Angad Bedi loves to pursue excellence. There’s an ease with which he talks about how far he has come. The actor was last seen on the big screen playing Janhvi Kapoor’s elder brother in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020), and quite recently was part of a short film, The List, co-starring Kirti Kulhari. With R. Balki’s forthcoming sports drama Ghoomer, which also stars Abhishek Bachchan and Saiyami Kher, in his kitty, the actor has a packed schedule to adhere to. He makes time for a quick chat as he discusses all the learnings and experiences he’s been gathering. The actor made his debut back in 2004 with Sashi Kumar’s Kaya Taran, which was an adaptation of Vanmarangal Veezhumpol, a Malayalam short story by N.S. Madhavan. It was set against the backdrop of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and Angad was praised for his natural performance. His true-blue recognition came with the film Pink (2016), where he played a negative character. Here too, he won plaudits for his realistic portrayal of a hot-headed brat. He mentions that Pink kind of resurrected his career, “I was really challenged as an actor in Pink, and that also gave me back my career.
That film put me on the map. And because of that film, I am still part of the film business. So, yeah, that will always be close to my heart,”he observes. His profile is interesting because of the variety of genres he’s been juggling recently. He reveals that feeling discomfort while doing something out of the box is what truly fuels his passion for acting. He doesn’t want to settle, he wants to be pushed to the brink of doing something he isn’t expected to deliver. “I’m trying to be as diverse an actor as possible. In a space where I’m leaning towards romance, I’m leaning towards comedy, and I’m leaning towards drama. I’ve done some intense work, which has given me a lot of benefits and prolonged my journey in the business. But I also want to pursue roles that will both challenge and excite me as an actor.”
Challenges are part and parcel of being an actor. He speaks openly about the one constant prejudice he has to deal with. He shares, “I just feel like the biggest challenge that I face in casting is that when people think of me, they think of me in just one way. I would like to change that. Inside Edge helped change that and my future projects will surely help me achieve that.” He believes it’s all about breaking the mould and gives credit to producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, who approached him for the short film, The List, which helped him explore new horizons as an actor.
“The List required me to not have a personality. It required me to not even have a name. It was just a he and a she, and the hardest part was not having a single dialogue for the first 13 minutes and keeping the audience’s attention. So I’m glad that I got that call from Siddharth Roy Kapur himself saying that you should consider it because it will help you break the mould. So, yeah, moving forward, I am leaning towards different genres.” Having just finished an absurd comedy like The List, he speaks at length about the mime workshops he had to undergo to truly comprehend the narrative. Director Gaurav Dave made him see the film through a fresh lens, and every aspect of the storyline mattered. The acceptance of the short film has only boosted his confidence in pushing the envelope.
Every actor has his or her own process to snap in and out of characters. Commenting on the same, Angad says, “I try to get into the skin of the role in the first 15 days itself and before that in workshops. Then you have to attach and detach things. I do detach because it is important and it refreshes me. Sometimes less effort is required and it’s more challenging for me because when the camera is on and you’re performing, every actor tends to do a little bit more than required. The challenge is to do less than required and be as smooth as possible.”
Other than exploring different genres, he also believes in approaching any subject for a film from the audience’s perspective. Speaking of what kinds of stories draw him in, he shares, “I am a person who has to be excited the minute the film begins, even as a viewer.
So I think from the audience’s perspective before I say yes to a project because the audience eventually has to like it. I am pretty commercial in my head. Our country is the mass belt, which loves to be excited, and loves to be entertained.
Coming to Ghoomer, one of his most ambitious projects yet with R. Balki, Angad speaks passionately about being mentored by an ace filmmaker like him. “He’s a phenomenal filmmaker. Acting for him is always about how the other person is going to react. And I’d never done romance. He’s made me go through that journey, and it’s beautiful because it was something new for me.” He’s also doing Balki’s Lust Stories 2 - Made for Each Other and promises that the viewers are going to see him in a different avatar in this one too. And will also be reportedly seen in Tiger 3. He was also said to be part of the Hindi adaptation of the hard-hitting Malayalam film, The Great Indian Kitchen, though he denies the involvement.
On a more personal note, the party hound actor has been domesticated and tamed by marriage and fatherhood. No more wild nights for him. Nowadays his world revolves around daddy duties. He’s a hands-on dad and doesn’t flinch from changing diapers if need be. He says his world revolves around his little munchkins, daughter Mehr and son Guriq. He understands the nature of his job, and his wife, actress and anchor Neha Dhupia, has work obligations that require them to travel more frequently than necessary. He says, “Now is the time when we can spend the most time with them because this is a time when they have time. Tomorrow they’ll grow up, they’ll have their wings, they’ll fly, they’ll make new friends, and those friends will become priority. So I just feel like this is the most precious time to be there for them.” Speaking on the impact that parenthood might have had on the kind of films he wishes to be a part of, he reiterates that it has made him a much better actor today. On the contrary, he is also steadfast in his belief when he says that it cannot influence his career choice. “Working on films that revolutionise my growth as an actor and being a family man are two different things that are equally important to me, and I believe in balancing them out,” he states.
In a fun twist of events, Neha, who was travelling with him during this over the phone interview says hi to me and reveals she loved her husband in Pink. “I love Pink. I like him in Inside Edge and can’t wait to see him in Ghoomer,” she adds, before telling me to go on with my interview and excuse her eavesdropping. As he reaches his destination, another dubbing session awaits him, and he signs off. He’s off to conquer new horizons, with Neha supporting him every inch of the way.
Loading Next Article...
SHOW COMMENTS