Even as Betaal is widely panned on social media, Viineet Kumar is proud to have explored the untapped subject
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; May 28, 2020)

One expected a worthy thriller from Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment and Blumhouse Productions, Hollywood's go-to studio for horror outings. However, Betaal, which dropped online earlier this week, was yet another disappointment from Netflix India. The thriller has been mercilessly trolled on social media as much for its wafer-thin plot as for its unintentional comedy.

Leading man Viineet Kumar though is unfazed by the criticism. "I have become thick-skinned over the years. I have seen so much during [my stint in the industry] that trolls barely affect me," he says.

In telling the story of a counter-insurgency squad that has to battle an 'undead' East India Company officer and his battalion of zombie redcoats, the four-part series hoped to introduce the country to zombie thrillers, a popular genre in the West. Kumar defends the makers for treading a lesser-taken path. "The idea was to try something that had never been done before. It's one of the first Indian series that [combines elements of] thriller, action, zombies and horror. I knew it is not an [audience]-friendly genre. But it was a risk I took. When you experiment, a backlash is expected."

Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 22, 2019)

Actor Viineet Kumar has been working continuously. “Yes, I haven’t had time off since August, 2018,” says the actor, who has shot for seven projects over the last one year. So, the Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012) actor had recently flown to Goa for a mini vacation with his sister. “After shooting for the Hindi remake of Thiruttu Payale 2, I headed to Goa. It was my sister’s birthday and we had a small celebration there. The last few days of the shoot drained me completely as I couldn’t get enough sleep. I was mentally exhausted as well,” he says.

The vacation proved to be therapeutic for the actor. He shares, “I wanted to go to the mountains because they are very peaceful. But I had to listen to my sister. I spent my time at the beaches of Goa, watching sunsets and gazing at the starry skies at night.”

He further adds, “For the past year, I had been working on Bard Of Blood, Aadhaar, Saand Ki Aankh, Tryst With Destiny, Betaal, Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl, and the Hindi remake of Thiruttu Payale 2. And so, I wanted to slow down the momentum, contemplate on life and prepare myself for the road ahead.”

Viineet says that the vacation was a stress buster for him, as some characters that he played took an emotional toll on him. “After playing certain characters, you feel completely drained. A break helps one maintain their sanity and helps strike a balance between personal and professional lives,” says the Gold (2018) actor.

He, however, wishes he could’ve extended his stay in Goa a while longer. “Soon, I started getting calls and I had to go back to reading scripts. I don’t know when leisure turned into business. After Mukkabaaz (2017), I was reading scripts for six months without taking any break. I wanted to experiment with my films and characters and I ended up committing myself to too many projects. So, leaving one character behind and moving on to the next became a taxing process,” he signs off.

BOMBAY TIMES (December 9, 2019)

Actress Urvashi Rautela, who was recently seen in Anees Bazmee’s Pagalpanti, is happy about the latest development in her career. She has been signed on for the official Hindi remake of the Tamil superhit, Thiruttu Payale 2 (2017). The film will be directed by Susi Ganeshan, who had helmed the original as well.

Urvashi, who had been reading scripts post Pagalpanti, says that she instantly connected with her character — that of a simple, girl-next-door from Varanasi.

The movie will see her in a de-glam avatar for the first time. She says, “I have worked in most genres, including comedy, thriller and romance, but I have never explored a character like this. I was looking for good content and I fell in love with the story. People will definitely get to see me in a new avatar and I am really excited about this film.”

The yet-to-be-titled movie will see her sharing screen space with Viineet Kumar Singh and Akshay Oberoi, among others. With this, Urvashi is hopeful that she will be able to prove her mettle as a performer.

Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 26, 2019)

Actor Viineet Kumar who is shooting for his upcoming yet untitled film in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, seems to be having an amazing time between shots. Sometime back, he was spotted playing cricket with college students in the city of nawabs. And recently, he did something sweet for the crew of his film.

