As the entertainment industry comes under the radar of second wave of Covid-19 crisis, with many shoots stalled and actors indisposed, one is left wondering if the web space would take prominence again like last year and more content would be pushed on OTT platforms. Actor Sumeet Vyas feels even if that happens, as actors, one should be mindful of quality over quantity.

“That is more of the battle and an internal one. There is a lot of stuff being made on the web, so there are more opportunities to work. It’s very tempting that you can do something and then move on to something else. There is variety, and you want to do it all,” he continues, “Now, it is about how do you take breathing space and how you don’t get insecure that it is okay to let some work go by.”

Vyas, who has majorly dabbled with the OTT space with projects such as Permanent Roommates, Tripling, The Verdict and Dark 7 White, admits that even he is fighting the same battle. “The idea is to just breathe, take the time off and not burn yourself out. A lot of people say that I got famous very late in the day, but that was never the goal. I’m not here to work for a few years and go back somewhere. I am here to stay for a long time,” adds the 37-year-old.

With films getting postponed again and the possibility of some opting for a digital route would mean that actors working primarily on OTT would be again competing with Bollywood stars. But, Vyas is not worried about it. “It is not that the shows or movies with stars have [always] done well. It’s quite the opposite, as most shows which have done well have been those which had absolutely no movie stars in them. The so-called A-listers... I don’t know what that means anymore. I don’t think that has borne any fruit, so I don’t see that as a problem,” he concludes.

The two actors talk about their real-life equation
Akash Wadhwa (BOMBAY TIMES; September 13, 2020)

Not many know that actors Sumeet Vyas and Namit Das are not just friends, they are saala and jeeja, too. The two were close buddies before Namit married Sumeet’s sister, Shruti Vyas. In an exclusive conversation with us, they talk about how their dosti has matured over the years. Excerpts...

You began as friends, and now, you share a jeeja-saala relationship. Has your bond changed over the years?
Namit: Well, the bond between us is not like that of a regular saala and jeejaji. We are friends first and family members later. I was friends with Sumeet before I started dating his sister (Shruti).
Sumeet: True, we became friends when we were doing a play together. Namit is also like a son to my parents. In fact, my dad is closer to him than me. More so, because they share the same interest — astrology. Not many people know that Namit has studied astrology and whenever our families meet, he and my dad sit in a corner and talk about the planets and their movements, which none of us are able to understand. And yes, I always seek Namit’s advice in astrology if things are not going great in my life.

Sumeet, did Namit tell you that he was dating your sister?
Sumeet: It was a weird night when Namit broke the news. We were sitting together with another friend of ours, when he told me that he is dating Shruti and that they are serious about the relationship. What they didn’t know then was that I already had an idea about it.
Namit: I didn’t know that he was aware of our relationship. I did not start dating Shruti when I first met her through Sumeet at their house. It was later, in a separate set of events, that we started going out. After 15 days, I told Sumeet that I was dating his sister and was serious about it. He was like my elder brother and a good friend, and he understood the situation.
Sumeet: But let me admit it, I was really scared that night; a lot was going on in my mind — questions like what will happen if things don’t work out between them. But thankfully, all is well.

Are you both critical about each other’s work?
Namit: Absolutely, there is no sugar-coating in our relationship. We are really critical of each other’s work.
Sumeet: We discuss a lot of our work with each other. Namit is also a good singer and I am a great listener. So, whenever he composes something new, he always sends me the scratch first.

Being in the same industry, the two of you haven’t really worked together…
Namit: We have worked together, but that was a long time ago, in a small music video directed by me. I was looking for a ‘sundar ladka’ for my music video, so I requested Sumeet to act in it, which he readily agreed, free of cost (laughs!).
Sumeet: These things happen when they have to. I don’t like mixing work and personal life. I think if we work with each other, things will get messy, and I don’t want that to happen!

The actor wants people to stop gossiping and let the investigations take its course
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 11, 2020)

An unfortunate and melodramatic representation of an ongoing CBI investigation.With their narrative it looks like we don’t need no judiciary or investigating agencies in India. Between news channel’s and WhatsApp groups most cases can be resolved.#pathetic,” actor Sumeet Vyas posted this on Twitter a few days ago, when a dramatised version of Rhea Chakraborty’s interrogation was being aired on a news channel.

Appalled at the media trial and how things unfolded since the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, Vyas says, “The matter is subjudice and the biggest agencies in the country are investigating it. We shouldn’t try to solve the case on WhatsApp or Twitter. It requires expertise and not opinions. I knew Sushant when he came to Mumbai. He is gone now and someone else’s life is at stake too. And neither situation is pleasant. Let’s not make it a conversation over chai-biscuit. Let’s not gossip about the accused or the victim.”

The Permanent Roommates actor, who has made a name for himself in films and on OTT, is also sad that Bollywood’s image is being maligned by accusations and he feels that the film industry has always been a soft target. “It is easier to blame Bollywood for someone smoking, drinking or having any of the vices. In every film or show, we show that good wins over evil and truth triumphs, so if films are blamed for all the wrong deeds, why doesn’t Bollywood get credit for all the good deeds in society? Credit toh dete nahin hai, par aisi taisi karna aa jaate hain,” he says.

Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; June 5, 2020)

Actor-couple Sumeet Vyas and Ekta Kaul became parents of a baby boy on Wednesday. An excited Sumeet told us, “I had decided long ago that if we have a son, we will call him Ved. In fact, Ved Vyas is what I plan to call him.”

Due to COVID-19, the couple took extra precautions during pregnancy. In fact, they even avoided going to a big hospital for the delivery. The actor said, “My aunt has a private maternity nursing home and we knew that she will take extra care. When not busy with surgeries, she even sent us home-cooked food.”

While the couple had taken precautions against Coronavirus, June 3 was also when cyclone Nisarga was predicted to strike Mumbai. Sharing an interesting anecdote, Sumeet said, “When I was born in Jodhpur, the city got flooded after a spell of drought. When Ved entered our lives, he almost brought a toofan along, but, thankfully, we are all good and safe.”
----------------------------
Sumeet Vyas on welcoming son with Ekta Kaul on Wed
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 5, 2020)

On June 3, Sumeet Vyas and Ekta Kaul welcomed their first child. “It’s a boy. Shall be called VED. Mamma and Daddy are acting cliché... smothering the child every few minutes...” the parents announced. Sumeet explains why they shared the news a day later, saying, “It had been a long day and we needed rest. I didn’t want too much buzzing around my baby.”

The couple had previously expressed their desire to have their baby born in the maternity hospital of Sumeet’s aunt and that’s where the delivery took place. “We couldn’t trust a multi-facility hospital at a time like this (referring to the Coronavirus pandemic). It was a normal delivery and both Ekta and Ved are doing fine,” assures Sumeet. The only disappointment is that because of the lockdown, Ekta’s family is in Jammu and Sumeet’s is stuck at home. “Once we return home, we’ll see if they can be brought over to meet the baby, even if only for an hour.”

The proud papa describes fatherhood as an “unmatched feeling”. “You do all those clichéd things that you once laughed at. Humans are so predictable,” he chortles.

Narrating the story behind his son’s name, Sumeet says, “Long ago, one of our relatives was having a child and we were discussing names, when Ved came up and stayed with me. I decided if I have a boy, I’ll name him Ved. Since we come from the line of Ved Vyas, it makes sense,” he relays, hopeful to be back home in the next three days.

Sumeet Vyas on the appeal of podcasts, as Nidhi Singh and the actor, present season 3 of Permanent Roommates as audio series
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; March 24, 2020)

Reinventing a much-loved show can be a boon or a bane. But Sumeet Vyas and Nidhi Singh — aka Mikesh and Tanya of Permanent Roommates — are willing to take the gamble as they present the third season of the romantic comedy as a podcast on Audible Suno.

Vyas admits that they had hit a roadblock on how to take Mikesh and Tanya's love story forward, and a shift in the medium is probably just what the doctor ordered. "We had already done two seasons of Permanent Roommates, and similar content was available on the web. So, we were apprehensive of doing another season [fearing that] it would become one of the many things that are available out there. So, when [the idea of presenting it in an audio format] came about, we were excited to take the story forward." The leads aside, the 20-episode series will have the supporting cast lend a voice to their parts.

Oddly enough, Vyas who occasionally doubles up as a scriptwriter for TVF, stayed away from the process this time around. "They probably thought I wasn't capable enough," he jokes, before adding, "Both Nidhi and I were consulted after the script was written because we had spent much more time with the characters compared to the new writers who came on board."

It must be a novel experience for Singh to trade her place in front of the camera for one behind the mic. She weighs the pros and cons of both mediums as she says, "Even if it is a half-hour shoot, several things come into play — the make-up, costume and hair are an important part of making a show. But here, we had to enter a dubbing room and become Tanya and Mikesh. It was a new experience because Sumeet and I had never dubbed together. We were able to play off each other's energies."

While Vyas has previously done radio commercials, Singh considers herself a rookie in the dubbing world and admits it took her a while to find her feet. "[Initially], I had technical problems like standing too close to the mic, and at other times, too far from it. Also, I would often break into laughter because the material was so funny."

Vyas has his own reasons for developing an affinity for podcasts — no room for vanity. "I was happy to not dress up, for a change. I could just walk in, in my shorts and flip-flops, and start dubbing for the role. You are expected to look a certain way [during shoot]. Here, I was free from being vain." His quick-witted co-star doesn't let the opportunity to pull his leg slide by. "In real life, he is pretty much like that — the laidback guy in shorts. [But when it comes to a shoot], Sumeet is the heroine on the set," she laughs.

Podcasts have become increasingly popular in the past few years. Vyas and Singh may be mighty excited to try their hand at the audio medium, but as artistes who know the charm of the visual medium all too well, it begs the obvious question — can the audio medium have as much impact as its visual counterpart? "Listening to audio is like reading a book. When you read a book, you add your own imagination to it — you visualise mountains or a house; you imagine the people [being mentioned] and how they look. So, that visualisation is unique to you. Here too, each listener will have a unique visual for what they hear. That is the USP of this medium," concludes Vyas.

Tripling writer-actor Sumeet Vyas joins co-stars Maanvi Gagroo and Amol Parashar to decode the journey of season 2
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; April 30, 2019)

Ask any writer and he will tell you that while scripting the first season of a show is usually organic, the second outing proves to be the litmus test. In that regard, TVF Tripling shines bright — the recently dropped second season, which has Sumeet Vyas, Maanvi Gagroo and Amol Parashar play the squabbling Sharma siblings, has been widely appreciated.

