Smita Poojary (DNA; July 27, 2019)

Kubbra Sait was filming with Saif Ali Khan for Jawaani Jaaneman in London when we had a chat with her about her latest web series, RejectX. The movie is her second project starring the Baazaar actor — she shot to fame after playing Kuku in Sacred Games, which also starred Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The actress spoke to After Hrs about the experience of working with Saif, her new show, upcoming projects and Kabir Singh director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s slap comment. Excerpts...

What made you sign RejectX?
To begin with, it was director Goldie Behl’s infectious energy and positive spirit towards the project. Working on set in Thailand was the best time I’ve had. It was just a few days but they were amazing.

Tell us something about your character...
Anushka is a counsellor. What I love about the role is that the age-gap between the students and her isn’t much, so it is like two friends talking to each other. While my character tries to help others with their problems, she is personally quite messed up.

How was it working with Sumeet Vyas after Tripling?
This is our third project together. Sometimes it used to be funny as I’d look at him and know he was going to laugh about something. We would both crack up and everybody had to control us for the next 10 minutes. It was great to work with an actor who never forgets that every job he does is different. I love how effortless he is when the cameras roll.

Kuku was a bold character. Do you think the perception of such roles is changing in India?
There are different industries that co-exist. So, just because we do not consume a particular kind of stuff, it does not mean it is bold. But is there a story to the character? As a viewer, does the part move you in any way? If it does, I don’t think I’m doing a bold role or being experimental. I’m just doing my job as an actor and being comfortable with it. This is the time to create such content as the whole world is looking at India. We have so many stories to tell and we should not restrict ourselves.

Are you excited about Sacred Games 2?
More than just an actor in it, I’m a fan of the show. So, I’m waiting for the second season. I want to see what they have done after my death (laughs).

Do you think digital content is taking over films?
No. There is always going to be a universe that exists for experiential viewing. Larger-than-life films are always going to get that audience. You will never want to watch Mad Max, Star Wars, etc. at home but go to a theatre for the experience. The only challenge web series have is creating good content constantly, where people will have an urge to watch the show no matter where they are.

You recently took a dig at Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s slap comment...
I have nothing against the movie being made nor do I have anything against Kabir Singh, the character. I have an issue when the father of the project turns around and justifies slapping each other. The minute you stop differentiating between a character and yourself, we have a problem. More importantly, it may work for you but if you turn around and say this is how it is and if you haven’t experienced this then you have not felt love, then that idea is not working for me.

What can the audience expect from you in 2019?
I am excited about RejectX. I’m pretty thrilled about Jawaani Jaaneman.

How is it working with Saif Ali Khan?
He is a sorted and patient actor. With the kind of experience he has, working with him is like a fun masterclass. It is amazing to see a senior actor like him stay back for the last cue so that his co-actor is comfortable.

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."

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.

Deepali Singh (DNA; November 20, 2016)

The likes of Rajit Kapur, Shernaz Patel, Kumud Mishra, Asrani, Alok Nath and others are going digital. The online medium is youth-oriented and experience brings a refreshing take to this rather clutter-breaking platform. So, imagine our surprise when we saw the otherwise sanskaari babuji Alok Nath go all Sinskaari on us and dole out gyaan on everything from premarital sex to role-play. The series failed to take off, but it made a point.

At this point in their lives, these actors have seen and done it all on their preferred mediums — TV, films and theatre. The internet is a whole different creature. Alok echoes the sentiment. “I think my contemporaries and I are at a stage when we have been there and done that,” he says, “We are at a stage when the kids have grown up and doing their own thing. We want to do stuff now that excites us because we have done so much. We want to do a variety of stuff and if we get that variety on web, why not?”

Medium doesn’t matter

Speaking to this newspaper a couple of days ago, Satish Shah, who is making his debut in a web series based on his popular TV show Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, had said, that "The medium didn’t really matter. I will be working with the same set of actors and same set-up and it will be as good or better than before,” he told us.

Indeed, most actors agree that the platform doesn’t really matter. Acclaimed actor Kumud Mishra, believes that they are here to act, and not to worry about which platform it’s shown on. The actor, who played the role of the lovable father Chinmay Sharma in TVF’s latest web series Tripling, says, “I have liked almost all of TVF’s work. They are new people with interesting ideas and that honesty reflects in their work,” he says, of his reasons for working in the show.

Theatre and film actor Shernaz Patel, who played the role of his wife in the same series, admits that the digital platform is great for people like her who are too scared to commit to television’s huge demands. “Frankly, nobody’s watching television anymore because everyone’s watching web shows. This is the future. Either you embrace it, or you miss out on a wonderful opportunity,” she adds.

Interesting storylines

When Kumud talks of interesting storylines and characters, he isn’t just parading another line. Earlier this year, Permanent Roommates Season 2 saw veteran actor Asrani playing Dadaji and creating mischief in the lead couple’s life and Sachin Pilgaonkar as the grandfather who does not believe in imparting sex education to kids in Y-Films’ Sex Chat with Pappu and Papa.

While Tripling had Shernaz playing a mother, she did not shy away from giving relationship advice to her son. In Y-Films’ Bang Baaja Baaraat, she is shown kissing a much younger Neil Bhoopalam. “I’am lucky that both the shows I did had me playing fun characters, breaking moulds,” she adds.

