In conversation with Vikrant Massey on his film ‘Love Hostel’, on how the digital platform has changed the entire narrative for actors and more. Excerpts:
Vikrant Massey in Love Hostel…
It is a fairly dark film and it I set in Haryana and it is about two lovers who are fighting against all odds to survive and be with each other. It’s a social commentary of what is happening around, it’s about survival and the power of love.
The digital platform has changed the entire narrative of actors. There are no heroes or heroines and there is nothing that is a completely black or white role, what do you have to say about that?
The OTT platform has provided a platform for all of us to go out and relate to the stories. Now you see a large number of films made which are far closer to reality. But again, cinema always had alternate storytelling away from the commercial song and dance. But now with the OTT there are far more films that are made which are universal in language and getting global recognition and it reaches more than hundreds of countries at once. It’s a far bigger playground for all of us and not just for actors, but also technicians and storytellers. It is because of OTT platforms we can just show our skills.
How democratic is the OTT platform?
You cannot really go there and compare it with the box office. Each has its own individuality. There is no point in overlapping these two as they are fairly different mediums and they have their own plusses and minuses. I would rather focus on the benefits of OTT platforms as they are huge. Today if you make a film for OTT, you are catering to more than 190 countries at one go. Films on OTT are far more universal in language and nature. Especially during COVID we realised how life had completely changed and the world was shut. But people were entertained at least at the confines of their homes through OTT platforms.
How roles of villains are changing and in fact, there are no villains in films and shows?
There is no black or white and there is no hero or villain. They are far more relatable. Even our audiences have good exposure to international cinema and they know and understand cinema and they also understand human nature at large is far more than what it used to be in the yesteryears. People want to see more relatable people on screen. They want to see characters and stories they can identify with. There is a general shift in the taste of the audiences’ when it comes to cinema viewing and appreciation. And as humans, we are not perfect and nobody is. We are all flawed and that’s what makes us humans and our ability to correct ourselves, to look within and to empathize with ourselves and the world at large. We don’t relate to larger-than-life characters anymore and hence we are far more human in our approach. We want to make real characters that resonate with people.
You have always been playing the boy next door and now it is the out and out action role in Love Hostel for the very first time. What was the shift like?
It was very grueling and challenging. Physically you know you will be doing a lot of action sequences, so you prepare yourself for all the hard hits, the punches and the falls, but it is far more complex than that. It is not just picking up a gun and firing. It’s a lot more than that and it does take a toll on you. But I quite loved it because I have been playing the boy next door for some time now. But venturing into an area that was untapped for me has been very fulfilling. People have really appreciated my work. As an actor, I want to come out of my comfort zone and not limit myself. I just want to tap new avenues.
You had to put on a lot of weight for the role and bulk up too, how did you manage to do that?
I did put on a lot of weight for the film because my director, Shanker Raman wanted me to look a certain way. I was just eating like an animal and I was hitting the gym too for bulking up. I even contracted COVID and the challenges kept coming, but I dealt with them decently well. The COVID hit and I was pushed back by a few weeks. And genetically I am lean because if I don’t eat well and hit the gym, I tend to shed weight very fast.
Are you choosy about roles?
I do take my time and I go through the scripts carefully. But the larger idea is to challenge myself as an actor also because very early in my career I had realised that writers and directors like to typecast you. I really want to refrain from being typecast and I made a very conscious decision to stay away from that.
Love Hostel is showing on Zee5
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