Decoding crime

Jasmine Singh

There is something unassumingly quiet about him. There is no rush, no one is going anywhere. For television actor Yash Sinha, it is the moment which is important, everything else can wait. And the moment belongs to the show on Colors, Code Red that brings him along with another seasoned actor, Manish Chaudhari to Chandigarh.

Together they feel the responsibility of the show which focus on issues like gender bias, sports-based exploitation of women, domestic violence and more.

It is but Manish, who would first want to see how the audience looks at such shows. “Yes, we need to get out of this, treating them like crime shows. Code Red is a show where people see it and feel, yes, this has happened with us as well and then they call on the helpline,” shares Manish, who will remind you of the nasty boss from the Bollywood film Rocket Singh. In reality, he is nowhere close to being nasty, he is just an actor. An actor who has dabbled in theatre for a long time, and, “and actor who likes to act. I get well-etched character roles, which I love to do, whether it is TV or films, though ideally I would love to work in films,” shares Manish as he slips into Code Red again.

“I think only if we raise issues, talk about it, change will eventually come through. And Code Red is about the show,” says Manish, who plays an NGO representative Bhaskar.

Manish doesn’t slot his roles into any dimension. “I always wanted to act, so all kinds of roles are equally important to me. On the show, I talk people out of their problems, even suicides,” he shares.

So, are people opening up to him in real life as well? “Well, no. As I said, I am actor, not a shrink. In fact, actors need shrinks more than anyone else,” says the actor who will be seen in Bombay Velvet.

The other ‘quieter’ one defines his moment on Code Red. “This is what the show is for me. It is a show that has crime and emotional quotient. The stories have been picked from what is happening in society, which are real,” adds the actor who sees himself neck deep in the character. “Sometimes I am talking in a peculiar fashion when my wife tells me I am still living my character.”

Yash plays a journalist in Code Red who doesn’t believe in being a part of candle marches. Action is the word for him.

On the personal front, however, everything is at peace. And what brings this peace is his practice of Buddhism. “I had practised it earlier, and then lost touch, but now I am back. It brings peace at various levels in life,” he keeps to his pace, which is why there is no concrete answer to the future projects. “As of now, I am totally into Code Red, let’s see, what comes up next."