- 11 months ago
After the big win at the 71st National Awards, actor Vikrant Massey admitted that it would now become challenging for him to represent the common man. Watch what he said about the national award being a validation and a responsibility.
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00:00he is one of the most versatile and nuanced actors of his generation winning hearts and
00:12audiences with his effortless charm and depth of performance Vikrant Messi is our guest and
00:21he is in Delhi after having received national film award Vikrant has it sunk in thank you
00:29so much for your kind words firstly Mariya Ji not yet hasn't sunk in yet and here we are chatting
00:39about it and abhi tak sink in hua niya thoda samayir lagega mire khayal se yeah but
00:45I mean a long a long awaited dream has has been fulfilled but as I always say that the
00:56journey has only just begun now would you say that this is a dual recognition first for you
01:04personally because it's the best actor and also for the film 12th film yes it's a great honor I
01:13think I've said this before as well that you know winning the national award or even being considered
01:18for the national film awards I think is is an achievement in itself in such a large country
01:25we know we speak about the Hindi film industry but today you know the lines have blurred we talk
01:31about regional cinema as well the amount of films we make we're making more than 5,000 films in 365 days
01:37and to be conferred with the best actor award and also the best film I mean out of 5,000 or more than
01:445,000 films to be recognized by the honorable government I think it's an achievement that everyone dreams of
01:49would you say that this is a validation but also a responsibility absolutely absolutely you know
01:59binot sir and I were chatting the other day in fact that it's it's it's going to be more challenging to go
02:06out there and represent the common man be the voice for the voiceless after this recognition he's won six
02:12national awards my journey has only just begun but even even you know sort of the fact that you've been
02:19conferred with the national film award there is a certain privilege there there is that pedestal
02:26you've been put on by the people of your country and you have to go out there represent them and
02:31there is with great power comes great responsibility and yeah so once this sinks in once I'm able to sort
02:40of you know go back to ground zero after this the idea is to is to continue the journey is to go out
02:47there and represent the common man and a 20 year old boys dream has come true and it's a privilege
02:54that your first national award is with an icon those are your words yes and you were sitting next to
03:00Shah Rukh Khan Rani Mukherjee and I remember all of you looking at the medal yeah and looking at it with
03:08great admiration and rightly so yeah I mean it definitely is an honor to be sharing the best
03:14actor award with mr. Shah Rukh Khan he's he's a once-in-a-lifetime legend to be seated next to him
03:23to be mentioned in the same breath as him for the national film award this year was was something which
03:31you can only dream of and while we were seated there it was it was our first national film
03:39award even Rani ma'am Shah Rukh sir and me and the moment we got back and Shah Rukh sir was like I want
03:45to wear this and he immediately he has that childlike quality within him and that's probably what keeps
03:51him going day in day out and all of us really wanted to touch it and feel it and we took it out
03:57we wore it and yeah I mean it was something we wanted to sort of cherish there and then at that
04:02point in time and Vikrant you know this film is about UPSC aspirants you have realized that dream
04:10of UPSC aspirants as well and this is one film which has you know touched the hearts of audiences
04:18across multiple countries so when you say voice of the voiceless are we to believe that will be more
04:26of so Vikrant Messi from now onwards will be picking more of such scripts ah not necessarily I definitely
04:35will continue representing the common man because maybe that is my default setting but I also want
04:42to go out there and maybe I'll do a comedy tomorrow which does not speak of something in particular I
04:48just want to go out there and entertain could be a mindless comedy which you know would also want to
04:55give the audiences that respite from that daily mundane life but on a larger scale maybe yes
05:01entertain also in you know inform through entertainment infotainment if I may say but not necessarily because
05:13I want to go out there experiment with everything that I want to do there are so many things that I
05:18want to do as an actor there are so many people I want to work with so yes largely drama is my default setting
05:24and what happened to that public statement that you had put out that you wanted to give a little break or
05:30take a little break what happened to that I did take a seven month long break and so that's it that's it I
05:35think seven months are good enough okay fine enough so did did you get a call from Manoj he was with me oh he
05:42was with you while you were receiving it we were there together awesome we were there together Manoj
05:46Kumar Sharma ji Shraddha Joshi ji Anurag Paathak ji my mother my wife my whole family and I consider him a
05:52part of my family we were all there and we were yeah I mean we were all there to enjoy that day because
05:59also as you know the film was also conferred with the best film of what you know the film marketing was
06:04about restart yeah and you have said in your past interviews that 12th feeling feels like a restart
06:13moment in your career then all those successes that you have had all those recognitions that you
06:20have had from Mirza poor I have a long list here made in heaven criminal justice chapak what happens to
06:30those I mean they are all equally important but to be very honest I think 12th feel as you as you rightly
06:42said that it spoke about millions and probably billions of people not just in India but world over the
06:49universal nature of the story connected with people in China as well when I was in Shanghai I've been blessed I've
06:56been lucky that intermittently there have been moments in my life I would also want to add a couple of
07:00more things with Balikavadu was equally important for me yes when I was doing television it really
07:05sort of put me out there in every household at that point in time it also gave me that creative
07:12satisfaction because there as well I wanted to represent the common man represent the society we
07:17spoke about you know female infanticide child marriage and but why 12th feel specifically because
07:26it was my first commercial outing and the message resonates with me I have restarted from time to time all of us do that so the
07:41ideology of the film or the larger idea which the film spoke of was so close to me personally hence there's that tad bit of a personal touch to 12th feel because
07:52it was not just Manoj Kumar Sharma's story it was Manoj Chopra's story it was my story it was your story it was that story for that boy from some village in our country who probably is striving day in day out holding his own and wanting to go out there and express himself
08:09You know I must confess here that I have watched that film a number of times and I don't remember the count now that it is on Netflix
08:18What also stands out here Vikrant is that I come from a state which has the maximum number of UPSC aspirants which is Bihar
08:28Wow right so the entire Hindi belt has been about UPSC aspirants and at one point my parents also wanted me to appear for a UPSC exam
08:40Did you actually when you were making that film did you at some stage feel that the audience will connect so strongly?
