From a young boy with responsibilities in “Balika Vadhu” to the face of “Criminal Justice” in India, Vikrant Massey has come a long way.
The Indian remake of the BBC show is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and Vishal Furia. Vikrant, who impressed with his performance as an educated gangster in Mirzapur, is playing a cab driver, accused of murdering his passenger in the series. Here he talks of his rise from the hero’s best friend to be cast opposite Deepika Padukone in “Chhapak”.
Excerpts:
What is on your mind?
‘Criminal Justice’ is coming out this week and I am looking forward to it. We conceptualised it last year and right now I am nervously and anxiously excited about it because I am the protagonist here. There is a sense of motivation also because I got to work along with many good actors and a dedicated team. Sharing screen space with Jackie Shroff ji was a kind of fanboy moment for me as in childhood I have seen him act and now I am working with him.
What was your approach to adapt it to the Indian sensibilities?
Yes, there was pressure because of it being an internationally known series. I had to work a lot on understanding the person's psyche as I have never seen jail and a police station. It was diagonally opposite to what I have seen all my life, which was full of privilege. Life in prison takes both physical and mental toll on a person and I had to understand through the research material given to me. Physically, it was very demanding and I cannot ever relate to the character because he is accused of rape and murder. Actors come from a position of privilege. They are probably the last one to be cast on a project after writers and content creators have done half of the work. Anyway, we have tried very hard to mix reality with fiction so that people find it real and engaging.
How did you shape the character?
We wanted to keep the emotional differences right. I wanted Aditya to be that boy who is present in every family. People should relate themselves and their children with the character. Only then, they could empathise with the character and will be eager to know more about the system.
Having done various kinds of roles without getting stereotyped, how do you see your growth as an actor?
I am not a trained actor. I learn on sets. In order to grow as an actor, we have to go beyond our usual easy limits and present ourselves as dynamic so that people could accept us. As each project demands a new approach, you keep discovering new things and that is where learning happens.
Being a Mumbaikar, what was your relation with cinema while growing up?
I was also like everybody else. A typical boy overawed by cinema. I grew up in Versova where most of the time we used to see shooting happening around us. There were days when I was on a film shoot for the whole day. Also, my grandfather was a theatre actor and a director-producer at the prestigious Gaiety theatre in Shimla for more than three decades. Because of my mother, I had an exposure to ‘art’ cinema helmed by Satyajit Ray and serials like Gulzar's ‘Mirza Ghalib’, films like ‘36 Chowringhee Lane’. Naseer Sahib's acting was part of my growing up years. I think that early exposure to arts helped me build my sensibility which is helping me today.
You started early as a dancer with Shiamak Davar's group. How did training as a performer translate into acting?
I see them as different forms of expressions. Since a young age, I started analysing where I was going wrong because of stage performances. Same is the case for those who do theatre, particularly street plays, because you get quick responses while performing.
Getting a response in cinema used to be a tiresome and a long process because you had to wait for a review to come two days after the release. Now everything is very quick and that is why you get instant reaction. You have social media which gives you report card on what is working with the audience.
How do you see the rise of a new set of actors? Was there a void that needed to be filled?
I will not say that there was a void. I would say that there are more opportunities now and because of the more opportunities there are more people coming in. Earlier, it used to be only television and theatre. Today, we have personalised content catering to every section of society. I see it that way. The sensibilities of people have changed and it is part of a cycle. You cannot stop it as it is like beliefs which changes every 10 years. There is a history of people with merit and no prior connections who have made a mark in this industry.
You are working alongside Deepika Padukone in “Chhapaak”. How do you see your rise in the industry?
I will not talk about ‘Chhapaak’. It is a good thing that people want to know more about me now because of ‘Mirzapur’ and other projects. I am very excited about this phase. I will not call it stardom but I am happy that there is a certain sense of appreciation and acceptance of what I am doing. It is a great feeling and I am living it. My only job is to keep doing what I was doing and be the best at whatever I do. My only motto is to give good content that is relatable to people because that is the only way to keep myself going.
Criminal Justice is streaming on Hotstar