He reveals that he is fond of cooking and he is especially good at making a special kind of tea. He says, “When I was studying in medical college, my batch mates and seniors were very fond of the tea that I would make.” The Saand Ki Aankh actor adds, “I used to make tea at home. Then there would be days when I would tell my mother I would want to cook something for the family. I thoroughly enjoy being in the kitchen.”

So what’s so special about the signature beverage? “I make it with a lot of love. When you make or cook something for someone with a lot of heart, it tastes delicious. I can gauge the taste of the tea that I’m making just by looking at its colour. I revisited the good old days and it was quite refreshing for me to make my special tea for the crew. And what was even more amazing was to see how the crew loved it. Mere chai mein abhi bhi woh baat hai!” he says with a laugh.

Dhaval Mehta (DNA; October 5, 2019)

Viineet Kumar made a foray into Bollywood in January last year with Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkabaaz. However, one cannot consider him a newbie because he has been around for almost two decades. The actor, though, emphasises that his innings only began in the first month of 2018. “For 14 years, I was writing Mukkabaaz and it released in my 18th year. So, I’ve been slogging it out for 19 years. But I only consider myself 18 months old in the industry. I’ve used all that experience in my acting,” says the actor-writer. Now, the tide has turned as he has Saand Ki Aankh (SKA), Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl and Aadhaar lined up. “Mukkabaaz is one film that has given me 10 years of my life back,” says Viineet, as he talks about the six releases in the next seven months.

Tell us about your character in Saand Ki Aankh?
I play the role of Dr Yashpal, who belongs to the profession of shooting. He returns to and wants to contribute to his village in some way. He knew that Daadis (Chandro Tomar and Prakashi Tomar) had this talent and if they are trained well, something good could happen. If not for my character, Daadis couldn’t have won their first medal. So, it is a pivotal part. Also, I am happy the trailer has been appreciated.

But it also faced flak for casting Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar as older characters...
Honestly, I read the script and was only concerned with what I was doing in the film. Casting is not my domain. It is the prerogative of the filmmaker. Even in the past, we have seen many actors portray older characters and they have been appreciated. This issue can be good for debate and many people can have different takes on it.

How much does it help as an actor to work with different personalities like Anurag Kashyap, Akshay Kumar, Reema Kagti and Tushar Hiranandani?
As an actor, it was important for me to work with different directors. Most people were under the impression that I only work with Anurag sir. I’ve learnt a lot from him and become a better actor. I try to fulfil the expectation of my director. It is good to collaborate with different directors and I am also getting repeated for their next projects.

How was it filming for the Bard Of Blood?
It was great but the weather was difficult in Ladakh as the temperatures were in the range of -8 degrees and -12 degrees centigrade from 4 degrees. We have grown up watching the works of Shah Rukh (Khan) saab and learned so much from him. It was nice working with Emraan (Hashmi), Jaideep (Ahlawat), Sobhita (Dhulipala) and Kirti (Kulhari).

You have spoken about struggling to get all this work. How did you deal with it and did you have a backup plan?
During difficult times, my father used to say, ‘Haariyon ne himmat, bigadiyo ne Hari naam’, which means never give up and always believe in the power of God. And I was not even given the opportunity to show my talent then how could I give up? I believed whenever I'd get a chance, I’d prove my mettle.

How important is screen presence vis-a-vis character while choosing a project?
I’m not afraid to experiment with my roles. When I choose a film, I’m concerned with the script, director, producer and what I am doing in the project. A good director can make an average script magical as it is their medium. I come with all my preparation but follow the script and director. It’s the filmmaker’s prerogative how he utilises me.

Co-star Viineet Kumar backs casting of Taapsee, Bhumi as 60-year-olds in Saand Ki Aankh
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; October 4, 2019)

Even as select veteran actors, including Neena Gupta, had questioned the decision of the makers of Saand Ki Aankh to rope in young female actors for the role of 60-year-old sharp shooters Chandro and Prakshi Tomar, cast member Viineet Kumar Singh says the trend isn’t new in cinema.

