Dribbling past the odds
Those who have watched “Ugly” can’t miss the presence of Vineet Kumar Singh in the psychological thriller. As Chaitanya Mishra, the chameleonic casting director, he becomes the leitmotif of the film: how low one can stoop to realise one’s objectives. Vineet did small roles – “City of Gold” and “Gangs of Wasseypur” and was the central character Vijay in Anurag Kashyap’s segment “Murabba” in “Bombay Talkies” but it is “Ugly” that has established him in public conscience. The scene where Chaitanya and his friend Rahul abuse each other has become quite a hit on the social media and the police station scene is being applauded for its crazy spontaneity highlighting the weird apathy of the police. “The 14-minute police station scene was okayed in one take. Anurag didn’t give the script to anybody. Like the audience it was only towards the end that we realised who was the real culprit.”
He has already been nominated for the Best Supporting Actor in Screen Awards but Vineet’s story has been the tale of a quintessential struggler. Hailing from Benaras, Vineet was a national level basketball player in junior category but had a keen interest in impersonating the people around him. “Benaras is the best place if you are looking for characters,” says Vineet as he rewinds to the days when every night he would enact random people he met during the day in front of his siblings. “With my height coming in the way of my basketball career, I drifted towards acting.”
But the problem was that he was the son of noted mathematician Shivram Singh, who was unable to understand the passion of his son. “He knew I was stubborn but he saw my inclination as a bad influence to my younger brother and sister.” Vineet had to put his dream on the backburner and started preparing for medical exams. “I cleared CPMT and joined the Ayurveda course. But when I was doing my post graduation in Nagpur, my sister sent me a mail that a channel is conducting a talent show for aspiring actors. I saw it as my chance to realise my dream. I won the contest and in the finale Mahesh Manjrekar was the judge. He asked me to join him and I thought that I had arrived.”
But it was the beginning of his decade long struggle. He assisted Manjrekar on seven films but could not become part of them. “I was losing hope and it was becoming difficult to pay my bills. I spent my internship money. My sister broke her policy to support me. After a point I started accepting whatever came my way. I played father to people much older to me, I played ghost in random serials. Along the way I packed the dreams of many strugglers like me. They were as good but were forced to give up because of difficult circumstances. I could not say that I am a doctor because the moment I would say that people would start sermonising about wasting time. It was something I ran away from.”
Ultimately, Manjrekar gave him a chance in “City of Gold”. The film sank without a trace but it gave him something to show to Anurag Kashyap, who comes from the same region as Vineet. “He asked me what took him 10 years to meet him. I said I had no formal training and nothing to show. He would not have noticed him and I didn’t want to use local influence.” He cast him as Danish Khan in “Gangs of Wasseypur” but made him listen to a song which describes the character as a matchstick. “I was 75 kgs then and had to reduce 15 kilos in three months because Anurag wanted my ribs to show.” Age doesn’t trouble him. “When he made up my mind that I am here for a long haul I also realised that my body is my tool to express. So I have invested a lot on it. Now I can easily lose and gain weight according to the role.”
“Ugly” has opened the doors for him. “I am getting calls from some big names. Right now I am doing “Aur Devdas” with Sudhir Mishra and “Bombay Diaries” opposite Raima Sen.”
Meanwhile, he puts his medical knowledge to use on his friends and crew members. “Usually, I am the first person they come to in discomfort. I provide the first aid and since my specialisation is in ophthalmology if I find something serious I ask them to see the specialist.” Though he has found acceptance at home, Vineet’s dream is to see his father and mother attending the premiere of his film.
Eyes don’t lie
His rasping voice continues to haunt long after the lights turn on in the theatre. Such is the impact of Anil George. One of the finds of 2014, Anil impressed with his life-like performances in “Miss Lovely” and “Mardaani”. But on phone the harshness of his baritone is missing. “I create it sometimes for the character,” he says it as plainly as he plays his characters. Somebody who grew up playing characters of Bible in his middle-class Chandigarh neighbourhood, Anil is a force to reckon with on the theatre circuit. First noticed in the adaptation of William Dalrymple’s “City of Djinns”, Anil is often applauded for playing the middle-aged Ghalib in Sayeed Alam’s play. “But filmmakers seldom thought of me. I did bit roles on television and after a long struggle was content to be on stage when one day somebody knocked at my door asking to audition for “Miss Lovely”.”
Anil saw it as disrespect to his talent and said he was busy with plays. But then director Ashim Ahluwalia persisted and decided to wait for him. It was a role that was pitched to Irrfan but he could not do it because of dates. “We were on the same page. His script was really something that has not been attempted before. However, he saw Vicky as a rather ruthless character. I brought different emotions to him. Ashim was not agreeable in the beginning but when he saw the rushes he realised what I was hinting at.I try to create the background of the characters I play. So even if Vakeel has few scenes in ‘Mardaani’ you won’t find his motivations jarring. But not all directors in Hindi films are as accommodative of supporting actors as Ashim and Pradeep Sarkar. Many want to act according to the camera. I feel it is cameraman’s job to shift according to the actor because if the actor becomes conscious of the equipment’s presence for even one-hundredth of a second he will come out of the character.”
New to the glamour world, Anil says he told Aditya Chopra during the party of “Mardaani” that he has done another film called “Miss Lovely”. “And he replied Anil I cast you after watching it. It is a strange industry. It takes years to open the doors and when it does, it treats you like royalty. Bejoy Nambiar wanted to cast me in “Wazir” but I was busy with Mohit Suri’s next in Cape Town.
Cut to 2012 when Anil was watching Nawazuddin Siddiqui in “Kahaani” with his family. “My daughter asked that you also did a film with him (referring to “Miss Lovely” which was long completed by then). What happened to it? I had made peace once again by them. I said forget it, watch the film.” Little did he know that one year is a long time in this fickle business of fame.
Packing a punch
When the media was busy questioning the ethnic authenticity of Priyanka Chopra playing Mary Kom, Darshan Kumar was having a quiet laugh for nobody cared to find the origin of the boy who was playing her husband. Give it to his features, his performance or the popularity of Priyanka, the Delhi boy quietly filled into the shoes of Onler, the support system of Mary. “I am a Jat boy from Haryana who made the cut through the auditions. My features also match with the people of North East region,” says Darshan, who never felt like a supporting cast. “I was playing the hero of Mary, whom the country considers as a true hero. So why should I feel any pressure. And the audience noticed me. Yes, there was a bit of nervousness when I met Priyanka but she made me feel comfortable.” Darshan has a solid grounding in theatre. “I have spent ten years with Naseeruddin Shah and he always told me to take the plunge only when you are sure about your part and then put your soul into it.” Now he is waiting for his next big break in Navdeep Singh’s “NH10” where he will be serenading Anuskha Sharma.
Smart and spontaneous
Unlike others, Manav Kaul was not struggling to make his presence felt when Hansal Mehta approached him for “Citylights”. The theatre director known for his abstract plays was not just interested in Bollywood. “I had a good experience with ‘Kai Po Che’ but that was it.” But Hansal’s tale of urban migration where Manav was the medium to explain how the city corrupts, forced him to reconsider his decision. Pitted against Rajkumar Rao, Manav surprised many with his smartness and spontaneity as he emerged as the scene stealer. “I was enjoying it so much that at times I would call Hansal asking when we are shooting next. One day he said Manav the shooting is over. I still said, can’t we improve upon it!” Manav’s brush with commercial cinema started as a way to finance his offbeat films. “The way the writing is improving in mainstream films, I no longer see it as chore and am hungry for more,” says Manav who will be seen with Amitabh Bachchan in “Wazir”.