08:47I mean not while you are making because while you are making your entire focus is on what you are doing there and then you don't sit and calculate and evaluate
08:56that if we will do this or this will happen or this response will happen because you really don't have that bandwidth
09:02but once we had made the film and we saw the first cut of the film and there were preliminary screenings for feedback
09:13the response we got during those screenings was phenomenal and that's when we felt that I think we made a sincere film
09:20and Vinod sir and I we have the chat that we felt we made a sincere film a film that is so universal in nature
09:26it speaks about every Indian, every Indian's grit, determination to go out there and express himself, herself
09:35because unfortunately that's the world we live in we still have to fight that corruption
09:41we still have to go out there and as I am saying express ourselves and you know all of us want to sort of contribute to the society we live in in some way
09:51but very seldom you get that opportunity so yeah when we were watching the film is when we felt okay I think we think we made a sincere film
10:00it might resonate but we really didn't anticipate the kind of love and admiration the film got then
10:05Vikrant you have delivered I must say powerful performances on OTT and also as a film actor
10:13different experiences but do you see web series connecting more and reaching out more to audiences
10:22our consumption patterns have definitely changed so I think in the last 7-8 years especially with the advent of digitization
10:35you know mobile phones I think all of us have very naturally sort of moved towards a very different pattern of entertainment consumption
10:45and even if you talk about the data nearly 70% of the OTT content is consumed on a mobile phone because it is so private
10:53it gives you that feasibility to watch it at your own disposal I have seen so many people sitting in buses with their headphones on and continuing the episode they left off last night
11:04on their way to work but that may not necessarily be so holistically because the community viewing experience still remains very special to an average person
11:16so yes there are different mediums and there are different ways to sort of even film those things
11:24a web series a web series is a longer format so you are literally making three films at one go
11:30you can the way the the the way you tell that story is far more in depth
11:36you can actually sort of juice it out if I may say so for the lack of a better word
11:40whereas a film is very concise but then there are shorter formats also that have come in
11:45there are reels that people are making so people are making content which they finish in three minutes
11:52yes 30 seconds 30 seconds as well so there are different mediums different mediums need different approaches
11:58but I think the one core crux remains the same which is to entertain which is to go out there
12:04and tell a story in the best possible way you can
12:07and is there some character that you're really itching to play
12:11there are so many
12:14now after 12th field
12:17I am I'm still filming for White which is which is my movie which we made on the Colombian civil strife
12:26I'm playing Shri Sri Ravi Shankar Gurudev Shri Sri Ravi Shankar in that film
12:31my only focus is there right now it's a very special film and that is one thing that I'm entirely focused on
12:38but if I am to say about movies that have been made I would love to play what Aamir Khan did in Lagaan
12:44I would love to do what Irfan Saab did in Makhoor
12:48what he did in Paan Singh Tomar
12:51yeah so these are characters that I would love to play
12:55your emphasis throughout your cap you know your film and journey in cinema and television has been on rooted stories
13:05yeah
13:06so joo zameen ko dikhae
13:08eek eek apne andaaz mein aap dikhaate hai
13:10wo authenticity hai
13:12so Vikrant should will it be fair to say that having completely covered that genre and having done the best
13:20are you still exploring in that genre because you feel that there are several that still remain to be explored and what about South India
13:29southern cinema or southern series
13:32absolutely I think I see it as one I see it as Indian cinema so tomorrow you might see me hopefully see me in a Tamil film or a Malayalam film
13:41and maybe you might see me in a film which comes from you know northeast you might see me in a Gujarati film you might see me in any other film
13:49are these in the pipeline
13:50I mean not necessarily so but am I not exploring I am
13:54I am just waiting for the right fit something that warrants my time my attention
14:02I think I think dunya bhi bhoot choti ho ga hiya the lines have blurred
14:08aur pehle jes tarah se am dekhte the ki hindi cinema alag hai south cinema alag hai waisa nahi raha