Vyas, who doubles up as an actor and screenplay writer for the slice-of-life comedy, says the team spent a considerable time developing the material. "We took almost a year to develop the script as Akarsh [Khurana, co-writer] and I were busy with our individual projects. In fact, we were shooting for a film together, and told our director [Sameer Saxena] that we will crack the script during that time. Luckily, there was no haste to finish, and we didn't want to write for the sake of finishing it. TVF and Sameer were patient enough to let the idea breathe," he explains.

If Vyas's Chandan and Gagroo's Chanchal found their feet in the first instalment, the latest edition belongs to Parashar whose character Chitvan matures from a fun-loving youngster to a responsible father figure. "The idea was never to bank on the same kind of craziness. It may be easier, but it wouldn't hold in the long run; it limits you. Spirit-wise, the character has remained the same," explains Parashar.

As much a travelogue as it is a family drama, Vyas says the locations play a pivotal role in the narrative. "We borrowed a little bit of culture from every city we visited and incorporated that into the story. That was a wholesome way to utilise each location."

Gagroo, on her part, is ecstatic that the show enabled her to tick off a few destinations from her travel list. Having shot across Kolkata, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Sikkim, it is the north-eastern state that has her heart. "It was the first time I was visiting Sikkim. It was cold and beautiful, and the food was delicious," she gushes, before Parashar good-naturedly cuts in, "It was so cold, I couldn't get out of the blanket."

Their travel diaries are filled with anecdotes that range from sweet to bizarre. Ask them if a city wasn't agreeable to them, and Parashar is quick to respond, "Maanvi had a problem that her hotel room in Kolkata was too big. How does one empathise with that?" Feigning hurt, Gagroo defends her stance, "It was a vintage hotel with high ceilings and huge rooms. I get scared alone at night. My rooms have to be the right size. This happened right after the Ahmedabad stay where we all were cribbing about how the rooms were too small."

Their easy banter shows how the three actors have evolved from being co-stars to friends. "During the first season, we were only concerned about finding our characters. Thankfully, the stress points were gone by this season," smiles Parashar.

Abhimanyu Mishra (BOMBAY TIMES; October 19, 2018)

Sumeet Vyas has been in showbiz for 18 years, written and directed plays, done some radio and TV (Rehna Hai Tere Palkon Ke Chhaon Mein, Chandragupta Maurya, Stories by Rabindranath Tagore) and got his breakthrough in Hindi films with English Vinglish. The actor spoke us to about his upcoming projects, his career goals and much more. Excerpts...

Going by your filmography, you seem to have done a bit of everything. Has it been a conscious decision?
Now it is a conscious decision. When I started, I was primarily doing theatre and ads and TV shows just to earn some extra money. But it was only when I got my first prominent role in Rehna Hai Teri Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein in 2009 that I realised television was a bigger medium, and I could earn a lot more. But by the time the show ended, I had decided not to do any more television shows because I was getting too comfortable. I was not satisfied with the kind of work that was happening there. So I decided to take a different path and that’s when the struggle began. I did a lot of small roles that hardly gave me visibility in films. But it was web shows that got me recognition. And once I got that recognition, I was in a position to choose the kind of content that I wanted to do.

Days of struggle, when seen in hindsight, make for great stories. But it also takes a toll on one’s personal life...
I come from a lower middle-class family, so my parents never had big expectations from me. They were happy that I was earning enough to sustain myself. But I was very sure that making a lot of money could never be the goal in my life because if it happens, one can never do the kind of work that gives one satisfaction. I never wanted to be in that zone. I wanted to be in a place where I chose to be.

Isn’t it difficult to accept that the days of struggle continue even after putting in so many years of hard work?
I would be lying if I said that it doesn’t matter to me. But I was clear in my head, as to what I wanted really badly. And if it’s good content that gives satisfaction, then one must let go of fame, popularity, money and stardom. On days when I see others doing well, I keep talking to myself to calm myself down. I take long showers, where I just tell myself that I must keep going at it, if I want to be satisfied with my job. And I might sound humble, but I am very arrogant in my head. I don’t want to be anyone, I just want to be me.

On the threshold of his impending nuptials and with the success of Veere Di Wedding behind him, Sumeet Vyas talks about how it feels to be taken seriously, the pressures of juggling between movies and the web
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 19, 2018)

Though his big breakthrough moment was in English Vinglish (2012), Sumeet Vyas has had a tough road to success in the movies. Digitally, he became a star long before Netflix and Amazon entered the Indian market with their glossy shows. The awkward, boy-next-door in TVF's Permanent Roommates (2014) created for him a steady fan base, but it was eventually this year's Veere Di Wedding, which catapulted him into the big league, making everyone take notice of him. We met up with Vyas at a quaint Andheri cafe.

There was a flurry of quick hellos as he bumped into a few industry folks. Vicky Kaushal (who was having coffee at the next table) walked up to him to say he is a big fan. Not many know that Kaushal's delightful Netflix movie — Love Per Square Foot was written by Vyas. Ask him if the success of Veere Di Wedding changed the game for him, he says, "In a good way, yes, things are different. I won't say it changed my life, but it added to the roles I was being offered. Once there is a successful film, people take you more seriously. People are less afraid to put their money on me now."

