Vikrant Massey began his acting journey with television in 2004 and became a household name through shows such as Balika Vadhu and Baba Aiso Varr Dhoondo. Massey got his big Bollywood break with Lootera (2013) and hasn’t looked back since then. The actor, who has recently made an entry into the digital space with web series like Mirzapur and Alt Balaji’s Broken But Beautiful, speaks to Guardian 20 about the new avenues the online medium has opened up for young actors.
Q. What led to your interest in the show Broken But Beautiful?
A. The relatability of the show. The story of the show revolves around two people, who are carrying a huge baggage and are heartbroken, coming together. I along with many others have had this experience of falling in love and then someone breaks your heart or you break someone’s heart. So, Brokenis about two people, Veer and Samira. Veer, like today’s generation, is working day and night, running in a race and is trying to make money. He is madly in love with his wife but because of some tragedy, his entire life changes. And that’s when he meets Samira. It is then that their journey starts, not necessarily as lovers. It is not necessary that every relationship between a man and woman has to end up in them being boyfriend and girlfriend. There are multiple meanings to companionship. And Broken explores those, especially when you see how these two people having very different experiences help each other in filling the voids in lives… When Ekta [Kapoor, creator of the show] told me that she wants to make this story with me and explained to me how she wants to execute it, I was immediately on board because I haven’t played a character like Veer before. It was a beautiful opportunity for me to talk about love at that big a platform.
Q. Are there any other themes that the web series explores?
A. This show is about celebrating love and loss equally. This is why the name Broken But Beautiful. The companionship that is being portrayed through this show is not a quintessential companionship. They [Veer and Samira] are accepting each other with their baggage. For some they will come across as good friends, for some they will appear as potential partners, but just like in real life, in this story as well we have no idea what the future holds for these two characters.
Q. What do digital platforms like these mean to young actors like yourself?
A. Opportunity! This is because it is so seamless today. This means we can watch content from any part of the world anywhere. We can also reach out to the entire world with our stories, with our skill set. And many people don’t know it but most VFX that we see in the movies of the West is done in India… When Mirzapurcame out on 16 November, by night it was available in almost 202 countries. This wasn’t possible five years back. So if you are getting to display your talent to this huge audience then along with it being a big challenge, it is also an opportunity. I would also like to add that it is in a very nascent stage where we are exploring it [the digital space] ourselves. We want to push ourselves and know what all we are capable of doing. So far so good, I would like to say. But for actors like me it is a place, an opportunity where we can be a part of good stories. To reach out to more people because it is as good as the television medium today. If television is a door-to-door medium, then the Internet too is a door-to-door medium.
Q. To be able to play a relatable character—is it an important criterion for you when you are signing up for a project?
A. Yes, definitely. If not for relatability, then I would have no idea how I’d be able to put my heart and soul into a project… Observation, too, helps me with playing characters. But I also don’t want to limit myself as an actor.
Q. What do you think can help television actors when it comes to getting a break in Bollywood?
A. Everyone in television wants to do films. They want to do good content. Even I as a television actor wanted to do films and I don’t know really know what worked for me. In fact, when people tell me that I have made it “big” in the film industry, I am mostly clueless because life is the same for me.
Q. Cinema is a very different world. Did you have to change yourself in any way in order to make that shift from TV to films?
A. I don’t think any changes are needed. If your output changes with the medium then it is a sort of cheating… I am not an expert, I am still learning. So I have no idea how I was able to make that shift from TV to films. May be I was lucky, or may be people liked my work. I am no position to tell anyone the route, I am still cracking it and I don’t want to mislead anyone. But you need to be sincere in your work and deliver whatever the director expects from you. At times, you also have to surrender yourself as an actor, you can’t control everything. As an actor, you have no control over the script, you can’t control the lighting—so you must surrender. May be I was able to work with good directors and I was lucky to have those kinds of opportunities.
Q. Things are changing fast in Bollywood, be it the content, the attitude of filmmakers or the expectations of the audience. Do you think this is a good time for aspiring actors?
A. Not just actors. It’s good for writers, directors, musicians, technicians and for many other people. This is because there are no conventions now. There is respect for each perspective. This is a great time for everyone. As I have said, it is a very nascent stage and we have to keep up this development. The kinds of changes that we have seen in the last five years have been very impactful. Luckily, I was able to have a first-hand experience of these changes and was a part of scripts like Lipstick Under My Burkhaand Death in the Gunj. Today, people want to watch good stories, they are very smart too. They want to see scripts that are worth their money and time… They have a lot of exposure now and they have a lot of good content to choose from. The biggest example of this is when Zee Zindagi came to India and we suddenly realised that the kind of content people in Pakistan have on TV is so good.
Q. Tell us about your big-screen projects?
A. There is Cargowith Fundamental Pictures. The film is directed by Arati Kadav and also stars Shweta Tripathi. Then there is Yaar Jigri, and it will be my first film with Ronnie Screwvala. I have done a supporting role in Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare. The movie has Bhumi Pednekar and Konkona Sen Sharma. I am also doing Drishyam film’s Pind Daan. It is Seema Pahwa’s directorial debut and I am shooting for it in Lucknow these days.