14:14abhi sab mil ke kaam kar rah hai and I think this is the best time for everyone including technicians, writers, not just actors to go out there and express themselves
14:25so definitely you might someday see me doing a south film you might see me doing a Gujarati film or a film from Assam
14:32you never know
14:35but yes I will continue telling those rooted stories I will continue telling those stories which are so rooted in our culture
14:43our ethnicity, our individuality because there are many stories and I have to believe that pardon me if you disagree but Mumbai, Delhi, these mega cities that is not real Bharat
15:00i will second that
15:03you are Sahil Bihar, so when you are 100 km from the city you will see Bharaati
15:08then you will see that you will see the earth stories the world they will see our culture today
15:15that we'll be present to you
15:17so i want to represent those people
15:20ah you actually said that that's your default setting
15:24You have used an interesting phrase. So when you see those linguistic conversations which happen that, you know, what is the real cinema, you say that it's Indian cinema or Indian web series.
15:35What is it that you are watching right now? And any of the, because I was reading some articles which said that Malayalam web series are perhaps the best content which are being generated.
15:45And look at the entire K-drama, the Korean drama. I mean, all of us were completely.
15:50Yeah, as I said, with the advent of digitization, these OTT platforms coming in today, you can sit and watch Latin American content at the click of, you know, your phone.
16:01It's the world is, you know, it's so diverse. There are so many things that people are watching. My nieces are watching K-drama.
16:13I unfortunately haven't had the time to follow anything currently. Going back to the question you asked, what am I watching right now?
16:21I just haven't had this time lately to sit and watch anything. But I really want to do that. I'm more of a reader than a watcher.
16:29Okay. So what are you reading? I'm currently reading 21 lessons for the 21st century by Yuval Noah Harari.
16:38Okay. I'm sure Mr. Noah Harari will be picking this up. And his team will actually.
16:44His first book, Sapiens, really inspired me. I don't know if that was his first book.
16:48One of the most renowned thinkers of our time. Yes. Right? So KGF, Pushpa, you know, because it's often said much before the success of Sayyara that the real success, box office successes were down south, not as much as Bollywood.
17:07And Bollywood was failing to come up with something new. I disagree. I completely disagree. See, my worldview is very different. And a lot in the media was also said that, especially during the pandemic and immediately post pandemic that, you know, Bollywood is over, Bollywood is finished.
17:24South versus North, South versus Bollywood.
17:26one of the times you read, super famous or in Washington. You know, Bollywood is your actor and Bollywood is really well.
17:31I completely disagree with it. I think this ecosystem is vast enough for everyone to flourish. And what I see it as is if you make a good film which hits the court with the audiences it will work, irrespective of what state you're coming from or
17:36what language you're speaking in. Gujarati cinema is doing really well, Marathi cinema is doing equally well.
17:46What I see?
17:48I think this ecosystem is vast enough for everyone to flourish and what I see it as is if you make a good film which hits the
17:55cinemas doing equally well. You and I are watching K-dramas and we are watching
18:00Hollywood content. There are people in Bihar in those small small small
18:09Hollywood films, they are watching their original language.
18:12Aspidational India. Yeah, so everyone's watching everything so to sort of narrow it
18:17down to this is going on, this is not going on. So if I were to ask you this
18:22question that if Vikrant Mehse has to prioritize an offer which has come in
18:29from South India versus Bollywood what will you do? It depends on what the
18:32script evokes in me. It's as simple as that. I will only, irrespective of the
18:42medium or the language I am to sort of speak in, what is the story, what is the story
18:49I will pick and choose according to that. It's often said that perhaps South's
18:58storytelling ethos is better than Bollywood. I disagree. See, better is not the right
19:04word. I think we can use a better word for that. I think we operate differently.
19:08There are different work ethics and that's the case everywhere. You know,
19:14different organizations work differently. They have different value systems. Toh better
19:20toh nahi kehsakte hai. And going back to your previous question, I think because box office of course is an equally
19:26important barometer for the success of a film because movie making is such an expensive business.
