Masaba Masaba actor Neil Bhoopalam: Projects came to me, I didn’t chase them

In an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com, Neil Bhoopalam got candid about working with Masaba Gupta in the show, his game plan, and his favourite character.

Here are excerpts from the conversation:

Q. What character traits do you share with Dhairya?

The brief that I was given from our director was that Dhairya is a nice guy. He wants to be cool and smart, but he is not that way, and he won’t reveal himself too. He’ll just stay there, quiet. Similarly, there are times when I don’t like to talk much. So I thought that’s a little bit similar.

Q. Do you agree that you tried to keep a certain mystery around Dhairya?

I think it’s a combination of what we decided to present, and, after a few rehearsals, what tone we got. The beauty of this camera medium is you don’t have to showcase everything. If something is brewing in the character, you don’t reveal it, yet it is visible because of the close-up.

Q. Are you a fictional or a real character in Masaba’s life?

My character is fictional, though he represents how investors are in a fashion business. Masaba would tell stories that she met similar guys. They want to understand the creative process but are not able to. They have the money, the interest, but they can’t completely trust you either.

Q. You are the only male actor in this female led show. Even in Four More Shots Please, you were among the handful of boys around. Does picking such projects come with any sort of apprehension?

I don’t feel that I’ll get lost in the story. I am a firm believer in the saying, “there are no small parts, only small actors.” When I’m presented with something, I always want to know the world being created. Both these shows were such interesting worlds. And when somebody tells me they are considering me for a part, and if it’s something that I would like to watch myself in, I take it up.

Q. How was your experience of working with Masaba?

Very refreshing. When we act, it’s like playing a sport. If the other person is a good player, you enjoy the game. It was fun from the word go.

Q. What was your personal favourite scene in Masaba Masaba?

I like the scene on that boat. That was a hilarious sequence where all the goof-up happens during the show. After we shot it, 4-5 days later, I was randomly laughing to myself on the way it was made.

Read: Masaba Masaba review

Q. You’ve been part of projects which may not fall under the ‘commercial’ tag. Was that a conscious decision?

Although I’m from Bombay, I had to move slowly and accumulate work. The only constant was my theatre background. A lot of people started seeing theatre and calling me for auditions. Secondly, I like to use The Black Eyed Peas as an example, because they used to do a lot of underground independent music shows for almost a decade. Over time, when from a sub-culture, hip-hop became mainstream, these guys became very prominent. So, a subculture eventually becomes a main culture.

Movies like Mr And Mrs Iyer were termed independent cinema at that time. Now, nobody calls a smaller production an independent film. It’s still a film. I had to make choices and decisions based on what comes my way. I did not have a stance where I can create work. I try and be aware of that and simplify it. There’s isn’t a master plan, but I have chosen from what’s coming my way, things I would like to be part of.

Q. But are you content with the kind of work coming your way?

I think I’m still starting up. Mr Amitabh Bachchan is 77 and I’m 37. That’s 40 years away. I still have over 40 years in hand. There is no retirement in this line of work. And I’ve only done about 15 years. So, I’ve not even reached halfway mark. That’s how I’ve always seen it.

Q. Is web giving you better characters?

Yes, no doubt. The entertainment industry works on supply and demand of content. When multiplexes came in, they brought physically more screens in the country. To occupy more screens, you need more films. When smartphones came in, they started streaming content, which means one theater in everybody’s pocket. So now, the demand has gone up. These new platforms are 24×7 libraries. More than the story makers, what fascinates me is the audience. The audience has evolved with regards to how they consume content.

Neil Bhoopalam played Aditya Singhania, a Prime-Ministerial candidate and a youth icon, in TV series 24.

Q. From No One Killed Jessica to Masaba Masaba, how do you see your growth?

It’s been good. When I was around 20, I said in an old interview that I want to try every medium – stage, television, film, radio. Seventeen years later, in the journey, another medium came about! Projects like 24, Shaitan, No One Killed Jessica, NH10 and some smaller films I did with Rajat Kapoor, Sharat Katariya released back-to-back in a span of three years. They elevated me to a certain position. When OTT was fairly new, I already had experience of working on season-based shows, thanks to 24. And it wasn’t that I was getting massive movie offers. Even a film like NH10 comes to you once in five or 10 years. Also these projects came to me, I didn’t chase them. My mantra is to keep doing work. You have to be consistent.

Q. What has been your favourite character you’ve played in all these years?

I enjoyed playing Aditya Singhania in 24. There was something about that entire canvas which was really awesome. For its season 2, I started studying Dr Abdul Kalam’s notes. There is no reference to any of that in the show but I just wanted to educate myself that if a person is at a position of taking decisions for the country, what goes on in his head.