‘More people are watching web series for their quality’

Actor Angad Bedi, who was last seen in Dear Zindagi, now features in India’s first original Amazon Prime series, titled Inside Edge. Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar-owned Excel Entertainment, the show is already making headlines and has been well-received by the viewers. 

Inside Edge is a story about a national cricket league that’s set against the backdrop of a betting scandal. Bedi is playing the role of Arvind Vashishth, the captain of a “PPL team”, called Mumbai Mavericks. He says that he is really excited about this role and thankful for the audience’s love for the show so far. “First of all, it was good working with the team together for 4-5 months. And if I have to describe this show then it’s a content-based show. It’s really higher that way. It’s a multi-starrer show. And each character is really exciting and different. And it’s a well-written part for everyone. It has been executed really well. Each one has their own story and own track. So, people are really glad to watch it,” Bedi tells Guardian 20.

For Bedi, the character he is portraying in the present show differs from all the work he has done in the past. He says, “For me, coming from Pink and Dear Zindagi, and now doing Inside Edge is very different. I am essaying the role of Arvind Vashishth. He is a very respectful man. He has been associated with the world of cricket for almost 15 years. He has also been the captain of the Indian cricket team for a while and now he has this big challenge before him: heading the Mumbai Mavericks team. Another thing, that makes this character a very challenging one is that, he is a complex person handling a myriad of emotions all at once. He is a very earnest, upright individual. Cricket is his religion.”

About his role, Bedi adds, “This guy has always been in control of his emotions. He has different equations with different people. His personal relationship is in turmoil plus he is given the task of disciplining the boys in his team. While all this is happening, he is also seen trying to balance his relation with the Mumbai Maverick’s owner, Zarina Malik played by Richa Chadha. He is seen having a very complex character and that’s what makes the role so exciting.”

Bedi played the character of a male chauvinist in his recent film Pink, and wanted to explore new grounds as an actor. He says, “See, I was offered one of the roles. And I chose this because I had done grey roles in the past and I didn’t want to repeat that. I didn’t want to repeat the same graph of doing grey shades. And I wanted to do a positive character and my role is very positive in the show. And that is the only thing which is positive otherwise everything in the show is pretty much on the grey side. And I was on board for this role, I liked the innocence attached to this character. He is actually fighting against something wrong.”

“See, I was offered one of the roles. And I chose this because I had done grey roles in the past and I didn’t want to repeat that. I didn’t want to repeat the same graph of doing grey shades. And I wanted to do a positive character and my role is very positive in the show.” 

For an actor, working with a good team is always important. About his team members in his latest web series, Bedi says: “They are all good actors and everyone has a great role and they have played it excellently. Sanjay Suri has a very good part in it. He has a very good equation with me in the show. He is the coach. So, when you good actors working with you and such a fine script then you don’t have to worry about your role. Each character is holding so well and is a delight to watch. It’s so good to hear that people are loving the show. It is really encouraging for us.”

Are web series the future of entertainment in India? “I think in our country, people from age 15-30 are mostly watching web series like Game of Thrones, House of Cards, sitting at home. So, you have to give them something really exciting to watch. And our youth is watching all American shows and as an actor, I would like to reach out to them. People are moving towards the web format because the content is really good there. Cinema will always be there and there will be web as well, and I want to reach everyone through my body of work irrespective of their age. And that is what, I am trying to do through this show.”

In the near future, Bedi would be seen with Salman Khan in Tiger Zinda hai. “Ali Abbas Zafar saw Pink and considered me for Tiger Zinda Hai. I really like his body of work and I always wanted to work with him. Also, working with Salman Khan is something very different and I have always admired him. Each character he shows up in the film, is so close to the audience and that is why, they become memorable characters,” says the actor.