his writing as the reason behind his disappearance: “Woh (Bollywood) kehte hain, aap ye kaise gaane likhte hain? So, I use them in my band’s songs. Most of my lyrics are unconventional. Only someone as brave as Anurag Kashyap (filmmaker) can use these songs. Kisi aur mein himmat nahin hain,” Mishra concludes.
Sometimes, my most critically acclaimed pieces of work were watched by all of 10 people-Akshay Oberoi
8:21 AM
With Illegal earning mixed reviews, Akshay Oberoi on the perks and pitfalls of mainstream success and critical acclaim
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; May 19, 2020)
Actor Akshay Oberoi and director Sahir Raza can heave a sigh of relief. Their hard work of the past two years has borne fruit — the audience has been lapping up their latest web series, Illegal. "I never expect my shows to be hits," laughs Oberoi, flashing a streak of self-deprecating humour.Where the Neha Sharma-fronted series has been enjoyed by a section of the audience, it has also been called out for being a soap opera masquerading as a legal drama. Oberoi is unfazed by the criticism as he defends, "More criticism [coming your way] means more people are watching the show. I've been blessed with critical acclaim in the past [Gurgaon, 2017]. This time, I am happy that it has reached a wider audience. Sometimes, my most critically acclaimed pieces of work were watched by all of 10 people."
The series, which traces the young protagonist's journey into the corrupt world of criminal law, has Oberoi playing the son to the successful lawyer JJ, essayed by Piyush Mishra. The actor credits director Raza for helping him get into the skin of his character. "This is my second collaboration with Sahir. Now, I have realised the importance of getting used to your director. It frees [you as an artiste]. When I made a mistake, I wouldn't be judged. That is a safe environment for actors. Sahir briefs you about a scene and then lets you interpret it in your way, which liberates you as an artiste," explains the actor, adding that his homework for the role entailed watching seven seasons of Suits. "Harvey Spectre from Suits was one of the reference points. I studied his look and style, and even adopted his walk subconsciously."
A closer look at the central characters and it is easy to see how they are inspired by real-life personalities. "Of course, we took a few [real-life] references. [Ram] Jethmalani was one of them. [JJ's character] obviously had shades of Arun Jaitley, and other big lawyers of our times," says Raza, adding, "The story is based on several real-life instances, and then, fictionalised for effect."
Ask him about the cast, and Raza maintains that Sharma was perfect for the lead. "Neha was kind enough to audition for the role. After seeing her performance, we were sure she was the only choice." On his part, Oberoi is glad to have shared screen space with veteran actor Mishra. "Mishra sir has a great body of work. It is thrilling to collaborate with him creatively. While I like to go with the flow while enacting a scene, sir doesn't like that. He not only knows his dialogues, but everyone else's lines as well. It was different and refreshing."
The show, originally made in 2018, was finally launched this year on Voot Select. In the two years, Raza agrees that his directorial style has evolved. "I have started six other projects since then and my style of directing has changed too. So yes, I'd like to go back and reshoot so many things. That said, I wouldn't change the storyline. We settled on it after many rounds."
Failing the NSD exam was an eye opener for me-Swanand Kirkire
7:52 AM
When Swanand Kirkire finally got admission in the National School of Drama, he was overwhelmed with the fact that he was going to study in an institute that produced legends
Navneet Vyasan (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 23, 2020)
Born to a family of classical singers, lyricist Swanand Kirkire has tried his hands at almost everything. From writing dialogues to acting and playback singing, his long list of accolades stands testimony to the talent he possesses. “Both my father and mother were classical musicians, but they were not professionals. Back then, it was not easy to become a professional musician. But it was a passion for them,” he says, adding, “But my uncle used to do theatre, and I used to go with him for rehearsals. That’s when I realised that I really liked theatre.”
And this fascination for the stage, in fact, encouraged the National Award winner to apply for the National School of Drama (NSD). “It was a game-changer, and a little difficult for me,” he adds.