In an earlier chat, Sumeet had mentioned that writing is his forte and acting is his passion. The latter has now taken a front foot in his life, he says. "I always wanted to act, but writing was working better for me. I am choosy about the roles I do, which leaves me with a lot of forced free time. Rather than gymming, I prefer to use the time productively and channel my energy in the right direction. A few things I wrote did well, which helped me establish myself as a writer."

But lamentably for fans, his writing work has taken a backseat. "In the last year and a half, acting has taken centre stage. But I am back to writing the second season of Tripling. It is hard to please TVF, they are tough taskmasters."

It was assumed that the popular shows of TVF had taken a backseat when the company's public image took a hit following the scandal around CEO Arunabh Kumar, (Kumar was accused of sexual harassment by multiple female colleagues in March 2017). "It wasn't organically working out till it did. We were not actively trying to distance ourselves. Writing a good concept takes time. We took almost a year to finish scripting for the season two. During my travel to the North East, I had a lot of free time in between hiking and biking to think about fresh concepts."

The digital content is being mapped differently since the release of Sacred Games. As one of the few who stepped into the arena back in 2015 with Bang Baaja Baaraat, which he had co-written with Anand Tiwari, Vyas says it's easy to take the pressure and rush into content just to capitalise on recall value. "I won't deny that it has faintly crossed our minds. Kahin log humein bhul na jaye… But Tripling's season two piqued curiosity among fans. This is a 'David versus Goliath' situation. We might not have the financial power to push our shows, but we do everything from the heart, which will have a lasting effect. If something doesn't work, it simply means we couldn't connect with people, not because they found an alternative. That would be a myopic and insecure way of looking at things," insists Vyas.

The challenge that Vyas faces nowadays is to maintain a balance between movies and web; being an actor and writer. "Last year I didn't shoot for anything on the web, just movies. This year I am consciously working on the web. It's worrying when similar roles come my way. I don't want to replicate what I am already known for. I want to be far removed from the boy next door and gullible characters. I am playing a grey character in It's Not That Simple [also stars Swara Bhasker], which sees me as a shrewd businessman. I find him fascinating. It is in my comfort zone to crack a few jokes and be the funny man, but I need to exhibit my range if I have to stay in this world for long." Is movie writing next on cards? "After Bang Baaja Baaraat I wanted to write, and there were concepts, but I can't do it in the formula they want in the stipulated time they expect. I can't write for money. I act for it. I write stories because that's what I love to do."

Personally, life is looking better for Vyas. All set to tie the knot with telly actor Ekta Kaul in Jammu next month, he says there is a sense of blissful contentment. "We actually met six years ago when we were shooting for a pilot of a television show which never took off. I met her again on a show I was hosting, where she was a contestant. We kept in touch. I called her for a play few months later; I just wanted to impress her [laughs]. I don't have one-liners, just the straightforward approach worked. At the core of it, she is ambitious, kind and her values are intact. I love that she isn't filmy. Sadly, films are all I used to talk about, my friends and family are from this industry. I discovered the art of conversation with her. We don't discuss common people we know or criticise projects that aren't good enough. She became the home I could come back to and disconnect from work. I love that we both are desi. It was a moment of sheer astonishment when she said she likes me too. That's love, it requires no logic and no reason."

Moving on after a failed marriage [to Shivani Tanksale] wasn't an easy task for the English Vinglish actor. "We were intelligent people, who knew after a point, that we can't make each other happy. In the effort to sustain a marriage, we were losing out a friendship. I moved out of the house and lived alone for the first time in my life. The bad days were terrible — I had a drinking phase for seven months. It wasn't easy for Ekta, because I wasn't fully present in the first few months of our relationship. My guard was up. Writing kept me going. Anything I experience is a story waiting to be told. It's a blessing as an artiste, but the person is killed a stab at a time."

Sumeet Vyas and Ekta Kaul will tie the knot in Jammu on September 15
Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; August 6, 2018)

Actor Sumeet Vyas’ reel bride played by Kareena Kapoor Khan in Veere Di Wedding may have taken longer to take the plunge, but his real bride, TV actress Ekta Kaul has said ‘yes’ to his proposal and the two are getting married on September 15. The wedding will take place in Jammu and will be a traditional celebration with only family and close friends in attendance.

Sumeet, who was shooting in Bengaluru, confirmed the news with BT. “Ekta is a beautiful person. I decided to pop the question a few days ago and slipped a ring on her finger before she could change her mind! I am glad she loved it and has accepted my proposal. Unfortunately, I got the size of the ring wrong, which can be expected from a guy like me,” he quipped and added, “My family really adores Ekta. When we met her folks in Jammu, we were floored by their love and hospitality. We were like, let’s not try to compete with them. We are planning a warm and intimate wedding ceremony.”

When we spoke to Ekta, she sounded ecstatic about having found her soulmate. She said, “Marrying the man you love is a great feeling, but tying the knot with your crush is an achievement. I am happy that I am marrying Sumeet. Actually, before slipping the ring, he had come to Jammu to speak to my parents and then he proposed marriage to me. I don’t know why he felt I would not say ‘yes’ immediately. I will never say no to him.”

