'Jitendra Pratap Singh (his character in Vedaa) believes in the divisive politics of society and that is more dangerous than the regular goons.'
Abhishek Banerjee began his acting career a decade ago while he was still juggling inner workings of the film industry as a casting director.
While acting was always Plan A, the casting job was a result of his pragmatic mind.
In 2015, he established Casting Bay, a joint enterprise with his friend Anmol Ahuja that cast actors for films, ads and Web shows.
Plan A, however, was never stowed away.
Starting with small opportunities, Abhishek transformed into a versatile actor, weaving effortlessly between comedy and drama, and proving his talent in both comedy (Stree, Bhediya, Dream Girl) as well as eccentric characters (Ajji, Paatal Lok, Apurva).
It marks an exciting point in time in Abhishek's career as he gears up for the release of Stree 2 and Vedaa, both arriving this Independence Day.
"To be in two movies which are polar opposite from each other, from two much loved genres, and to play pivotal parts in both the films, what more can an outsider want?" Abhishek asks Mayur Sanap/Rediff.com.
The first of a multi-part interview:
It must be a surreal feeling to have two releases on the same day. What's the excitement like?
Yeah, it just shows that outsiders also have a space in the industry. I think it puts the debate to rest.
As a casting director, I have always told youngsters never to lose hope and find ways to get wherever you want to get.
It's very exciting for somebody who belongs to a middle class, government job family, coming from Kharagpur to Delhi, and dreaming that he will become an actor in Mumbai.
To be in two movies which are polar opposite from each other, from two much loved genres, and to play pivotal parts in both the films, what more can an outsider want?
You are the OG character of the Maddock Supernatural Universe, which keeps occurring in different films. How do you make sure you are not bored of playing the same role again?
(Stree Director) Amar Kaushik has to make sure of that.
I'm never going to be bored playing a character which is written so nicely.
Yeah, if it was just another story and just another sequel, I would have been bored. But this is a fun universe to be a part of.
It's just not comedy, right? It also has this awesome fantasy element to it.
It is like every actor's dream to be a part of this magical world, first Stree, then Bhediya and now Sarkata in Stree 2.
The challenges and the supernatural beings you are up against are so exciting. That's exactly why it is very exciting for me to play Jana (his character's name).
During Apurva, you said the biggest challenge was to casually play a dark character. Do you think your villain in Vedaa is one step further in this regard?
Oh, he is 10 steps further. Jitendra Pratap Singh (his character in Vedaa) is somebody who can eat 10 Sukhas (Apurva character) alive.
He's like the oppressor of society.
He believes in the divisive politics of society and that is more dangerous than the regular goons.
Until today, I have always played the guy who is taking the action. But with Vedaa, I will be the guy who empowers these guys to take those actions.
He is like the boss man of all the villains I've played so far.
Are you disheartened that the Censor Board chopped off certain scenes in Vedaa? Do you think it takes away creative freedom of our films?
I honestly don't understand the board rules.
The board is very particular about certain things which might cause unrest in society. The Vedaa team is very happy that the cuts are actually very minimal. They're letting us talk about the topic.
The revising committee head, who watched the film told Nikkhil (Advani, Director) sir that this is a very important film for India. For them, to acknowledge that is a big win.
It is funny, weird and surprising that in a country like India, we do not have mainstream commercial movies that talk about the divisive system of caste in our country. It is a bigger problem than a divisive religion.
The division of caste is everywhere, in every state, in every street.
I'm happy that a film like Vedaa, which is not a preachy film, has this storyline of caste politics, and it is getting this wide release.
Did you enjoy doing action in Vedaa? How did John Abraham react to your scenes?
He is a sweetheart, yaar. On the first day of the shoot, he came to me and said you're doing good and we will make a very good film.
He was basically pumping me up. It was like having a coach.
Although he's playing Sharvari's coach in the film, off-camera, he was my coach through the film.
During the action scenes, he would give me that confidence by saying, 'Hit me, don't worry about it.'
Of course, I don't have the power to cause him any damage (Laughs).