Kirkire adds that he got in at his second attempt. “I failed the first exam and it was an eye-opener for me. I was overwhelmed with the fact that I was appearing for an examination for an institute which has produced legends such as Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Shabana Azmi,” he says.
“But after I got in, I was exposed to the world. Coming from Indore (Madhya Pradesh) to Delhi, which is the cultural centre, I got exposed to a lot of things. Delhi has all the embassies, where you get to see films of different languages, theatre in different languages, etc. Then I started working for a group called Act One. This group’s alumni include Manoj Bajpayee, Shoojit Sircar and Piyush Mishra and that was really inspiring,” he adds.
Till date, Kirkire has won two national awards, first being in 2006 for the song Bande Me Tha Dum, from Lage Raho Munna Bhai, and second being for Behti Hawa Sa Tha Who from 3 Idiots (2009).
More on the #MeToo list: Subhash Ghai, Piyush Mishra face the heat
2:15 PM
Subhash Kapoor lands in soup after Aamir Khan distances himself from Mogul
MUMBAI MIRROR (October 12, 2018)
Earlier this week, actress Geetika Tyagi, who had accused Kapoor of sexual assault in 2014, lauded MAMI film festival, which is chaired by Kiran Rao, for dropping films by alleged sexual offenders from its upcoming line-up. She also urged Kiran, and her husband Aamir, to do the right thing.
While Aamir responded to the tweet by stepping down as the co-producer of the biopic, Kapoor issued a statement, saying, “Since the matter (of the assault) is sub judice, I intend to prove my innocence in a court of law.”
Meanwhile, veteran actor-lyricist Piyush Mishra made it to the growing list of alleged offenders when a former journalist accused him of misbehaving with her at a party. When Mirror reached out to Mishra, he said that he didn’t know the lady in question. “Or maybe I’ve seen her around, but I don’t remember her. I have no memory of this incident but if it ever happened, I would like to apologise,” he told Mirror. Later, he issued a statement, saying, “I don’t remember the stated incident as I was probably a few drinks down but nevertheless I would like to extend my apology for making the lady uncomfortable either with my words or actions.”
On Thursday, actress Saloni Chopra named Vikas Bahl, Sajid Khan and Onir’s protégé Zain Durrani as her harassers in a long blog post. At least three more women came forward to level sexual misconduct allegations against Sajid, while an anonymous survivor who identified herself as a former employee of Subhash Ghai, accused the filmmaker of drugging and raping her a few years ago. Ghai put out a statement, saying, “It’s very sad that it’s becoming a trend to malign people by bringing up some stories from the past which don’t have any truth to them… I deny strictly and firmly all false allegation like these. I have always respected every woman in my life and at the workplace… If she (accuser) claims this way, she should go to court of law and prove it.”
Between the girl and punchlines, I prefer the latter-Jimmy Sheirgill
9:01 AM
Deepali Singh (DNA; August 31, 2018)
Up close, you realise that Jimmy Sheirgill has refused to age. “You don’t meet me in real life so often, so you think yeh toh buddha ho gaya hai!” laughs the 47-year-old. He is referring to the characters that he has played in Mukkabaaz (2017) and the recently-released Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3. “The makers tell me, ‘Moochein rakh lo, salt and pepper hair rakh lo, khatarnaak dikho.’ I do all that because the characters are so interesting, you can’t say no to such roles,” he explains, flashing that winsome smile, which charmed audiences in movies such as Maachis (1996) and Mohabbatein (2000).
Jimmy’s glad though that in his latest outing, Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi (HPBJ), he is looking close to how he appears off screen. More than that, he is glad that viewers are loving his character, Bagga, in the comic caper. The dependable actor, who has garnered appreciation for his roles in films such as Haasil (2003), Yahaan (2005) and franchises such as Munna Bhai, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster as well as Tanu Weds Manu, spoke to us about breaking the mould consistently. Excerpts...
What was it about HPBJ that prompted you to reprise your character Bagga?
