INDRANEEL: “My roles choose me”

 

Indraneel Bhattacharya has had a hectic schedule of late, thanks to three major projects -- Sky Fire, Sacred Games and Batla House. Ergo, when we catch him on his day off, he tells us how much he is enjoying his down-time at home, over lunch with actress wife Anjali Mukhi, her sister and  the latter’s husband. After seeing them off, he spares some time for a chat.

 

All in a day’s work

Neel can currently be seen in the sci-fi thriller Sky Fire on Zee5, which is based on weather manipulation. “My intrigue was piqued by its concept and how well thought out the entire plot is. It’s not the lead role but he’s the one who realizes there are some anomalies and informs the head of the Intelligence Bureau about it.” That apart, he will soon be seen in arguably the biggest web series to come out of India, Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Sacred Games on Netflix. He remembers about how he landed the plum project, “The script had this one scene which was supposed to create a certain impact. It was something that only a seasoned actor could pull off. Vikramaditya Motwane asked me to have a look at the scene and see if I could take up the job.” He adds that from a one-day shoot, it extended to five days. “Later on, I was involved in some pivotal scenes of the series,” he states. He cannot divulge much but he does tell us that his character delivers the big news of something drastic about to happen in the city. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to work with Nawaz bhai but Saif is so cool and fun to work with!” he enthuses about his experience.

Movie outings

In August, the actor famed for television series Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara will be seen in Nikkhil Advani’s film Batla House starring John Abraham. He was previously seen in short yet significant roles in movies such as Fan and Rustom. He is also awaiting the release of Tanashah, the biopic of a dacoit in which he plays one of the leads and an encounter specialist. “The film has been directed by Prakash Jha’s associate Vikram Shrivastava and it’s been a long wait to see its release. It won’t get a big-screen release and will come on an OTT(over-the-top) platform but the wait will be worth it,” says he.

                                   Neel’s appearances may not be lengthy on the big screen but that doesn’t perturb him because he’s a staunch believer in quality over quantity. “I also see how much learning I get to do when I am on the set in productions featuring top-level senior artistes.” For instance, he barely had scenes in Rustom but it meant observing Akshay at work during the 12-day schedule. Or, he also skipped a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie recently because his part was nothing to write home about. In the past, as well, he let go of a blockbuster because his character was altered from what he was originally approached to a not-so-great one.

An avid learner on set

Even though he has substantial experience in four mediums – theater, television, movies and now web, Neel confesses that he’s an eternal student who is open to gaining knowledge about something new, whether sharpening his skills or learning a new trick. “I am constantly looking at every individual and aspects that are put to work. In my early years, I did a small role in an American film, One Night with the King by Michael Sajbel. The main reason was to work with the likes of Omar Sharif, John Noble and John Rhys-Davies.” He recollects that he stayed in Rajasthan for two months and went to the film set every single day even though he was required to shoot for just about 18 days. “At that time, I was like a fly on the wall. My curiousness led me to sit on the set even on the days I wasn’t going to perform,” he explains, adding that his presence and experience scored him the gig of a script assistant.

Ups and downs

Indraneel states that he had his share of limelight while working on the series Khwaish when he became a household name in both India and Pakistan. His recent work in Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara as a negative character is also revered and got him fans from countries such as Turkey, Azerbaijani and Georgia. But there have also been setbacks such as missing out on two major blockbusters, which he doesn’t name because he has moved on, albeit after learning about how life works. He elaborates, “Life has had its ups and downs. Anjali and I have seen the monies flowing in along with a lot of success. But there are times when there is no work for either of us. We have been through tough times where we absolutely went back to ground zero.”

                          Oscillating between success and lean phases is a difficult thing to deal with. “Sometimes we just sit and laugh about it. We have a couple of drinks, watch interesting movies, read books, and call friends over. There are times when we cry in silence or fight with each other,” he says candidly, when asked about how they face such adversities. He mentions a time when he was planning to take up work as an acting coach on a cruise or try his luck in the travel trade industry. In the end, the actor took the fall in his stride and continued giving his best to acting. He quips, “As long as I don’t die, I am going to keep climbing the Everest.”

His support system

The actor from Priyanka Chopra-starrer Jai Gangajal calls his parents and wife Anjali his support system, the latter being his backbone. Indraneel shares how he met his wife. “We didn’t start off on a good note during our first show. It wasn’t until we met for another show Kagaz Ki Kashti where she played my wife that we started being friendly.” He still ribs Anjali that she took the portrayal too seriously and trapped him into matrimony. The duo has done more shows such as Meher and Khwaish among others. “We haven’t shared the screen space in the last few years and we still hope to work together,” he tells us.

An actor is an actor

Indraneel explains that his versatility comes from his belief that ‘an actor is an actor, no matter what the medium.’ From working in theater with the likes of Salim Arif and Nasseruddin Shah, acting in top-rated TV serials and films to performing for web, the actor has done it all. “I don’t like demarcation between actors working in TV and film. In fact, I hate the term ‘TV actors’. I perform the exact same way when I am working for any of the mediums,” he signs off.