Heres why Vikrant Massey is the actor to watch out for
Vikrant Massey is busy as hell. He’s got an important role in the remake of Criminal Justice, which is being developed into a web series by Tigmanshu Dhulia. The director has given him an important life lesson. “Tigmanshu told me you’ve got to constantly refill yourself. And the biggest input is from life itself… experiences, observations… We’ve become so consumed by technology after digitalisation that we overlook things around us. Things which would have affected us a few years back,” he says.
He’s also playing the lead in Ronnie Screwvala’s Yaar Jigri, helmed by debutant Amit Joshi. The film pairs him with Sunny Singh of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety fame. Other projects include Arati Kadav’s sci-fi film Cargo, Alankrita Shrivastava’s Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare and Seema Pahwa’s Pind Daan. He’s part of web projects like Mirzapur, Made In Heaven and Broken as well. Well, all this proves his eclectic tastes where it comes to his selection of roles.
Hailing from Versova in suburban Mumbai, Vikrant witnessed many shootings in the vicinity while growing up. “I have memories of actors like Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff shooting near my home,” he smiles.
Vikrant began learning dance under Shiamak Davar’s tutelage from an early age. Later, he became an assistant instructor with Shiamak. He was just 16 when he got a casting call for a serial. He got selected but the show for which he had left his secure job with Shiamak, never went on air. But as luck would have it, someone from Disney Channel happened to spot him. They cast him in a show called Dhoom Machao Dhoom. “This turned out to be a rage among the youth,” he says. He rose to further fame with the popular daily soap, Balika Vadhu even though he wasn’t the lead in the show.
Vikramaditya Motwane’s Lootera (2013) came to him after a decade in the business. He played Ranveer Singh’s friend and assistant. “Films just happened. As a youngster, I enjoyed watching films like Maqbool, Satya and Haasil. I sensed a shift in my sensibilities at an early age, when I began watching offbeat cinema rather than candyfloss films,” he says. He elaborates, “ I wanted to play characters like Om Puriji’s in Tamas. Or like Naseeruddin Shah’s in Mirza Ghalib and Irrfan Khan’s in Maqbool.” In the 14 years of his career, he considers every day a challenge. For him, acting means creating life out of nothing, breathing form into the writing on paper. And he considers it a never-ending process.
Except for Death In The Gunj, he has played bit roles in films so far but that doesn’t bother him. “I was never apprehensive about playing the hero’s friend. The challenge is to deliver what the director imagines you as rather than doing things you imagine,” he explains. Zoya Akhtar’s interpretation of his character Rana (the rich kid in Dil Dhadakne Do) was poles apart from the Rana he had imagined. “But the fun was to deliver what she wanted,” he maintains.
According to him, more than the film Death In The Gunj, it was director Konkona Sen Sharma, who was the turning point in his career. Vikrant delivered a breakthrough performance of his career as Shutu. A brooding, lost boy searching for affection in a world that sees him no more than a means, Shutu is the star of the film. “Konkana gave me what no one did. She saw in me what probably no one else did. I’ll always be indebted to her. She doesn’t wear her lineage or her intellect on her sleeve,” he says of the director. “After Death… people realised my potential. Now, there are writers who write for me, people are backing projects resting on my shoulders. I hope to stand true to the expectations,” he shares of the credibility he has earned as an actor.
He’s enjoying his journey in all mediums - television, films, short films and web series. “I’ve been lucky to collaborate with like-minded people. I do not see myself as an ‘Indie actor’ but as an actor, whose capability and contribution is steadily being recognised across all platforms,” says he.
Rather lanky and lean, he doesn’t necessarily fit into the abs flaunting heroes of today. He’s not desperate to hit the gym and develop six-pack abs. Likewise, he doesn’t want to dance around trees despite being a trained dancer. “I wouldn’t call it inhibition but yes, I’ve never considered myself an extremely good-looking guy. That didn’t alter things in any way,” he remarks. His mother is a huge Satyajit Ray fan. Like her he was fascinated by the maverick and offbeat as well. “None of my idols were conventionally good-looking heroes. Rather, they were extraordinary with the talent they possessed. Be it Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Irrfan Khan or Pankaj Kapur,” he explains. “So, I’m in a happy space. If there’s a character that demands a chiselled body, I’ll get it. I’m working towards it for a project,” he informs.
Money too is not something that floats his boat. He recently rejected a celebrated filmmaker’s offer for a role he wasn’t convinced about. “I was tempted to take the plunge for monetary purpose alone. I was being paid a lot of money. But better sense prevailed,” he confides. “I feared I was going against my ethics and social conscience. I thought paisa kama lenge aage phir kabhi,” he reasons.
He concedes that it’s difficult for an outsider to put his foot in this industry. But he also believes that if nepotism exists, free and fair opportunities also thrive in the industry. “Else, I wouldn’t have been here today. The beauty of this vast industry is that merit always survives.” He admits that fear of failure is natural and he suffers from it as well. He points out that an actor’s failures become public affairs. “Your mettle determines how you deal with it. Fear of failure drives away complacency,” he says.
He prefers to keep his private life private. He has a wonderful companion in Sheetal Thakur, an actor herself. “We aren’t closeted about our personal lives just to create an intrigue about us. You can see our pictures on our Instagram handles. I don’t talk about these things as I’m shy,” he says. “I prefer coming back to a regular home like any other family. Coming back to reality from this glamorous, fragile, world of make-believe keeps me sane. Or I can be consumed by things and turn self-destructive at times.”
He’s happy replenishing himself with loved ones. And with their support, he says, “It’s possible to dream.”
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