- Abhishek Banerjee

“Not every star kid is a star and not every outsider is a struggler.”

He was brilliant in his portrayal of Hathoda Tyaagi in Pataal Lok, the istree man in Ajeeb Dastaans or as Jana in Stree. Meet the understated casting director and actor Abhishek Banerjee who is wowing the OTT audience with his superlative nuanced performances. In a noholds bar interview with Sumita Chakraborty, Abhishek talks about how the OTT discovered his brilliance as an actor, his stint as casting director and more.

Abhishek, you are a brilliant actor… where have you been hiding your immense talent all these years? How come we haven’t seen more of you in films?

I was scouting around finding talents for filmmakers as a casting director hoping that one day, they will see my talent and believe in me as an actor. Initially, when I got rejected for parts, it broke my heart not because I didn’t get the part but because I felt I was not good enough! Then there were many characters which came my way but I didn’t find them

important or exciting enough. I don’t remember any character which I really wanted to do myself while casting apart from Idris in Ghanchakkar. Then somewhere down the line, I lost hope in my craft and decided that I needed to renew my skills, so I started doing short films just to brush up my acting and learn in front of the camera. This worked! Dev Makhija, an independent director saw one of my shorts and decided to cast me in Ajji! That film gave me a lot of confidence and once again I started believing in me. Then when I heard that Amar Kaushik (who I knew since No One Killed Jessica) is directing Stree, I didn’t hesitate to call him and ask him to give me a chance to audition which was quite in contrast to my low confident self. I went to give the audition of Bittu but Amar sir thought that I would be a better Jana! He was right and I was wrong about my own casting! Jana was the role which changed everything! I can never thank Amar Kaushik enough for introducing me to mainstream cinema. He is like my guardian angel in the industry! If I slip, he always corrects me and that’s what you need - someone to guide you when you are starting off as an actor!

You are an actor as well as a casting director… how did the journey start?

So of course like any other actor, I came to Mumbai to be an actor and not anything else. But I come from a humble background - my father is an ex-paramilitary officer and mother is a housewife. I couldn’t depend on them for survival in this expensive city. So I thought I have to earn my living and I have to work in the industry to keep myself associated to filmmakers. I had two options – one was to be an Assistant director or to be a casting assistant. I had interned with Gautam Kishanchandani who was the casting director for Dev D - I was in college at that time and used to help him with finding actors and also give cues to actors who would come for audition. So automatically, casting became my first choice as first of all I got an amazing mentor in Gautam and then I thought by giving cues to the actors I would be able to keep practising my acting skills... it’s very important to practice your craft - many forget that after coming to the city. So I continued it hoping that I too would get get cast someday... that someday came after eight years of casting. I thought it would be easy but nothing good in life comes easy so I have no complaints. I think because of casting, I grew as an actor too so everything happened for a reason.

You were absolutely superb as Hathoda Tyaagi in Pataal Lok, how did you get that role?

Stree released in August 2018 and I started casting for Pataal Lok in September 2018. Earlier I would be too shy to tell anybody that I was an actor too as I thought they would judge me or they wouldn’t take me seriously as a casting director - and one thing I learnt from my dad is that one should finish the job in hand first and then look for another so I really didn’t mix the two as I wanted to be a thorough professional when it comes to casting. But after Stree everything changed. Everyone knew I am an actor and Clean Slate Productions is like family. I love working with them - they have been very supportive of young fresh talent. So from the very beginning of the casting process, Karnesh sir and Sudip sir would ask me if I wanted to play any part in the show as they were aware of my acting capabilities - in fact, I did a small part in Phillauri too. When I read Pataal Lok, I knew this was a great show and honestly I had my eyes on Ansari! I suggested that to them - but they laughed it off saying that I won’t look that innocent. That’s the thing with friends, they never see the innocent side of you. (Hahaha) So I thought maybe I shouldn’t push for it if they are not convinced so I continued my casting for the show. Incidentally, Sudip sir went to watch Stree in the theatres one day and he called me the next day saying that he wanted me to try for Hathoda Tyagi!! It was a shocker! I didn’t expect that. Initially, I didn’t even find the role interesting. He didn’t have much dialogues and also the presence was less in comparison to other characters! In fact, I was looking for other actors who I thought would do a great job, to play the role. But the team did not like

any of the auditions. So when I was asked to give the audition for the part it was scary, I didn’t want to come across as an average actor - I didn’t want to fail in the audition. I read the script again this time as Hathoda’s story and not Hathiram. The second reading helped me understand the grandeur of the Tyagi. I gave it all in the audition and feel it’s still one of my best audition till date. I still remember it was at night that I sent them my audition - imagine how awkward it was for me – the casting director sending his own audition and would have to hear it himself if he is rejected. It was a tough night but next morning, I got a call from Karnesh sir that they liked my test and I’m on for the role! It was one of my happiest days as an actor! It was a challenge - and I was successful! It gave me a lot of confidence and I started preparing for the part more internally than physically!

You were in Rang De Basanti and Stree, any anecdotes you can share with us about this -with the stars or while shooting?