19:32I think films like Dungal, films like Jawaan, Pathan, Animal, they've done tremendously well. Sayara. Toh
19:42agar sirf box office ki baat kare hai. Toh in filmo ne Dungal has made more than a thousand
19:47croz. It was the first film that made more than a thousand croz. Aap chayna chale jaiye aaj bhi
19:52who film log dikhte hai. Toh better kehna gala hai. What is the, you know, one compliment that you have
20:02received in recent weeks which has stayed with you? Jo dil ko chua hai. There have been quite a few
20:14lately. I think yehi hai ki, you know, when a lot of people say that ki, we know ki agar vikrant
20:25maaisi ki film hai so toh achhi film ho ghi. Aur vahi se responsibility bhi haati hai. There are so
20:32many people who say ki aap ki film ho ghi toh hum usko dehkhen ga zaroor. So the idea is to better myself, be worth
20:38your time and money. And Vikrant, you know, with Vardaan in your life in 2024. Yes. You have been an
20:49available father as well as you took that break post Sabarmati. You gave him enough time. Yeah, I mean
20:57that was actually the reason why I took that break. So it was not because of the controversy and the
21:01trolling that happened. Not at all. I mean it did affect me. Of course. Okay. It does affect you. I mean,
21:07you're not cut from stone, right? I mean, you and also as actors, we are very sensitive people. Contrary
21:14to popular perception that, you know, shayad in ko koi farak nahi padta hooga because
21:20rose marra ki jiwan me in ke saath hota hai. Shayad hume zyada farak padta hai kyunki rose hota hai.
21:24Toh, it did affect me but it didn't bog me down. I took that break because my boy was really
21:32young. My wife was in her postpartum. I wanted to spend some time with her. The only memory
21:38that I have of him then is through videos which were sent to me and I felt ki work can wait but this
21:47can't. So I went back home and I took that break. And that period was also about a lot of
21:53reflection. Absolutely. I went back. I saw all my films. Oh, you went back in those seven months
21:57everything covered. Yes. I saw all the films that I have done. I went back to the drawing board. And
22:03as I said then, the idea is to better myself as an actor. The fact that the Honorable Prime
22:14Minister, Sri Narendra Modi ji was watching my film. The entire core cabinet was watching my film. The
22:21whole country was watching my film. I felt that isse better ab kya hai kar saktta ho hai. Agar
22:29better karna hai toh you have to go back. You have to sort of restart. You have to better yourself as an actor
22:35for the stories that you are going to tell. For the people who are devoting their time to you. And the other
22:41reason that I just mentioned. And what is the success of Sayyara according to you means for the Bollywood?
22:48I mean it's great. It's phenomenal. And would Vikrant Messi be interested in a script of that nature?
22:56Why not? As I said I am a reader. My first reflection is or my first gut feeling whether I want to do a film
23:05or not is after reading it. If it evokes something which I want to say and if we can find that sweet spot
23:10middle ground between the story and my world view or my value system, why not?
23:17You know one view is also Vikrant that and that's from critics that the film industry doesn't really come up with its views often on multiple incidents which has shaken the collective conscience of our nation.
23:35You know I disagree there as well. The idea is ki hum sirif and I think that's subconsciously become our nature as well and I myself speak as an audience ki hum sirif conventional Bollywood, conventional box office successes film ki baat kar rahe hai.
23:54But you are the so called alternate cinema. If you are the so called alternate cinema, if you are going to go there and go there,
24:01then there are also socially relevant films that are becoming made. But we are not seeing it. We are not seeing it.
24:08We are not seeing it. If it's not being made or it's wrong. It's being made, but we don't want to see it.
24:11We don't want to see it because we want to see it. We want to see it easily accessible, which are conventional successes,
24:18whether it's south or north or in any language,
24:21then they are being made.
24:25So, the people who have been given in the Rastrapuriskar, there are many such films,
24:32for example, there is a film called The Silent Epidemic. It speaks about road safety.
24:40Shamsi Aya Marathi film which was confirmed. Traffic, sorry, Parking was another Tamil film which was honored.
24:47Unfortunately, many people have not seen this film. These films are talking about socially relevant issues.
24:54They are the ones you can see it.
24:57My last question and this is about Vikrant Maise. In what state of mind are you in right now?
25:03I just want to go home and sleep for some time. Spend some time with my family and as I said,
25:11I am in the process of filming white as we speak. There is one big schedule left in the month of December.
25:18So, the idea is to go finish that film and start the new year afresh.
25:22And this is a humbling experience and award of this nature. As I said, responsibility perhaps humbling would be a better word for somebody like you.
25:29Absolutely. I mean, it's humbling. It's so gratifying. It is so…
25:38I would leave you with those feelings, Vikrant Maise. Pleasure speaking to you. Thank you for your time.
25:47Likewise. Thank you. Such a pleasure. Thank you.
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