How has been the reaction to ‘Fighter’? Do you think people see you in a different light now?
I feel finally, the audience is kind of rooting for me in a way that, ‘finally, here’s a guy who really deserves it.’ People are feeling that perhaps there is justice in the world, and hard work eventually pays off. I think people are now seeing me as an example of that, big or small. This is the feedback I have received while talking to my friends, loved ones, journalists and industry folks.
Your character Bash was a serious Air Force Officer, but there was a lot of innocence in his eyes and smile. Was it a conscious decision to bring that to the character?
It was bang on what you said, and I’m glad you noticed it. Those were the ingredients to build the character. Siddharth Anand and I talked about his innocence, and childlike qualities. We talked about his discipline, especially in regard to Bash versus Taj (Karan Singh Grover‘s character). Bash should be a counter to Karan’s character in that sense that Karan is kind of goofy, but Bash was serious, mature and yet, light-hearted. And it was a way to, in retrospect, make people fall in love with my character in such a short time, so, when he died, the audience actually felt it.
What is it that you took back from ‘Fighter’ after working with the likes of Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor?
It was like a childhood dream coming true on every level, just the thought that I’m an Air Force Officer. Every day on that set was like, ‘is this really happening?’ That is actually where I felt the most gratitude while making this movie. Because it was like this thing of, I never sold myself to anything just to make a quick buck, I just relentlessly stayed. I kept working on my craft as an actor. And then the payoff happened, and I felt it every day on the set of ‘Fighter’.
But do you regret that this kind of recognition or love came in late?
I think failure teaches you a lot in life. And since the beginning of my career was riddled with failure, I think I learned a lot fairly quickly. Some people succeed right away, and then they kind of bounce around figuring life out. And then, as time passes, they kind of crack it eventually. But because I was forced to learn a lot at the very start of my career, it taught me everything. I think anyone who has seen failure at the start of their career, learns to appreciate success much more.
Go on…
I always sort of knew that somewhere this is a business, and there is emphasis on numbers. These days, how many views you get, how many Instagram followers you have, all that is considered during casting, but you cannot measure acting in numbers. It’s one thing to work on your craft, which I think is the most essential. Because at least here, I know that I’ll be acting my whole life. I have always chased the right thing. I didn’t chase money. I didn’t chase fame. I didn’t chase following. I chased the craft. But along the way, I think I became the most patient actor. I think I value what I have more than most actors. But the way that my cards kind of played out, was that I got to play a bunch of different roles, which is very cool, right from a Dil Bekarar to a Gurgaon to a Fighter.
Has it been a conscious attempt to be very private about your personal life?
Because of seeing a lot of failure very early on in my career, my private life became even more private. Because this is where I found comfort, and this is where I found solace and this is where I found a ‘pick me up’. And now, I will go through any means to always protect that, because that keeps me stable. And that is actually what I’ve realised is the priority in life – your family, your loved ones, nothing else matters. So I’m glad I’ve been able to protect that, and not get lost in this crazy entertainment business. Having said that, I feel like the next chapter of my life is to maybe focus more on these externals, because they add some value to your life. Eventually, I have to keep working to keep my kitchen running, and I need to be happy and content doing that.