Ashish Verma has had a great 2021 with some stellar performances in back-to-back releases like Helmet, Atrangi Re, The Whistleblower and Unpaused: Naya Safar. He has been getting rave reviews for his performances and become a known face in the OTT circuit.
In an exclusive interview with PeepingMoon.com, Ashish talks about sharing screen space with Dhanush, working with Aanand L Rai, collaborating with Saqib Saleem and Sam Mohan in Unpaused: Naya Safar and the OTT boom that has become a boon for actors and storytellers.
Excerpts from the interview:
How was it sharing screen space with Dhanush and Sara in Atrangi Re and Aanand Rai?
Dhanush is one of the finest actors we have today in Indian cinema and working with Aanand L Rai sir was a dream come true. With Dhanush, since he is such a fine actor you just need to react around him and your job is done. I just used to see him perform and learn so much from him. With Aanand Sir, I always wanted to work with him, he was on my bucket list and when I got a call from Himanshu Sharma and Mukesh Chhabra, it was like ‘arey waah finally,’ but till the time I did not meet him face-to-face I did not believe it that I am working in Atrangi Re. Aanand Sir is like the head of the family and he makes you so comfortable that you can express yourself to the fullest.
Your character in Atrangi Re was instrumental and integral in driving the plot, did you do any sort of homework to play a psychiatrist before taking on the role?
Not exactly because the script itself was so explanatory and all I had to do was to spend time with Aanand sir and Himanshu and kept on understanding the role. So my thing was just sitting with Aanand sir, sitting with him and understanding and reading the script again and again.
Your character Madhusudan brought a new dimension to how we generally see therapists and psychiatrists in cinema, so was it already there in the script or you also came up with some inputs?
Everything was already there in the script but when an actor approaches a role he also adds on to it. My personality was also reflected in the character of Madhusudan. How I became Madhusudan and how Madhusudan becomes Ashish so it’s always vice-versa. It was a very collaborative process but mostly everything was already there on paper.
What is your take on the mixed reactions received by Atrangi Re?
Everyone has an opinion which is fair enough. I feel that if someone is making a film and touching upon the topic of mental illness at such a vast level is really commendable and most of the reviews coming my way have been very pleasant. The film has had a lot of reach and the fact that the talks have started is automatically a victory in itself. So to get the talk started at such a mass level, when someone is making a film which started the topic of mental illness apart from the fact that it is a love story but touches the issue of mental illness, I feel it is very commendable.
Your character in Unpaused: Naya Safar is starkly different than your previous outings. What was the premise behind it? How did you prepare for the role?
Unpaused is directed by my batchmate from FTII Pune, Ruchir Arun. So we both know each other extremely well so when the script came, we had multiple reading sessions where both of us gave our suggestions so it was a very highly collaborative process. Me, Saqib and Sam we were shooting in that remote cement factory for 16-20 hours a day so after a point we became one with the face. There was so much dust in that place that we were literally trapped in that place just like our story.
How was your experience working with Saqib Saleem and Sam Mohan in Unpaused?
Sam Mohan is again a junior from FTII. With Saqib we always fell short of collaborating so it was very nice when we finally came together. It was a very nice give-and-take situation and that chemistry got made instantaneously amongst us and that comes out in the short film. Every one of us work for the scene nobody works for themselves, so that is extremely nice.
You’ve been doing great work on OTT which has got you the due recognition as well. What do you have to say about this OTT boom?
OTT boom is a very good time for actors. There was only two mediums before-films and TV but now with OTT we’re competing at a global level so the standard of content has become way better than what it was before. Secondly, for actors it is such a good space to be in because now you’ve about 8-10 episodes to tell a story, so all the characters are very well fleshed out and all of them have a journey and in a way every character is a protagonist, a lot of ensembles are being made so it is a great space for actors to work.
What are your future projects? Could you share some deets?
I’ve been reading a lot of scripts but nothing has been finalised. But there is a show by Homi Adajania which is yet untitled, I can’t reveal a lot about it as the makers have not come out with an official confirmation till now but it’s an ensemble and I will be sharing screen space with Dimple Kapadia.
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