Ashish Bisht just can’t stop grinning. He gushes about his debut, Shab , even after the questions are over, but no one can blame him. The young actor plays Azfar, a small-town boy who moves to the big city of Delhi to kick-start his modelling career. “Striving to fit into the industry, Azfar loses his innocence and honesty, and pretends to be something that he is not”, explains the 29-year-old.
A model himself, Bisht would take up jobs on-and-off in event management to fund his passion for theatre while he worked with Asmita Theatre Group in Delhi. It was around then that one of Bisht’s friends had told him Onir was holding auditions for I Am . Though that did not work out, Bisht remained passionate about becoming an actor in Bollywood. “Since I had met Onir, I thought I’d make him remember and notice me, so I added him on Facebook,” says Bisht. Soon the actor moved to Mumbai in search of film projects, and through those trying times, he sought guidance from Onir. “I had even told sir that I didn’t like his films!” he laughs. The honesty only amused the director, who pushed Bisht to watch diverse films.
A different world
“I was very sure that I wanted to work in more commercial ventures, but Onir urged me to watch award-winning films [from] national and international cinema,” says Bisht. Gradually, the actor felt he enjoyed a much wider range of films as Onir’s practice helped develop his vocabulary to understand various kinds of cinema. “I re-watched Onir’s films and was quite honestly mind-blown!” he exclaims.
With auditions for Shab approaching, Onir told Bisht to take a shot. “At the time,” Bisht explains, “I felt I was very weak in the kind of acting he demanded – a performance of subtle, real and deep emotions. I auditioned anyway and put in my best.” Despite Bisht’s experience being in ad films, Onir found in Bisht’s performance a certain honesty and innocence that he was looking for to play Azfar. “After landing the role, I kept asking him if he was sure I could do it, because I didn’t think I could,” shares the actor.
Learning on the job
Bisht ensured his doubts translated into efforts on his part as he undertook numerous acting workshops conducted by actors like Adil Hussein and Tannishtha Chatterjee. His learning, however, continued on the sets of the film. Describing working with Raveena Tandon as a newcomer, Bisht says, “I hadn’t done workshops with her as I had with Arpita [Pal], so I was extremely nervous. That happened to work out for me as my first scene with her required me to be anxious.” In contrast, Tandon ensured that she put her co-star at ease and told Bisht to simply react to her for their scenes together. “It really helped in giving the scenes a natural and real tone”, explains Bisht. The actor says that he learnt from co-star Wendy Glenn, an English TV and film actor. “Wendy has a unique style. I observed her not talking to anyone before a scene was shot, so asked her why she does that. To prepare,” Bisht explains, “she imagines what must have transpired to the characters right before the scene we were going to shoot. This helped her refine her performance.”
Currently shooting for Onir’s next film Veda , Bisht says finding work wasn’t easy but he’s taken the hardships positively. “That taught me a lot when I want to tap into emotions as an actor,” he maintains. “The struggle was a necessary part of my journey and made me stronger not only as a person, but as an actor as well.” Now Bisht finds himself waking up and just wanting to work. “It’s this city,” he says smiling.
Bisht still can’t believe his first film will soon hit the screens. “When the shooting for Shab ended, I became extremely emotional,” the actor says in a sombre tone far removed from his earlier chirpiness. “I don’t cry easily, but I did because I was overwhelmed with joy. I went and hugged Onir sir and thanked him for giving me a chance in films.”
The actor hopes to make films like Aamir Khan someday. “Aamir sir’s films are an amalgamation of everything from comedy to drama to satire. I want to make films like that, where the audience can carry a social message home at the end,” he asserts with a smile.