Says Ekta, “Sumeet is a good human being. He never loses his temper and never gives up. He is a hard-working guy and that is also one of the things that attracted me to him.”

Sumeet had earlier spoken about how he plans to take the relationship forward, one step at a time. He shares, “Ekta is not pretentious and she speaks her mind. She is honest and that is good and sometimes a bit taxing (smiles), but for most part, it is the best. I have never been so poetically in love before. We really care about each other and she has a lot of love to give. At first, I didn’t know how to receive it… I couldn’t believe that I was worthy of so much love. It’s only with time that I have realised that it’s for real and one day, I might be able to convince myself that I genuinely deserve all this love and care. Ekta has this innocence and that’s the most endearing part about her. I can’t believe when she says she has a crush on me because she is herself so pretty.”

Since both Ekta and Sumeet are actors, they are looking forward to working with each other soon. Sumeet says, “I would love to work with her if there is a good script.” Ekta adds, “I will continue to work after marriage. Now, I have a partner who is well-versed with the craft, so it would be even better to work with him in the future.”

On a parting note, Ekta says, “Marriage is a partnership. Both partners have to work hard to sustain it. You are not doing things just for yourself. You are doing thing for the other person and your marriage.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; June 11, 2018)

He had a small role in the female buddy film Veere Di Wedding (VDW), but Sumeet Vyas, who played Kareena Kapoor Khan’s boyfriend, had all the girls in the audience eating out of his palm. As the sweet and supportive Rishabh, he was the perfect foil to the hyper and confused Kalindi (Kareena). And, his understated performance has won him a lot of acclaim.

“The response so far has been overwhelming. From the time I read the story, I knew it would be a fun film to be a part of. I was also excited about working with Shashanka Ghosh, and of course, with Kareena, who is one of the biggest superstars in the country,” enthuses Sumeet, who is best known for his web series Permanent Roommates and Tripling.

‘I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS’
Since he is an established actor on the digital platform, wasn’t he apprehensive about being lost in a female-centric film?  He replies, “I knew what I was getting into. It’s not just about the four girls; every character has a crucial role. But I was a little nervous because there were a lot of songs and dances in the film — I haven’t done a lot of lip-syncing and dancing. It was nerve-racking dancing with the likes of Kareena and Sonam (K Ahuja). I secretly rehearsed for a good two-three days before I went on the floor so that I don’t make a fool of myself.”

Ask him about the cute chemistry he shares with Kareena in the film and he says the credit goes to her. “The first day of the shoot with Kareena was fascinating. I hadn’t met her before the shoot because she was travelling. We didn’t have time to rehearse or get acquainted with each other. Shashanka just introduced us and asked us to shoot. The brief was — we have been dating each other for three years. He told me to hold her by her waist and I was like, ‘How can I do that in the first meeting with her!’ A huge credit goes to Kareena because she made sure I was comfortable,” gushes Sumeet, who feels both he and Kareena come from the same school of acting. He shares that she is extremely professional, comes on the sets and performs. “She is not interested in gossiping or fooling around. Even I am like that, I don’t like to joke around,” he says.

ROLE CALL
Now that VDW has done well at the box office, Sumeet is hoping it will translate into some good work in Bollywood. “Sometimes, you have a big part in a film, you put your heart and soul into it but it doesn’t do well, then it sort of becomes irrelevant. I am glad VDW is doing so well. When everybody sees your work, it creates more opportunities and gives more confidence to people who want to consider you for their film,” he says candidly.

Sumeet, however, is clear that he does not want to repeat the kind of roles he has already done. No more playing the cute and funny guy anymore! “It gets boring after a point. I want to experiment and explore different genres. I want to do a thriller and experiment with slightly grey characters because for an actor they are a lot of fun,” he smiles adding that he is a huge fan of Hollywood actor Javier Bardem. “I love his work in No Country for Old Men and Casino Royale. He pulls it off so well. He almost makes you sympathise with him even while playing a negative character,” he says.

TAKING A BREATHER
Sumeet will next be seen in the second season of the web series It’s Not That Simple. He is also scripting the second season of Tripling, which will start by the end of this year. Other than that, the actor is listening to scripts. “Many filmmakers want to cast me in a role similar to VDW, but I am done with it. I am taking a breather. Playing a sweet person with a sense of humour is closer to my personality and I want to do something that is far removed from me,” he explains.

JAB THEY MET
Last but not least, the actor was recently in the news for his relationship with TV actress Ekta Kaul. Any plans of taking it to the next level? “Not anytime soon. Right now, we are seeing each other, let’s see how it goes.” Would he work with her if an offer came to him? “I would love to. In fact, we did a pilot episode of a TV show long back, but that never took off. That’s how I met her for the first time, but after that, we lost touch. Last year, we met again and kept bumping into each other (and started dating),” he signs off.

Sumeet Vyas on how his first film with A-listers helped him let go of pre-conceived notions
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 4, 2018)

Fifteen years ago, Sumeet Vyas, then a theatre actor and budding writer, had walked into an almost empty theatre in Mumbai to watch Shashanka Ghosh’s directorial debut, Waisa Bhi Hota Hai II. He was so taken up by the crime-comedy that he went back the next day to watch it again. “I didn’t know who the director was, but was amazed to see someone new dare to attempt a one-of-its-kind whacky comedy. I remember telling myself, ‘I’d like to meet this man someday’,” the actor reminisces.