I’m playing the same character that I did in Happy Bhag Jayegi (2016), so there was not much of an option for me (smiles). In fact, when I did that film, I had not even met Mudassar Aziz. Producer Aanand L Rai told me, ‘There is this director who has an interesting character to offer you.’ That’s how I ended up meeting Mudassar. I like to read scripts first and then listen to the narration to understand the filmmaker’s point of view. He took me through the script and later on, told me that he was narrating comic scenes to me, but I had no expression on my face. I told him that’s the way I am. My mind is too much into the story to laugh. There has to be something really mad in the story to make me smile. I said I’ll do it. I got a nice vibe from him.
Length se toh mujhe kabhi farak padha nahi. If my heart says ‘Do it’, I do it. And I’m glad I said yes because today, he happens to be such a close friend of mine. When he narrated the idea of the second part, I laughed so much! I thought this is the kind of comedy people rarely come up with. There was no buffoonery. The situations and lines left me in splits.
The highlight seems to be the camaraderie between you and Piyush Mishra...
It’s basically the situation and the moment there is a little bit of realism in it, people love it. Like the India-Pak banter in the first was written very well. It’s the same here. The nok jhonk between us was loved by people and we had a great time shooting for it. And when you’re having fun as actors, it translates on screen. For me, these kind of films are a pleasant change from the serious roles I keep doing.
You somehow make the bad guys seem relatable...
Aisa kuch nahi hai. I try to feel a different way for the character that I’m portraying, which is that this guy has to be human, someone who I have seen somewhere in my life. That’s how I prepare myself. The moment you believe in something, whether good or bad, it becomes relatable. When people saw me as this really evil guy in Mukkabaaz, they saw shades of someone they have met. Bahut gaaliyaan padi thi mujhe uske liye because he was such an evil man. I thought, ‘Chalo pehli baar gaaliyan mil rahi hain.’ I took that as a compliment (smiles).
You were part of Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 as well. What do you think went wrong with it?
Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster has its own mysterious, evil world which people enjoy watching. And anyone who comes inside their territory, gets trapped in it. In the third part, we came out of it. But again, it’s a story and director Tigmanshu Dhulia is going to come back because the plot keeps moving ahead. It’s a world he is familiar with.
Whether it’s a good or a bad film, you always seem to come out unscathed in the reviews...
In Bang Bang (2014), I was there in just the opening sequence. I did that film for a friend, director Siddharth Anand. I tend to move easily into any space. I can act in an Anurag Kashyap, Tigmanshu film as easily as a Siddharth Anand’s. I have become accustomed to it. Bang Bang was one of the movies where I got possibly the best reactions and reviews and I was amazed, because it was just one scene! What happens with reviews is that some people have an agenda or a problem, and the actor is unaware about it. In my list, aise log kam hain aur kam hi rahein toh achcha hai (laughs).
You look good and you nearly always deliver solid performances. Many people feel you have not got your due in Bollywood. Your comment…
I take it as a huge compliment. Because they are not saying that he doesn’t deserve to be here or why has this actor been forced into a film.
The word, ‘underrated’ is often used for you...
I never planned my career in a particular way. So, I feel good when people say that there is a space that I have created for myself where filmmakers don’t visualise anyone else. It was a conscious attempt. Kyunki kitne pedon ke aage peeche naach loge? Ped bhi khatam ho jayenge, filmein bhi khatam ho jayengi. You will just have three-four years left to work that way. So, you have to keep doing various things as an actor to make yourself feel alive. If I did a Mukkabaaz, I did a Yahaan, A Wednesday and a Munna Bhai MBBS, too. I keep breaking the mould each time.
You’re a superstar in Punjab...
I do one film in a year there. When I started in 2005 (Yaaran Naal Baharaan), there was no industry. As soon as I saw the reaction to the film — 2,000 people in a hall of 1,200 capacity — I thought this industry could be tapped. So, I decided I will do a film there every year. It was not just about going and shooting there. I would take off for two months, almost knocking on doors, to show that Punjabi films are not bad. My idea was that the box office should be noticed by trade pundits. What started in 2004 finally happened in 2009. That’s the reason they respect me there.