In Rang de Basanti, I only shot for one day and the only star I got to see was Soha Ali khan!! All of us boys had such a huge crush on her. She was very nice to everyone on set is what I remember from that day. But honestly for me, the biggest moment was when I saw Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra! He is still one of my favourite directors. I had watched Aks by then and thought it was a great achievement to be acting his film. Stree starred Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor. I was nervous the first day I had to meet Raj though I knew him from his early days. As an actor, I was still unsure of how he would be with me and whether I would be able to get comfortable with him. But I think he is a genuine artist. He was always there

to help ‘n’ guide me - he was always focused on the scenes and it became a cake walk on set acting alongside him and of course, Apar. We three hit it off really well on and off-set. It was Raj who gave me the idea of using my big smile for Jana! Honestly, the dedication of Raj is something which has rubbed off me - I want to be as involved in every scene as he is! Hats off to that guy - he doesn’t only act well but also helps others to enhance their performances. This is rare, trust me. Shraddha – well, what can I say? We used to hear ki heroines have tantrums - they are moody etc but all these notions were thrown out of the window by Shraddha Kapoor. She is one of the nicest human beings I know. She was very nice to me - in fact she even fed me snacks when my hands were tied to the window in a scene. Also, her love for animals and nature is something common which I share with her. I feel I’m lucky that I was in such great company.

You are an outsider, so in this nepotism hit Bollywood, was it a challenge to start out?

Every industry is hit by nepotism. There’s not a single business where they play fair to outsiders. I never expected someone to take quick notice of me. There were warning signs from friends and family that it’s a tough and cut-throat industry. But there’s one thing I always believed in - that every industry needs talent. Sometimes your kids or family might not have the talent to succeed in a business which you have set up. What do you do then? Shut shop? Or do you hire someone who can run the show for you? Not every star kid is a star and not every outsider is a struggler. My passion to work hard on my weaknesses and make myself stronger and better with time, worked. One might feel bad sometimes that some get more opportunities than you but that’s their privilege. Such is life! One can’t fight that. But even with that privilege,

they have to prove themselves. They need to have something to entice or keep the audience entertained, if not with acting then dancing or action or style - you can put it in as many brackets as you want. And if they are able to entertain the audience with whatever talent they have, they will be accepted. If not, they will have a tougher life than any outsider as they will be dealing with a lot of expectations from their respective families and friend circle. Humara actually easier ho jaata hai. Even a small success of an outsider is celebrated within the family and friends because no one really expected that of you - every time I would be on screen even for one scene, my friends would call me a star. Can you believe being called a star by doing one odd scene if one belonged to a filmy family? I never saw nepotism as an obstacle. I only saw ‘me’ as an obstacle. If I didn’t work hard, I wouldn’t be able to reach where they are but if I do, no one can stop me from reaching wherever I want to! See, at the end of the day you need good actors to run films. The audience does not come to the theatres to see anyone’s son or daughter or niece. They come to watch a good film - to get entertained. As long as one can do that whether insider or outsider, you have a bright future in the movie business.

Has the OTT platform changed the name of the game more so as now talented actors like you are finally getting their dues?

Of course, the OTT has changed the game but you have to give the credit to the audience as well! We have to understand this that the OTT audience is very different from the movie going audience. The OTT is the new gen of audience we are dealing with - the college kids, the working professionals who are young and bored with the kind of stuff they have been watching in theatres or tv and hence they have subscribed to these platforms hoping that they will get to see something new. The same OTT platforms would go and make shows with the bigger stars if they showed interest in their projects but because it is a new medium, the platforms earlier could not really win the trust of the big stars. So, they turned to creators! They got in the best creators in the country to make the shows for them. The creators started experimenting with casting! Casting directors were told to fetch fresh raw talent ! Talented actors started getting the opportunity because the stars didn’t show any interest! When TVF became successful, they didn’t have a single name to put on posters but those actors who started as nobody became household names in a matter of months. The audience made them the stars they are today. The young generation of audience lauded their performances and wrote about it on social media, created memes made artworks and showered praises! Today, one can call the entire cast of Mirzapur as stars - even the Chacha who was in the series for a total of two scenes. Now that’s the power of the OTT audience. You can go from being no one to a viral star in a matter of hours. Now many stars from the Hindi film industry and other regional industries are doing stuff for OTT - because one can clearly see the reach OTT commands and it will only grow further from here. The OTT platform is a welcome change in this average content industry. These platforms have actually improved the quality of writing in our country and it’s only looking brighter from here on. Thank God for OTT, better characters are being written. And thank God for the OTT audience, artists like me are becoming bolder day by day and are experimenting with ourselves, because now we know that there is an audience hungry for good content and not only the masala content which we have been fed for years!

How was it working in Pataal Lok and now Ajeeb Dastaans?

It was brilliant! Pataal Lok was definitely a more tiring and grilling experience as the character was dark and I had to stay in a certain headspace as the shoot went on for a good six months with schedule breaks. The difference in a series and film is that you go the extra mile for a series as your character is detailed and nuanced - and you have to find your way amidst other such interesting characters. All thanks to the directors Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy, and of course the creator and my masterji Sudip Sharma for helping me in this journey.

Ajeeb Dastaans was a shorter stint - we shot for a week and it was over. I never thought that short films would be a part of mainstream format but then look at the times today, there are so many of them. I had a great time on set as Nushrat is a friend - I know her since casting days so it was easy to act with her. Inayat is a star - she is the purest form of co-actor one can get and Raj Mehta I feel is one of the most intelligent directors I have worked with. Also, this is my first film with Dharma! Hopefully, there will be many more to come. and there’s a sense of unity about providing help to each other! These are tough times but if we stay united, we will sail through these times! This too shall pass!

In these Covid times, shootings have been stalled, how difficult is it for the industry?

It is difficult for everyone. We know the current scenario and how many people are losing their jobs and their livelihoods. More than the producers, directors and actors, my heart goes out for those who are the support and technical staff of the industry. They are having a real tough time. I know everyone is trying to help them

Lastly, what’s next in the pipeline for you?

I have Rashmi Rocket, Helmet, Ankh Micholi, an untitled anthology for Ashwini Iyer Tiwari and of course, Bhediya. There’s a mix of characters I have played hopefully more filmmakers will take notice of my work. As per as the audience is concerned, I hope and pray that the love never stops!