Theatre actor Neil Bhoopalam made his presence felt with impactful roles in films such as Shaitan and NH10, but it was 24 that brought him into our drawing rooms. The actor talks about the second season of the series, which stars Anil Kapoor, and the blurring of lines between different media.
How is it playing the role of a young Prime Minister?
Playing a young virtuous Prime Minister for whom the law is above his own family was challenging, and my question to the makers of the show was how we will make the audience believe that a young Prime Minister can exist in our set up? There are countries like Canada where they have a young head of the state. So I took inspiration from those young politicians. That was a big help.
Three years after the first season, I found myself matured for the role, [in comparison to the] previous leg of the show. Also, since the season is already scripted, there is a settled thought process in mind for the role, unlike the other soaps on television [in which] the story develops every week.
What is your take on theatre people getting offers to do roles which were previously offered to models only?
When I was young, newcomers in the industry had modelling backgrounds. Now as I analyse it, that was because the focus was on the presentation as it was more of a show business. But now the audience is filtering for content more than the presentation, which has made it easier for a person with a regular face to get promising roles.
It is a very positive shift as it opens lot of possibilities for new talent. The real people behind the shift are the casting directors who regularly attend plays and events to hunt for talent.
Being associated with theatre for so long, do you see it as a training ground for actors?
By my experience in theatre, I have come to the conclusion that for every creative person, be it a writer, director or actor who wants to tell a story, theatre is the training ground which makes him ready for different mediums. The greatest help it renders is to make you understand the people around you, making you work collectively which is required of every professional actor.
As far as hurdles are concerned, to be frank, I did not have the extreme urge to get into the film industry as I was only focussing on theatre. But as opportunities came my way four years back, I took them to extend my playing arena. I was clear in my mind that I will accept what creatively challenges me. For me, performance matters more than any platform.
Fortunately, I was born and brought up in Mumbai, so there were no economic hurdles like paying rent for accommodation, which people from other places encounter in Mumbai during their struggle.
Do you think that the lines between mediums have blurred now?
I think an actor would be foolish to restrict himself to one medium or a particular kind of role as it will kill his creative potential. I agree that there are different thought processes for different mediums. As a VJ, we have to face the camera, but in acting for a film, we have to totally neglect the presence of a camera. And in theatre since there is no camera, we have to depend on energy of the performance.
That is how an actor has to channelise his thought process to adapt to different work areas. I take this change as positive phenomenon.
You recently appeared in the web series Bang Baaja Baaraat, which was a hit among the youth. Do you see digital space as the next big thing?
The narratives of the web series presently are not our own as they started off in the West first and then travelled to India. It will take time to build our own idiom. That is why they are blamed to be aping the West. In my view, it is just another emerging way of telling stories in a mini format, which can be easily viewed on smartphones, making it accessible.
The only formula for survival in this medium is the content, and if good quality content is delivered, it can change the dynamics of the entertainment industry.
Your spouse Nandini Shrikent is a casting director. Does it help?
The brilliant thing about Nandini is that she sees the script as a whole. As an actor, I concentrate on the character assigned to me, ignoring all the other parts as I am trained to do so. Nandini’s perception is very helpful for the actor in me to get an overall idea of the script. She suggests the strengths and weakness of the script, but never gets me any work. And it is very fortunate that both of us are from the same field as it makes decision-making easier.
24is broadcast on Colors TV every Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m.
For every creative person who wants to tell a story, theatre is the training ground which makes him ready for different mediums
