Nestled away in Versova, Jar Pictures’ office with its whitewashed walls resembles a quaint bungalow. In the past, the company has produced acclaimed films like Killa (2015) and Nil Battey Sannata (2016), and their latest is is debutante director Shanker Raman’s thriller, Gurgaon that released last week. Actors Shalini Vatsa and Akshay Oberoi, who play pivotal roles in the film, talk with The Hindu about working on this neo-noir project .
“It’s a story of entitlement,” starts off Oberoi. “My character, Nikki Singh, is a neglected child, and the film is sort of his revenge-saga. He wants his father’s love and business, and honestly I don’t think he cares what his mother feels about him.” Vatsa plays Oberoi’s mother, Karma Devi who’s married to the real estate tycoon Kehri Singh, and has been with him right from the beginning of his professional journey. “She just wishes for the happiness of her children,” shares Vatsa. Gurgaon is Raman’s directorial debut, revolving around sibling rivalry and Nikki’s loathing for the love that is showered on his architect-sister, Preet, essayed by Ragini Khanna. While it is the first time that Oberoi has worked with Raman, Vatsa made her film debut with with Peepli Live (2010) that Raman worked on as a cinematographer. “Working with Shanker as a cinematographer brought in tremendous ease as an actor,” says Vatsa. “And with that level of professional comfort already established, it made it much easier.” Echoing her sentiments, Oberoi adds, “The greatest thing a director can do for an actor is to create a safe space. He’ll never tell me how to do something; he’ll tell me what he’s looking for. And I think that’s the fine line between good direction and bad.”
Cinematic beginnings
With an M.Phil. in Political Science from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Vatsa was a part of thespian Barry John’s Theatre In Education Company (TIE). “I got to work with mainstream schools as well as marginalised children, and we integrate theatre with education,” she says. In order to dedicate all her time to theatre, she and joined playwright and director Habib Tanvir’s Naya Theatre – a group that worked closely with tribal and folk repertory. Eventually theatre, led to films and now Vatsa is lighting up the big screen.
On the other hand, Oberoi’s training has been shaped by his desire to join Bollywood. He’s learnt different forms of dance including ballet, jazz and hip hop. “I thought a Bollywood hero should learn dancing,” he says adding that he’s not particularly passionate about it. “It did help me as an actor, because being comfortable with movement aided picking up body language better.” The acting seed was sown when Oberoi saw actor Sean Penn’s I Am Sam (2001) as a 16-year-old. “The theatre was packed and everyone was laughing and crying because of this one actor,” he reminisces adding that he pursued his B.A. in Theatre Arts and Economics from John Hopkins, Baltimore because of his father’s encouragement. The formal training helped greatly, allowing Oberoi to apply the Meisner technique, (developed by Sanford Meisner) to approach to his characters. “Of course you use a combination of techniques,” he says, “and I used numerous [techniques] to get into Nikki Singh’s mind-space. He’s mean, has no moral constraints, and does as he pleases.” Oberoi admits that Meisner’s method though is most practical, as it is entirely about listening and reacting. “No matter how much you work on the character sketch, it’s about really paying attention to your co-actor, and the environment you are in,” he shares.
Wide horizons
Though Gurgaon had its world premiere at the Macau’s International Film Festival and won a Work In Progress Award at Film Bazaar, both the actors emphasise that their film is a mainstream venture. “It is extremely relatable and about a highly accessible concept, in the sense that it’s about familial tensions,” says Vatsa.
The two have their plates are full as far as work is concerned. Vatsa will be next seen in director Amit Rai’s second film “I” Pad about a man trying to make affordable sanitary pads. And Oberoi will appear in a web series titled Bar Code about Mumbai’s night clubs; Akshat Verma’s Kaalakaandi; and Pia Sukanya’s Bombairiya.