Youth connect

While the actors agree that they don’t have the target audience in mind when they take up such projects, they admit that it is an added plus that the youth is able to relate to them in these shows. Says Kumud, “In fact, a lot of people have come to know about me because I have been a part of a web series,” he agrees.

Talking about his own experience in Sinskaari, Alok admits he was apprehensive about taking on the show. “Then I thought, it’s a transition to another medium and I should try it. As far as films are concerned, the kind of roles I have been doing all my life have dried up. We get roles in television because the small screen is still in the regressive mode. Oldies are still goldies there. But when it comes to the contemporary content, we are nowhere. So when I got an offer to do a web-series, I latched on to it,” he says.

Perhaps Darshan Jariwala, who played the role of the quirky father in Permanent Roommates Season 2, sums it up when he says, “Nowadays, youngsters want to click a selfie with me, not because I am a National Award winning actor for Gandhi My Father, but because I acted in PR-2!”

Theatre veteran and film writer Akarsh Khurana talks about Tripling, his first web series that's taking over the net
Kusmita Das (MID-DAY; September 25, 2016)

It's the last week of September and the rains show no signs of calming down. But at 7 am, Akarsh Khurana is up and about, headed for a shoot. The fast and furious format of writing a web series leaves him with little time to spare. We catch up with him over the phone as he makes his way to the shoot of his second web series, which he has started working on after the success of Tripling, which he co-wrote with Sumeet Vyas.

"The Internet has taken over, so one needs to align oneself to the format. We needed writing that connects with people. I didn't find it too difficult to get into the space. Even in theatre, we have been doing a lot of urban plays in English that connect with the young audience. And of course, the TVF guys, who have championed the genre, were always there to help. I get calls from Mumbai and Seattle the same day an episode is aired. That's the kind of reach a web series has," says the Akvarious Productions' frontrunner.

Tripling tells the story of three eccentric siblings on a road trip. It was web series poster boy Vyas who got Akarsh on board. "Since he was also going to act in it, he needed someone to write it with. Sumeet and I go back a long way, we have done a lot of theatre together. Also, what made writing this show particularly interesting is that, we also know each other's siblings. I know his sister Shruti very well as he knows my brother, Aadhar. So a lot of life came into play while fleshing out the three protagonists," Akarsh says.

The format might not allow the luxury of an expansive narrative, but at the end of the day, it's about telling a story, Akarsh says. "The limitation of time is something that Sumeet and I imposed on ourselves. We didn't want to go beyond the 15-20 minute space, because you know, attention spans aren't getting any longer."

He adds, "But yes, in keeping with the format, we had to make the episodes tight and leave each one with a hook." They also had to work around brand mechanics. "On a creative level, we don't get involved with that much. Given the story is about a road trip, it was safe to assume that there would be some car brand coming into play. As long as it was not an SUV, it was fine by us, since our protagonist Chanchal is not an SUV guy."

The web series is only a short detour and soon Akarsh will be returning to his comfort zone — theatre. "It's my happy place; I will never let go of theatre. This year we have two plays coming up — one at the Prithvi festival and another, a Hindi play in November, starring Kumud Mishra," he says. He adds, "If you notice, Tripling is full of theatre artists. Theatre is a breeding ground for talent."

Ask him if his father Akash Khurana has watched the show, and he replies, "He and my mum watch it more religiously than I do. I have had elderly people telling me how they watch the show with their friends. It's a welcome break from what they watch on TV, the way we show relationships is how they are in real urban life. Four-letter words as part of the daily lingo is a reality. It also helps them understand the younger generation better."

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 7, 2016)

For an actor-writer whose claim to fame was the growing web-series culture in India, it is understandable that the talented Sumeet Vyas has chosen to play one-half of an urban couple whose life is plagued by the complexities of the tech-world, both professionally and personally.

The Permanent Roommates-star who currently features in Tripling, another web-series by Arunabh Kumar's The Viral Fever (TVF), will next be seen opposite Kalki Koechlin in Rakhee Sandilya's Ribbon, which kicks off at the end of October in Mumbai. Shot entirely in the Bay, the film will release mid-2017. It follows the couple's journey through five crucial years of their life.

"It is a heartfelt portrayal of something which is extremely relevant today. Even though the film offers have been pouring in and my parents have been wondering why I am turning down so much money, I've held my ground. This film felt right. Either I'm extremely intelligent or definitely stupid," laughs Sumeet, fresh out of a workshop, adding that Ribbon is an extremely honest film with a fantastic twist. "There is so much emotional turmoil that an urban couple goes through. The man and wife want to chase their professional dreams, and at the same time, go the conventional way and have kids. It can be tricky," he says.

Over the last decade, he's crossed paths with the "fantastic" Kalki a few times in the world of theatre. The two actors have been rehearsing with their director and crew, contributing to the film's journey. "The prep for Ribbon has no fixed format, so we're all sharing our ideas and discussing the film. It's enriching!" he exults.

Sumeet, whose repertoire boasts of special appearances in films like Sridevi's English Vinglish, Kunal Khemu-starrer Guddu Ki Gun and Ajay Devgn's upcoming production, Parched, admits that despite being an actor for 16 years, it's only during the last three years that he's been recognised and appreciated for his work. "The response to the two seasons of Permanent Roommates was phenomenal and Tripling has been overwhelming to another level. It is endearing and scary too. I have now set the bar pretty high," Sumeet beams.