Cut to 2017, Sumeet’s meeting with Shashanka was as curious as his early introduction to the filmmaker’s work. “I knew that I was being considered for a part in Shashanka’s next, Veere Di Wedding, but I’d not been given the complete script. The rest of the cast had already started their fittings when I was finally told that I’d be meeting him,” Sumeet narrates, adding, “And when I did, he started talking about my character right off the bat. I hadn’t even read the script yet. He was stumped and asked me why I’d agreed to do the film. I told him that I was a fan of his work and he laughed. He asked me to trust him with a great part and start shooting.”

So, without reading the script, Sumeet took on the role of Kareena Kapoor’s love interest in the film. “Shashanka is the most non-filmi person I have ever met. I wanted to work with him because I thought he was crazy,” he laughs.

The wedding-comedy, which also features Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania in central roles, was shot in Delhi, Mumbai and Phuket. “The cast is fantastic but I was really surprised to see everyone being treated equally on set. As an outsider, I had come on board with my own set of prejudices about films with big stars. For me, this was a full-fledged commercial project. I don’t consider myself a star so the inclusive environment on the Veere Di Wedding set felt like a great equaliser,” Sumeet explains. But the shoot wasn’t without hardships. “Kareena is a superstar but very professional and great to work with. I was dancing for the first time, that too alongside her and Sonam, so I was scared,” he adds.

After writing the comedy series Bang Baaja Baraat and romcom Love Per Square Foot for Anand Tiwari, Sumeet wants to get out of his comfort zone by writing and directing a dark film. “I am working on a slightly darker subject with a psychotic protagonist. The idea is to surprise the audience. Writing is my passion and I don’t make money off it, so I like to take my time with it,” he admits.

Like with writing, Sumeet has plans to reinvent his on-screen image too with the Phantom Films production, High Jack, an Akarsh Khurana directorial in which he plays a DJ. “Akarsh and I have known each other since our theatre days and he’d shared this script with me around four years ago. The makers were keen to cast a renowned actor for the part at the time and I was supposed to just give feedback on the script. I remember laughing out loud while reading it and telling Akarsh that the film would be a riot,” he recalls. After Sumeet shot to fame with the shows Permanent Roommates and Tripling, Akarsh offered him the lead role.

For prep, Sumeet worked closely with electronic music producer Nucleya, who has composed three tracks for the film, and attended a rave party to observe revellers. “The film is a big psychedelic mess with rookie high-jackers, drugs on a plane and everybody tripping mid-air. It was an exhilarating experience to step away from seedha-saadha guy roles,” Sumeet says.

Ahead of his appearance on the digital show, The Story, actor-writer Sumeet Vyas says he’s eager to pen scripts that are “not ordinary”
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; April 3, 2018)

Apart from delivering some power-packed performances, Sumeet Vyas has penned several scripts for the web. Vyas will share a few interesting highlights of his life on Zee5’s web show, The Story, which sees celebrities narrate and enact events from their life. But Vyas insists that this wouldn’t be the first time incidents from his life will play out on screen. A writer, he says, weaves such occurring into almost every script he pens. In an interview with mid-day, he talks about working on the next season of Tripling, and how the web space is finally being acknowledged by bigwigs of the film industry.

What inspired you to narrate incidents from your life?
As a scriptwriter, I’ve penned several scenes for reel, ones that were inspired from my life. But few know that they were derived from real-life events. When I got an opportunity to enact scenes for a show that talks about my life, I was interested. When people know that part of the story being depicted is true, they tend to be more interested in the film. It was tough to zero in on the story that I wanted to narrate because depicting certain events of my life may be illegal [laughs]. But, you can never tell a real story without garnishing it. The challenge was to keep from dramatising it so much that the truth is lost. It was an interesting process.

With an increase in the film offers coming your way, will we see less of you on the web?
I’m writing the second season of TVF Tripling (2016). CEOgiri, the show I star in, is already airing. Today, if you are doing a web show, it’s not frowned upon. Initially, when Permanent Roommates, one of my first successful web outings released, people accepted it. But I felt a certain amount of resistance from the film and TV industries in acknowledging this medium. Today, everyone is participating in it. Filmmakers cannot ensure their film is successful by buying all the screens. The web offers freedom, it’s a democratic medium.

What, according to you, defines a web show’s success?
People gauge success by the number of views it has received, but I don’t believe in this method. Nowadays, TRPs can be boosted by a tech-savvy person. But, when people send you personal messages and positive responses on social media or in person, you get a sense of the number of viewers watching your show.

What, according to you, has been your best written work?
I enjoyed writing Tripling. The experience was surreal and overwhelming. Now, I want to attempt a genre that explores what’s not ordinary. Maybe a psychotic thriller or an action drama. I want to explore the Black Swan in me.

Tripling garnered mixed reactions. What kind of feedback did you receive?
People said that the climax didn’t meet their expectations. It was a conscious decision to have an unconventional ending.

What can we expect in season 2?
It’s a secret [laughs]. Season 2 will be a road trip across select Indian cities. We are trying to include cultural influences in the story.

