When Fardeen Khan took home the Filmfare award for best male debutant for his role in Prem Aggan (1998), comedians 16 years into the future were already rejoicing. Imagine the amount of beefy content that lies in a script where the lead actor says, “ Jab ladki apne mooh se ‘ishq’ shabd bolti hain, toh uske chehre par apne aap ek khaas muskurahat aa jaati hai .” Ex software engineer-turned comedian, Kanan Gill, wasn’t one to lose out on this opportunity, when he reviewed the film as part of his series Pretentious Movie Reviews with IITian and fellow comedian, Biswa Kalyan Rath .
What started off as a YouTube sensation in 2014 where the two science-nerds and aspiring funny-boys, would comically review movies based on their bizzare quotient, has fast-forwarded Gill’s own career straight into the film industry. The 27-year-old Gill will be shortly making his debut on the big screen as the voice of reason, and best friend to Sonakshi Sinha, in Sunil Sippy’s upcoming film Noor. Based on Pakistani author Saba Imtiaz's novel Karachi, You're Killing Me! Gill plays the role of Saad Sehgal, who he believes is much like him.
“The relationship that Saad has with his friends is a lot like my own. Everybody needs that one friend who brings them back down to Earth, and well, that’s me!” Gill says laughingly. From starting out with performing for five people in a café in Bengaluru, to winning a stand-up competition named Punchline Bangalore, and another at the Comedy Store in Bombay, the actor knew he had to take a comic leap of faith and quit his full-time job. “Steve Jobs once said ‘you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards,’ and I think it’s pretty true in my case,” he says reminiscing about his journey.
After facing disappointment three years ago when a part in an undisclosed film didn’t work out, Gill was also recommended for a few other characters before he decided to choose this one. He bagged the role after the casting agent saw a few Pretentious Movie Reviews. “It’s a lot about how you approach opportunities. If you have clearly set goals, then you’re setting yourself up for failure, but if you don’t have a plan, then everything seems great,” jokes Gill.
Being a comedian, has been both challenging and enhancing for the debutant actor. Gill believes that the hardest part about working on a set is losing a sense of control, there’s a part of you that you’re giving up to the writer, producer, and director. “With stand-up, you’re the writer as well as the performer, so you know what the output is supposed to be,” Gill elucidates. He also owes his familiarity with traditional ways of acting, to his comedy. Since there’s a lot of improvisation, and taking on and shedding numerous characters, he isn’t fazed easily. The actor is open to experimenting with roles apart from comedy. But what he seems most keen on is a part in a horror film. “If they need to cast a crazy murderer doing the rounds, we have Kanan Gill to the rescue,” he guffaws.
