Bobby Vats “I was a very new and nascent actor”

In this interview, Bobby Vats dwells at length about his illustrious journey as an actor worked in different media like films, TV, theater, short films, web series etc and tells RAMAKANT MUNDE that he has to achieve a lot more as far as his work and creative satisfaction are concerned.

My journey as an actor
I started my career with the film Joru Ka Ghulam way back in 2000. It was produced and directed by Shakeel Noorani. Since it was a Govinda starrer, I was in the limelight though it was a small role and since then, by God’s grace, I did not at all look back as an actor in Bollywood. The success of the film instilled a lot of confidence in me as I was a very new and nascent actor at that point of time.

Series of commercial films
Yes. I acted in the film Kismat Love Paisa Dilli (KLPD) directed by Sanjay Khanduri with Mallika Sherawat. Then followed films like Jehangir Surti’s Aa Dekhe Zara with Neil Nitin Mukesh and Bipasha Basu and last but not the least Suneet Arora’s film called Chitkabrey, which was also made as Table No 11 with Rajeev Khandelwal later. It was the story of seven people being kidnapped by Ravi Kishen and held as captives in a big house

Kya Yehi Sach Hai was the turning point in your career as an actor which fetched you a lot of recognition in the role of a cop. Isn’t it?
Yes. The film Kya Yehi Sach Hai proved to be a turning point in my career. The film which was based on cops and corruption was very controversial and ruffled many a feather at that point of time.

What is your role in the film Delhi 47 Kms?
I have played a very big special appearance in the film Delhi 47 Kms of a mafia Don who does not fight shy of eliminating even his own brother.

What next?
I am acting now in a commercial feature film called The Last Rave, with Rajkummar Rao, Dibyendu Sharma and Flora Saini

You are also acting in a Tamil film with Jackie Shroff?
Yes. I am acting in the Tamil film Pandi Muni with Kasthuri Raja, the father of super star Dhanush as the director. Jackie Shroff is playing the title role in the film. It is a role which has many shades and I enjoyed playing it though it was very difficult to learn the Tamil dialogues by heart. A coach was also appointed to teach us the accent and perfect the diction

Recently there was a controversy about a nude clip from your film going viral.
Yes. A nude clip of a scene from the film Color of Shadows had gone viral thanks to pirating done while the editing of the film was on. The film is meant for various film festivals all over the world. The film color of the shadaow has already won two awards already in best film category and in best actor category.The festival journey has just begun,and I am sure that more laurels are on the way.

You are also active on the stage. How do you manage to squeeze in time to act in not only films and TV but also the stage as well as the web series?
Life as an actor should always go on. I have enjoyed my journey as an actor and also glad that people too have enjoyed my performances and appreciated me. I am always on the look-out for new work, new projects, whatever the platform. I am very happy that I am still doing theatre. Recently I was a part of the popular play Aala Afsar in not only Mumbai but also North East.

You are a product of television!
Yes. I h YES I HAVE DONE A LOT OF TELEVISION.TV serials give you popularity quotient. My first show as a lead actor was a Zee Tv show,SAB CHALTAHAI-TAKEIT EASY directed by Anil Chaudhary. Serials like Heena, Amrapali, Ravan, Kasam and many others I have done nearly 26 soap-operas on telivision and was one of the busiest actors of television doing three shifts in a day.. The only flip side with the serials is that they require you to dole out your dates continuously. I cannot afford to leave films because while TV serials come and go, even a song in films is remembered long after the film is released, whether it is a flop or a hit. When I was acting in serials, people used to tell me that I am cut out for films because I am quite tall.

You have acted in ads to!
Each medium teaches you a lot and each has its own advantages as well as disadvantages, though all said and done, theatre is your foundation for your acting prowess. I have done an ad in Telugu too because I have a good memory to learn my lines by heart.

You bagged the film Joru Ka Ghulam only because of your serial Heena. Isn’t it?
Yes. It was producer Shakeel Noorani’s wife who suggested to her husband that he should cast me in his film as she was impressed with my performance in the serial Heena.

You have acted in short films too. How was the experience?
I have acted in short films like Kaala, The Cure, Color of The Shadow, Birthday etc. The best thing about short films is that you can experiment whether you are a director for that matter an actor. I should confess that the entire scenario has changed as far as the short films are concerned today. Several filmmakers are now making short films regularly. Like Anurag Kashyap and Imtiaz Ali. If your short film is showcased at the International Film Festival in Goa, your film will fetch 20 lakhs as prize money if it is selected for an award. The market for short films has increased in a big way with the entry of agencies like Hoot, Netflix, Amazon and last but not the least YouTube.I am working on many new projects on digital medium.

Do you think that the digital medium is in a position to replace Cinema in a big way?
No. Not at all. The digital medium can never ever hope to replace or displace Cinema at all. After Cinema evolved, radio came. After radio, 16 mm followed and now digital era has started. If you have HD, 4K, 2K cameras and have good content, your films can go a long way.

What do you feel when you look back at your career?
When I look back, I feel that I have to do a lot more work to achieve though it has been almost 18 years since I had begun my journey as an actor. To tell you the truth, I am actually enjoying the process as an actor. Considering the fact that I have had no background in films and yet have come this far, I feel that I am blessed especially since I had had the opportunity to work with great filmmakers like Shyam Benegal, , Sanjay Khandoori, B.P. Singh, Asha Parekh, Jeh Surti, Anil Chaudhary and theater stalwarts like Jayadev Hattangadi, Satyadev Dubey, Salim Ghouse, Makrand Deshpande etc.