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; August 31, 2017)

At a time when Indian video-streaming portals began to gain popularity among the masses, Permanent Roommates actor Sumeet Vyas was touted as the Shah Rukh Khan of the web world. Three years after making his acting debut on the web, Vyas will feature in the Bollywood film, Veere Di Wedding, which sees him in the role of Kareena Kapoor Khan’s love interest.

Vyas admits that at the time, he wasn’t aware of who he was auditioning for, but inferred it involved big names, given the privacy the studio maintained during the screening process. “When I got a call for the audition, neither the co-stars nor the production house was named. I guessed that it would involve big names, because, in smaller projects, details are often revealed,” he laughs.

A long wait following the audition led him to believe his selection stood on flimsy grounds, but Vyas admits that the day he got the call was a special one. “From not having an idea about who the director was, to learning that it was such a huge film with big stars was a relief. I said, ‘Okay, I have made it.’”

Vyas, who is currently shooting for the web adventure show, Stupid Man Smart Phone, has dabbled in theatre and TV, previously featured in small roles in English Vinglish (2012), Guddu Ki Gun (2015) and Parched (2016). Veerey Di Wedding is a big-ticket outing, but the actor is unfazed by the scale. “As an actor, you move from one project to another, hoping your last fetches you the next. I avoid putting too much burden on one project. You do your best and stay excited about every project; if it turns out to be big, well and good. Then, say, thank you,” he says, adding that he has already met director Shashanka Ghosh and co-star Swara Bhaskar to discuss the film.

Sumeet Vyas, the writer and actor who shot to fame with the web series, Permanent Roommates, on his first Bollywood lead role
Benita Fernando (MID-DAY; November 6, 2016)

Right hand, middle finger. Follow Sumeet Vyas closely on any of the web series he has acted in — Permanent Roommates, Official Chukyagiri or Tripling — and a stolid gold ring flashes there. It is not an exceptional piece of male jewellery; in fact, it’s as common as they come. A square block set with nine precious stones.

“None of my directors have ever objected to it, so it stayed on. My father gifted it to me in the eighth standard — to help me focus in life,” says Vyas. He then pushes the ring halfway through his finger and continues, “My finger changed shape through my growing years because I have hardly removed the ring since. But, I am loyal like that. Whether it’s this ring or friends or even just the flower-seller near the temple — once I find something that works for me, I keep it for life.”

Vyas is narrating this, seated in a vanity van parked inside a residential complex in Thakur Village, Kandivli East. We have caught him during a break from the shoot for Ribbon, which brings the 33-year-old actor — known widely as the poster-boy of indie web series — into his first Bollywood lead role. Directed by Rakhee Sandilya, the film takes a closer look at a young urban couple grappling with the modern definitions of husband and wife. Vyas describes his character — a civil engineer by profession — as “a regular guy raised in a middle-class family who has moved up the ladder and married someone he loved.”

“There is a part of him that is mildly chauvinistic and another that it fighting it. It’s like this — he is sharing equal responsibilities with his wife and that makes him feel that he is doing something special,” explains Vyas.

One of us
Which is why Vyas’ account of his ring should come as no surprise, really, if you consider the roles he has played or scripted. Whether as the well-meaning yet slow-witted Mikesh Choudhary in The Viral Fever’s (TVF) Permanent Roommates or as the heartbroken and frustrated Chandan in Tripling (which he also co- wrote with Akarsh Khurana) and now as the new-age husband and father in Ribbon, Vyas has inevitably come to depict characters that the average Mumbaikar can effortlessly identify with.

It could be that we have seen these boys, boyfriends and bosses around us. “These characters are relevant and relatable as most of us working in big cities have come from small towns,” he says, unhesitatingly bringing up the time when he was dining at a restaurant in a swish five-star in the early 2000s. He was nearing his 20s and was part of Nadira Babbar’s theatre-group, Ekjute, back then. “It was going well until I began struggling with the cutlery. Then, Nadiraji said, ‘Haath se khaalo’. I had difficulty believing it,” he says.

However, Vyas infuses these characters with a lightness of being; they will brawl with Mumbai’s infamous brokers, go through ugly break-ups and deal with the challenges of fatherhood, but never give in to angsty monologues.

Breaking away
However, Vyas is also keen on breaking the mould that he has so intentionally created. He admits he is tired of playing “nice-guy” parts and in search of a Scarface or an Agneepath (the 1990 one, that is); his new Bollywood lead role will see him in a more serious vein, unlike the lovable duffer Mikesh.

“I get bored of playing the same character and someone who is close to who I am. I am not at all like Mikesh in real life (I hope!), which is why it was fun playing him. I am not the docile man from Choker Bali. It is important that I keep breaking any image of myself that I create. That way, I think I’ll a longer shelf-life as an artiste and audiences will ask: Now what is he going to be? Because what gets people interested in an actor is the mystery,” he elaborates.

Vyas has previously acted in Bollywood films English Vinglish and, more recently, Parched. He says that Sandilya brings the flavour of a documentary to the film. He and co-star Kalki Koechlin have been workshopped and taken through emotional graphs for the film, but dialogues are improvised on shoot. If you liked Before Sunrise or Blue Valentine, Vyas says, Ribbon will be right up your alley.

