‘ The stage gave me a certain amount of freedom’

William Shakespeare’s writings have been adapted in Bollywood several times. Vishal Bharadwaj has adapted three of his classics — Macbeth (Maqbool), Othello (Omkara) and Hamlet (Haider). Yoodlee Films’ English project Nobleman is also an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. The psychological thriller drama stars Kunal Kapoor, Ali Haji, Mohammad Ali Mir, Muskaan Jaferi, Shaan Grover and Soni Razdan.  

Kunal, who plays the role of a drama teacher in the film, says that he has always loved Bard’s writing and in his school and college days the actor was a part of the stage adaptations. “Nobleman is not only an adaptation of Shakespeare’s wonderful work but it also highlights an very important issue of bullying. The story of Merchant of Venice and subject of bullying has been beautifully merged. This (bullying) is something we need to talk about in the society and in movies because it doesn’t get highlighted enough. It has mental, physical and psychological impact on a child and their future,” says Kunal during the promotion of the film. It is indeed an important subject because very recently, a medical student ended her life after being bullied by senior doctors for getting admission through reserved quota. 

Nobleman is directed by Vandana Kataria and is releasing today (June 28). When we ask if the film might not reach a larger section of the audience because it’s in English, Kunal replies, “It might be limiting in that sense. But Vandana was clear that she wanted to place the story in a particular sort of institution and she felt that it naturally lent itself to English language. Also, what happens is that when we talk about certain issues, we usually feel that they occur only in economical poor places or smaller towns. But the truth is that such incidents take place around us as well.” 

Talking about theatre and its impact on his life, the Rang De Basanti actor says that he was a very shy kid. “The stage gave me a certain amount of freedom. Once I was on stage, I felt I could say anything or be anybody. It helped me overcome my shyness and it has shaped me who I am.” He further adds, “All of us have something that comes naturally to us and storytelling came naturally to me. Although I was shy, I used to get animated when I had to tell a story.” 

It’s because of this theatre background that he loved playing the role of drama teacher in the film. The actor says that the team also faced lot of challenges while making the film because it’s a topic not everyone wants to talk about. “We had to make the film in certain budget. We stayed in a boarding school, stood in the queue for water, the temperature was also challenging. But it felt like we were back in school.” 

No one can deny the fact that Kunal has a liking for off-beat subjects. His choice of films — Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities, Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, Kaun Kitne Paani Mein — are proof. Many of his films would not fall into the commercial bracket. “The work that you do is reflection of who you are as a person. Having said that, it’s not like I am only attracted of off-beat subjects. I grew up on full-on commercial, masala films. I remember dialogues and scenes of films which many people haven’t heard of, but I had watched them numerous times. I am not averse to commercial cinema. It’s all about what you find exciting,” he says, adding, “I do not differentiate between commercial and independent films. I just focus on whether the script is exciting or not, if I have played the character before and whether I would have a good time or not.” 

Kunal is also developing several scripts and he says that work on one of the scripts just got completed. “I also intend to produce the film. So hopefully, I will write, act and produce it very soon. It’s very satisfying to develop scripts and make movies you believe in because what happens often is that people put you in a certain box and keep offering you the same kind of roles. You as an individual know what you are capable of and want to do. As a creative person, you can create work for yourself and there is nothing more exciting and enriching than that,” says the actor who has finished shooting for T-series project titled Koi Jaane Na, directed by Amin Haji. 

“It’s the sort of film I was waiting for. Usually, I don’t chase anyone for a film but for this one, I really chased Amin because I wanted to be a part of it. Also, Amin has worked on the script for six years. That’s the amount of passion he has put in,” says the actor before signing off.