A versatile actor
Shoma A. Chatterji
Vinay Pathak first captured attention with his wonderfully spontaneous performance in Bheja Fry. But despite out-of-the-world cameos in more than 50 films, his screen persona is somewhat identified with comedy. On the eve of the release of Gour Hari Dastaan — The Freedom Files, his first biopic, he talks about his career with disarming modesty.
How did your story begin?
My very first acting assignment was a character from a series called Ye Ishq Nahin Aasan, an adaptation of George Eliot’s Middlemarch, a six-part BBC series, not a comic role. Bheja Fry and Khosla Ka Ghosla came much later. Television viewers noticed me as the English teacher in Hip Hip Hurray and House Arrest with Ranvir Shorey were big hits and so was the popular talk show Ranvir Vinay Aur Kaun.
You went to the US after your graduation in India. How did acting come about?
I was a student of Business Studies at the Stony Brook University in New York. One day I happened to watch Peter Shaffet’s famous play Equus, which left me spellbound. I quit Business Studies to join the Department of Theatre Arts at the same university. I spent the next 10 years in New York using the time to hone my skills in theatre. My first films were blink-and-you-miss it appearances but I cherish these because these gave me a platform to build on.
Why do viewers generally identify you with comedy?
I really do not know. My portfolio is filled with every kind of role you can think of. Maybe this is because Khosla Ka Ghosla and Bheja Fry were big hits that made me a known face within mainstream films. The success of Bheja Fry is something beyond our expectations. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was also a big hit. All the films I’ve done, including Dasvidaniya, Pappu Can’t Dance Sala, Johnny Gaddar, and Badlapur did not have me as comic characters. The mainstream audience likes to associate us with labels, that is all.
How important is Gour Hari Dastaan — The Freedom File for you?
It is one of the most important roles in my career. I play the title role and it is my first biopic on a man who I had the good fortune to interact with as he was open to discussion. When Ananth Mahadevan asked me to do the title role, I was dumbstruck. Which actor in his right senses would reject such an offer?
What kind of help did you get from Mr Gour Hari Das himself?
Ananth and I were looking for a process that would enable us to tell the story in the right vein. We were privileged to have Mr Das ready and willing to guide us through it. We met him on many occasions, along with writer C.P. Suredran. It was a gratifying process.
Now that you are in a position to pick and choose, what criteria do you use when you choose to do a film. Is it the character, story, banner, the director, money, script or a bit of all of these put together?
I always look for an interesting story, which must be woven into a good script. There cannot be a weakly written character in a well-written film. The director is the most important aspect of a film. Banner and production follow.
