A small role in Dharma’s ‘2 states’

A couple of months ago, the path ahead looked hazy. All I knew was that I wanted to make it big as an actor. How I would begin and what will get me there was something that stumped me. Yes, I had been at it for many years but the only thing I was working on at that moment was my play ‘Shakespeare Who?’. Knowing that theatre won’t pay me well always made me feel insecure about the future. Some solid roles that give me recognition as a good actor, make me a familiar face and get me more work were the need of the hour. I needed a fresh beginning. I thought I will start by contacting all the casting directors and co-ordinators I know of. My friends Shikha and Bisht also helped me with some contacts of people I could get in touch with. So I sent my pictures to all the email Ids I had and started following up with them by calling them every once in a while. This is when I happened to speak with casting director Nandini Shrikent. She told me she had seen my pictures and will let me know if something comes up. “Everyone says that but nobody ever gets back”, I said to myself! However, two days later when I was at home working on the lines of my play, I got a call from Dharma Productions. It was from a girl named Rachna who asked me if I can come for an audition for ‘2 States’. Nandini had referred my name to Dharma. This was a pleasant surprise 🙂 I hadn’t read the book  ‘2 states’ but I knew that it was a blockbuster by the new Indian youth icon Chetan Bhagat!

I showed up all excited at the Dharma office the next day. Rachna briefed me about the character and the little scene I needed to perform. It was for a part named Mohit who is an IIM student and friends with the protagonist. I knew the moment Rachna described the character to me that it’s a very small part – like one of those students in the background that you see hanging around with the hero in college love stories. Nevertheless, it was a big production house and I had nothing else to start with. I felt this was a blessing and something that could set the ball rolling for me. So I gave the audition and then forgot about it because that’s the best way to keep oneself away from the stress and anxiety of wanting to get through.

After a few days, when I was ADing in an ad film (read previous posts), I got a call from Rachna that I was shortlisted for the part of Mohit. This got me really excited because it was my first film role in my new life as just an actor! However, this was also the worst phase because once you get a shortlist call, you keep wondering when you will get the final call that says you have been locked for the part. I had been shortlisted for a couple of films before (like David Dhawan’s Chashme Baddoor) but had never received the final calls. So this made me very nervous. That’s when my friend Nidhi Singh calmed me down saying that I should be happy that I at least got shortlisted. It means that I must have done something right and someone likes me. Later at home, my roomie Nikhil too asked me to just forget about it and focus on the play and other auditions. Although I did take their advice, I kept my fingers crossed.

On the 4^th of February, I finally got the call. Sharikh from Dharma Productions called me to discuss the fees and when I agreed, he said I was locked for the part. I was told that I will be needed for a couple of days in Mumbai in the month of February and then for 3-4 days in Ahmadabad in the month of April. I was to get a call from an AD later to confirm the shoot dates. Later that night I did get a call from Siddhanth, an AD with Dharma, to let me know that I would be needed in the Mumbai schedule for any 1-2 days between the 6^th and 11^th. This was a potential problem because my play date (as in the date of my theatre play and not the one related to single parents :P) was the 10th of Feb. It was weird that I hadn’t even started out in the industry yet and was already having date issues 😀 I told Siddhanth about this and he assured me that my shoot will certainly be done before the 10^th. That was a relief and finally, I could tell myself that I had bagged my first role as a character in a feature film! I sent Nandini a “thank you” message informing her that I got through and expressing how grateful I was for this opportunity. She replied joking that she obviously knew that I got through as she was the one doing the casting 🙂

I was called for a line-run a couple of days later at the same venue where I had auditioned for the part. This is where I met a guy named Siddharth Amar. He was an actor too and seemed shocked to know that I am playing Mohit. “That can’t be true, I am the one playing Mohit”, he said. Now, once I got the final selection call, I had picked up Chetan’s novel and quickly read through the IIM bit of it. That’s how I knew that there were 5 Mohits in the story. I drew Siddharth’s attention to this and told him that there is a probability that we have been cast to play 2 of the 5 Mohits. May be, there were 3 more coming. We waited anxiously when an AD named Ishaan entered the office. I thought he was an actor too because he looked nothing less than a Hero. This, I thought, was one striking thing about all Dharma ADs I met in the future. They were all capable of giving actors and models an inferiority complex! Anyway, Ishaan greeted us, introduced himself, and asked us to have a seat till the other ADs arrive. He also clarified that there are indeed 5 Mohits but we were the ones with a couple of dialogues in the film. The others would probably stand by and react. In a while, the other ADs Siddhanth and Karina arrived and started setting up the lights and camera for our rehearsal. We were then introduced to the first AD Arif (who was pretty much the dynamic driving force on the day of the shoot, but more on that later). While Arif was checking the set up, we were given a line to rehearse. This line was split between Siddharth and me. Arif made us rehearse together a few times and then captured it on camera. Once he was happy with the take, he let us go saying he will see us on the day of the shoot.

As I left the Dharma office, I was feeling a bit sad about having to share my footage with another actor. I thought I could see what was coming. It was a small part to begin with and there was a further split in footage with someone else. May be it was not really a part in which I will be seen or noticed. I mean, there were going to be 4 more Mohits for crying out loud! However, I immediately realized that I cannot be so negative about it. It was a ray of hope. It was my first project with a huge production house and if I am good, it could lead to bigger, better roles. Also, I thought feeling insecure due to other actors around me is probably a part and parcel of this industry (or any for that matter). So I had to deal with it sooner or later. I thought the best way to go about it was to make friends with him and try and create something good together by complementing each other. So I put all these feelings behind me and started eagerly waiting for the day of the shoot.

One day before the shoot, I got a call from Nikita from the costume department for my measurements. She asked me for my shirt and trouser size and also advised me to carry a few options like T-shirts, track pants, college casuals, and floaters on the day of the shoot. This was my first costume call and it made me feel – “Wooaaahh!! I feel like a professional, working actor now” 😀 AD Siddhanth informed me that the call time for the next day was 8 am. My co-actor Siddharth – the other Mohit – called me to say that he will be coming along with me on my bike. And there I was – on the eve of my first day of shoot for Dharma Productions’ 2 States.