You have also produced Punjabi films earlier. Do you plan to back some movies now?
No, as of now, I’m just focusing on acting. You need to dedicate time and energy for production. I can’t be producing if I’m running from one set to another.
Quite a few Bollywood actors have turned producers. Would you like to back a Hindi film in the future?
If I find an apt movie, whether I’m acting in it or not, I will. But I need to take out time for it.
What’s next?
I will be doing a Punjabi film. Then there is some interesting stuff in the digital space that I will finalise soon.
And lastly, will there ever be a movie where Jimmy Sheirgill walks off with the girl?
Mera funda clear hai. When directors say, 'Sir, ladki le lo ya punchlines aur dialogues', toh main punchlines le leta hoon! (Laughs) Real life mein ladki honi chahiye, bas! That’s enough for me (smiles)
There are no men in spandex with capes in my sci-fi film JL-50 - Abhay Deol
7:49 AM
Abhay Deol on his next, a sci-fi film currently being shot in Kolkata
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 29, 2017)
Abhay Deol who was last seen in Aanand L Rai’s 2016 romcom, Happy Bhag Jayegi, now plays a CBI detective who travels through time and space to solve a mystery
You have been hopping from one genre to the next, why sci-fi now?
Why not? I’ve always loved the genre and I haven’t had the chance to make one yet. They don’t write them often as they usually have high budgets. But high concepts don’t need high costs.
What does the film’s title, JL-50, signify?
It is the number for a passenger aircraft.
So, tell us about JL-50, like James Cameron’s Avatar, is it going to be set in a different world and will it require any special get-ups?
JL-50 is set in this world and my character travels through space/time to solve a mystery that has a life-changing effect on him. There are no light sabers, no men in spandex with capes and no furry creatures. It’s actually about real life and an extraordinary event.
Given that you are an environmentalist, will it have a message to propagate?
A film doesn’t necessarily need a message, some have, some don’t. This film isn’t being made with a message in mind, but I am sure everyone who sees it will get their individual message.
Are you only acting in it or are you also involved in the capacity of a producer?
I am only acting in this one.
Which is your favourite sci-fi film and is there any particular character in it, which is a reference point for you in this film?
Many! Blade Runner, Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the list is long. Hans Solo, Rick Deckard, Marty Mcfly are some great characters from the classics I grew up watching.
Can you point to any one Hindi sci-fi film, which has taken our cinema a notch higher? What kind of benchmarks are you aiming to set in terms of narrative and VFX with your film?
Not in Hindi, but Baahubali comes to mind when you talk of taking things a notch higher currently. From the classics, Mr India is a milestone in our cinema. I’m not aiming for a benchmark, I just hope the filmmakers have good VFX for the parts that require them. The narrative worked really well for me, which is why I said ‘yes’ to the project. After working with the director (Shailender Vyas), I can tell he has an eye for detail, apart from being a good writer, so I’m hoping for the best.
Where is it going to be shot? Are there any Hollywood technicians involved?
We are shooting in Kolkata at the moment. It’s a Canadian production, so it has a significant number of Canadian crew, including the director and the DoP. Piyush Mishra called me and introduced me to the makers. He’s already worked with them and is not only acting in this film, but writing the songs as well. This is my second film with him after Happy Bhag Jayegi, back to back!
Is it about a superhero?
Like I mentioned earlier, no spandex and no capes!
As an actor, what challenges you?
I don’t go out looking for challenges, they find you. I am only looking for simple stories with simple characters. In this market, they seem to be the most complex ones to create or find. In this film, I play a CBI detective on a case that takes him on a journey that has far-reaching consequences.
Tell us about the rest of the cast. Is there a heroine, antagonist or an alien?
It’s not a romantic film so there’s no ‘heroine’. There are good guys and bad guys and joining me for the ride are Piyush Mishra and Pankaj Kapur.
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