How do you recall Antardwand?
Antardwand is a very special film for me, and I’m proud I got to do this film because it was a film that had a lot of depth and meaning in an industry where very few films like this were being made at that time. It showcased a side to society with brutal honesty.
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How did you bag the part of a man who is abducted and forced to marry?
I was recommended by Imtiaz Ali to the director. That was a sort of validation that really encourages a young actor. The National award was the icing on the cake. And I remember you had really liked the film and praised it. And the irony was I was going through tremendous turmoil in my own life when I was shooting this film, and it somewhat reflected my ‘Antardwand’(turmoil) too. Now that I have directed my own films and I look back at Antardwand with that lens, I see a film that was crafted so beautifully and with so much authenticity.
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Were you aware of this malpractice, groom snatching, when you did Antardwand?
For a guy who was proud of being well read and knowledgeable about my country well and spent a lot of time in rural India also, I was surprised because I had no clue that this happened at all. When I met the director’s friend on whom the film was loosely based, I was taken aback at how prevalent and normal this was.
When you turned directed, how deeply affected were you by the urge to tell stories of socio-political aberrations?
As an actor, I always looked for these stories of socio-political aberrations like Gulaal, which I also co-wrote. Then, when I became a director, that has always been my intention. I want to tell these stories and I see many untold ones. Spread awareness through my films without making it preachy or boring, while getting the message across. And it makes me happy when I see and meet people who were touched by my directorial Shaadisthan.
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