The debate on nepotism in Bollywood has brought to light the uncomfortable question of privilege while sparking off some tone-deaf jokes and “enlightening” open letters on the topic. The newest actor from the Kapoor family, Aadar Jain, found himself at the receiving end of the discussion, courtesy an ill-informed launch for the upcoming production, Qaidi Band. While the Twitterati trolled the actor for posing with an image of his grandfather, Raj Kapoor — a confused attempt at distancing himself from his lineage while drawing attention to it — Jain hopes Qaidi Band will be enough of a response to prove his mettle as an actor.
The 23-year-old will be seen opposite fellow newcomer Anya Singh in Habib Faisal’s musical drama, which will join the small handful of Bollywood prison-films. Qaidi Band revolves around seven undertrials who hope to hasten their acquittal when they are selected to perform in a band for Independence Day.
Getting into character
Though talking about the elephant in the room unfolds in the usual tones of defensiveness, Jain does relate to his character by acknowledging his own position of privilege. “I put myself in his shoes,” says Jain about his character Sanju, one of the band’s lead singers. “I imagined my big dream of making it as an actor being taken away from me, and I wasn’t able to get out of jail just because I couldn’t afford [a lawyer].”
On discovering that his grandfather coincidentally acted in Gajanan Jagirdar’s Jail Yatra (1947) a film set in a jail, when he was Jain’s age, the young actor is thrilled. “He also produced, wrote, directed, and edited by the age of 23,” Jain points out. “What am I doing here?” he adds, before laughing and promising himself he will watch his grandfather’s film soon. Along with carrying the weight of his legacy, the young actor battled a phase of self-doubt that bogged him down before he landed Sanju’s role.
Learning the ropes
Wanting to become an actor, Jain expanded his cinematic understanding and vocabulary by completing his education at the New York Film Academy and The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. He then worked as an Assistant Director for Farah Khan’s Happy New Year (2014) and Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016). It was during his work for Ae Dil that he bumped into casting director Shanoo Sharma at the Dharma Productions office. When she asked if he wanted to audition for a role, she kicked off a back and forth process that flitted between auditioning and waiting that lasted nearly four months — during which time he didn’t tell his family about the auditions.
“It made me doubt myself as a person,” shares the actor. “I did not know whether I was good enough, whether I was cut out for this”. Despite these few months heavily weighing him down, Jain felt they were instrumental in him connecting with Sanju. “In jail he begins to question himself a lot,” explains the actor, elaborating on how he tapped into his feeling of isolation to relate to Sanju.
Looking for resonance
The actor even looked towards poetry for inspiration for his role. For instance, while performing the song ‘Hulchul’, Jain would read Maya Angelou’s poem, Caged Bird about a bird whose wings have been clipped. “The song is about being stuck and confined within four walls,” shares the actor, “and about wanting to break free,” a sentiment that resonates with Angelou’s lines.
While he pinned the poem as his reference point, Jain stresses that his director was crucial in eliciting performances from his actors. Faisal based the script on real individuals when he wrote it, like the undertrial Machal Lalung who spent 54 years in jail before his case was heard. The director would often break his actors down on set to get the right act. Jain says, “It was really taxing, and emotionally frustrating, because he was particular about every little detail.”
That painstaking attention resulted in a film that touched upon a range of problems that undertrials face in the country, claims Jain. From issues of overcrowding and the unhygienic conditions that it creates, to the problem of inadequate legal aid being provided, for him the film was educational. The actor hopes that the realistic portrayal will help increase awareness about the undertrial situation in the country, and that it moves people the way it moved him.
While Jain stresses how he toiled to land and take on Sanju’s role, one wonders if living up to his legacy is Jain’s imprisonment of sorts. Broaching the topic of Twitterati’s ire on his launch, he says, “Of course you get upset when you work so hard for something and someone wants to take credit away.” Emphasising that he auditioned like everyone else, he adds, “No one from my family helped me get this film.” Before signing off, he simply states he will not take to social media to respond to the comments and wants his work to speak for itself.