“There have been many films that had young actors portraying older characters. Saaransh [Anupam Kher], Lamhe [Anil Kapoor] and Lincoln [Daniel Day-Lewis], are a few of them. All of these actors were appreciated. I’d urge people to make a judgement after watching the film, instead of harbouring any pre-conceived notions,” says Singh, who slips into the role of a coach to the shooters, played by Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar.

Singh, who’s last release Bard Of Blood has received mixed reviews, says he has been receiving praise for his small but vital act of a RAW intelligence officer sent on a covert mission to Balochistan, in the Netflix offering. “I was looking forward to doing something on a streaming platform for a while. With this offering, I could see that my character, Veer, had something important [to offer].”

For Singh, green-lighting a Shah Rukh Khan production was also nostalgic. He recalls how as a participant of a reality show 17 years ago, he had received praise from Khan for his “zabardaast” act. “So, doing this show felt like an achievement.”

Singh has the Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Gunjan Saxena biopic, and another Netflix show, Betaal, in the pipeline.

Viineet Kumar on looking for roles with scope to perform and playing mentor to Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar in upcoming sports biopic
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 26, 2019)

Viineet Kumar, who featured as a boxer in Mukkabaaz and a hockey player in Gold, is gearing up for his third sporting encounter. In Tushar Hiranandani’s directorial debut Saand Ki Aankh, the actor will be seen as Dr Yashpal, who guides the two sharpshooter protagonists towards bullseye.

The actor asserts that the story, based on the lives of Chandro and Prakashi Tomar, the world’s oldest women sharpshooters, from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, is an important one to tell. “I believe no-one should be denied their rights, on the basis of gender or otherwise,” he says, adding that his character in the film, which is headlined by Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar, “has gone beyond the village and seen the world. When he discovers the two women’s shooting skills, he decides to teach them without thinking of the consequences.”

Even though the story is set in his home state, it was a new experience for the actor who is from Varanasi. “The way people from Baghpat talk, their lingo, their lehza, is different. You can do a line or two without much difficulty, but you can’t do a whole film if you haven’t learnt and practiced it,” Viineet explains.

As part of his prep, he also met the real-life Revolver Dadis, as the Tomars are known, and other professional shooters. As for the reel Dadis, the actor says, “From the time we started working on the film, I had a great time working with Taapsee, Bhumi and even Prakash ji (Jha, co-star). And as a director, Tushar is very clear about what he wants.”

Since he assisted Mahesh Manjrekar on films like Viruddh and Deh before turning his focus to acting, is direction on the cards? “No such plans for now,” he insists, adding that he is hungry for good roles with scope to perform. “I’m lucky to have people that experiment with me. Filmmakers not only trust me to deliver, but they are also coming back to work with me,” Viineet concludes.

Mukkabaaz fame Viineet makes a case for OTT platforms as he debuts with Bard Of Blood
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 26, 2019)

“All my life, I have wanted to adopt Mr Bachchan’s gait. After the trailer released, someone told me that there’s such intensity in my scenes that they were reminded of Bachchan saab. That’s the best compliment,” gushes Viineet Kumar Singh. The actor, who shot to fame with his boxer act in Mukkabaaz last year, has another promising project in Bard Of Blood. The Netflix show has him play a spy who is sent on a rescue mission to Balochistan.

Describing his character Veer Singh as “a shape-shifter”, the actor says it took him a while to internalise the unpredictable nature of his part. “Veer is shrewd and unpredictable. For this character, I had to understand a spy’s state of mind. I was provided with reading material for that. Veer’s language is integral — he sounds like a local and has been functioning covertly in the region [Balochistan]. So, I had to learn a particular dialect of Pashto for the show.”

The thriller, which stars Emraan Hashmi, marks his foray into the digital space. Pointing out that the OTT platform offers a wider reach, Singh adds, “It’s my chance to showcase my work to audience in 190 countries. I am here because of my love for acting. From Benaras to Mumbai, my journey has been to pursue my passion. People talk so much about how OTT is different from movies, but honestly, it isn’t. It’s shot with the same vigour. The best thing is that the medium allows an actor to delve deeper into his part and have a larger character arc.”