As scriptwriter for Ronnie Screwvala’s indie film, and with another lead role opposite Swara Bhaskar lined up, Vyas has been inevitably hearing the many “Welcome to Bollywood” congratulatory notes recently. ‘You have arrived’ is a common strain as well. But, for anyone who thinks web series are a step below mainstream Bollywood, Vyas recalls the budget TVF spent on each episode of Permanent Roommates — nearly Rs 35 lakhs. Or just meet the fans, streaming those episodes on their mobile phones, right next to you on the local.

Sumeet Vyas and Nidhi Singh, lead actors of one of the highest-rated web series, trace their journey from small-town oblivion to global recognition
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 2, 2016)

Imagine a couple who were in a long distance relationship for three years, chose to skip a few face-offs and moved in together, got married and almost had a baby, all at the speed of Barry Allen racing through Star City in The Flash. Urban India will immediately picturise Mikesh and Tanya from The Viral Fever's (TVF) Permanent Roommates.

Directed by Sameer Saxena, the web series has aired successfully for two seasons with a third scheduled for 2017. Launched and created by TVF founder Arunabh Kumar, the show kicked off in 2014 and is currently the second most-watched long-form web series in the world, after Video Game High School. With 38 million views over two seasons, each episode boasting of a minimum of one million views, it is among IMDb's top 20 highest-rated shows of all time. But roomies, Sumeet Vyas, 33, and Nidhi Singh, 29, are still grounded despite all the sudden attention.

Born in Jodhpur, Sumeet moved to Mumbai when he was four years old. He dropped out of school before his 12th standard and started working at an editing studio, a job his writerfather, BM Vyas, got him. By the time he was 17, he was a pro at editing shorts, editing a few episodes for the soap Rishtey and cutting promos for music and countdown shows. "Then I saw my dad act for the first time. It was in play staged at Prithvi Theatre and I was so inspired that I decided right then that I wanted to become an actor," Sumeet reminisces.

Now, apart from being the face of the web series, he's also in Anurag Basu's series on Rabindranath Tagore, playing a leading role in Chokerbali. He's also written the mini-series Bang Baaja Baraat and done a lot of television. "I made a lot of money but playing an aadarsh beta in a saas-bahu saga made me sick. I did it to buy a house and a car but it was like working in a bank and I got fed up and quit," he reminisces, adding that he'd been a part of Nadira Babbar's theatre group, Ekjut, for six years where he met and fell in love with an aspiring actress, Shivani Tanksale, who has done special appearances in films like Shaitan, Inkaar and Happy Ending. They are married now and last month the couple was signed on to play a married couple in an ad for a leading dairy manufacturer, which has since gone viral too.

Acting is his bread and butter but he admits that for the first season of Permanent Roommates he got peanuts. "I got more money in Season 2 and when I was given a separate vanity van, I realised the perks of being a star," he laughs.

While Sumeet's fans invariably expect him to be funny and he sometimes cracks a lame joke so they are not disappointed, Nidhi's fans expect her to be serious and sober, like her on-screen avatar. "But I'm a lot like Mikesh in real life!" she acknowledges.

Born in Guwahati, she moved to Allahabad when she was two and then shifted to Mumbai when she was 16 to study BMM. At 22, she decided she'd like to be an ad-guru and went to work at a leading advertising agency. Two years into the job, she got an opportunity to freelance as an assistant director in films and simultaneously began to pursue theatre. "I was unsure about what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be till the acting bug bit me," she reveals, adding that she had to go through several rounds of auditions before she signed her first commercial.

A year later, I auditioned for a show being created by Arunabh (Kumar, TVF) for MTV and a few months later, landed a role in TVF's first original web series - Permanent Roommates. "My parents had their inhibitions about me entering the business of cinema but now they are very supportive," she says.

Sumeet confides that his parents who live in Jodhpur would wonder why youngsters wanted to click selfies with him when he isn't even a popular face on TV. "It took me a while to explain to them that I appeared on a dedicated online channel but by then the show had moved to a mobile app and that was incomprehensible to them," he laughs.

Is the sudden rise in followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat exciting or intimidating, you wonder, and Nidhi, speaking from Barcelona where she's on a break, asserts that they are enjoying the adulation. Sumeet is quick to add that he doesn't think he's all that popular. "Being fangirled in cities is fun, but it's far more exciting when people in smaller towns recognize you. That's when I know I'm doing great work," he adds.

However, a lot has changed in the last four years with the TVF office moving from a shoe-box sized room in Aram Nagar to a sprawling office in Andheri East with separate cabins for the creators. "But Arunabh and his team still work from out of one of the smaller rooms. They have no ego, no starry tantrums. The more you work with them, the more you are in sync with their thought process and realise that the more money you can make, the better the work you can do," says Sumeet, who is beginning another web series that kicks off in Manali, and is also in the Leena Yadav film, Parched, which has been the toast of the festival circuit.

So what's coming up in Season 3? "Our writer Biswapati Sarkar, best known as 'Arnub' on Frankly Speaking with Arnub, is presently writing a feature film after which he will start on the second season of the another hit TVF original web series, Pitchers. So we are still wondering where Mikesh and Tanya are going next, but wherever it is it'll be somewhere interesting for sure," he promises.