‘Most Problems In Life Arise From…’

‘When

The
Mehta
Boys
was
offered
to
me,
I
wasn’t
very
sure.’
‘I
was
doing

Bambai
Meri
Jaan
and

Khakee.’
‘I
felt
I
should
do
something
bigger.’
‘I
felt
a
soft
film
is
not
what
I
would
want
to
do.’

You
know
what
they
say
about
dreams?
They
must
be
realised
with
eyes
open.

Holds
true
for

Avinash
Tiwary
when
he
dropped
out
of
engineering
at
19
to
pursue
acting
aspirations.
His
only
backing
to
survive
in
the
notoriously
disorienting
film
industry
was
his
belief
in
himself.

Looking
back,
Avinash
admits,
it
feels
“plain
stupidity”
but
things
worked
out
for
him.

After
a
bumpy
start
in
2018
with

Laila
Majnu,
as
the
actor’s
remarkable
performance
went
off
the
radar
just
like
the
film
itself,
Avinash
persisted
to
make
his
space
in
the
industry.

In
the
last
couple
of
years,
he
rose
to
fame
and
acclaim
with
projects
like

Khakee:
The
Bihar
Chapter,
Bambai
Meri
Jaan,
Kaala,
Madgaon
Express
and

Sikandar
Ka
Muqaddar.

His
latest
outing

The
Mehta
Boys,
Boman
Irani’s
debut
directorial
venture,
puts
him
in
a
different
light
as
a
stubborn
half
of
a
complex
father-son
duo.

“For

Mehta
Boys,
the
amount
of
messages,
the
love
that’s
flowing…
You
feel
you’re
able
to
affect
people
and
heal
something
for
them.
It
is
a
special
feeling.

Jaise
duaayein
mil
rahi
hain,”
Avinash
tells

Mayur
Sanap/Rediff.com.

Were
you
thrilled
that

The
Mehta
Boys
was
written
by

Birdman
writer
(Alexander
Dinelaris)?

That’s
definitely
something
I
would
take
as
a
brownie
point.

But
honestly,
when
it
was
offered
to
me,
I
wasn’t
very
sure.

I
was
doing

Bambai
Meri
Jaan
and

Khakee
at
that
point.
I
felt
I
should
do
something
bigger.

I
felt
a
soft
film
is
not
what
I
would
want
to
do.

But
once
I
read
it,
it
just
called
me.

I
felt
I
have
to
do
this
because
this
will
stay
for
long.

The
story
connected
with
me.
It
was
not
melodramatic
and
had
a
very
different
look
towards
it.
I
liked
the
way
the
writer
was
seeing
the
story.

Praising
your
audition
for
the
film,
Boman
Irani
said
whatever
he
threw
at
you
as
an
actor
or
director,
you
responded
magnificently.
What
was
the
process
like?

His
compliment
comes
for
me
probably
as
a
performer
but
there
are
years
of
thought,
craft
and
effort
of
doing
this.

Most
of
the
things
that
he
threw
at
me,
after
I
read
the
film,
I
connected
with.
I
knew
what
the
headspace
was.

I
honestly
didn’t
think
of
it
much
but
you
get
so
happy
when
someone
like
him
compliments
you
and
cares
to
even
look
at
these
small
things.

He
asked
me
to
read
a
scene
once
and
we
did
a
reading.

The
next
thing
I
know,
he
had
his
jacket
off,
I
had
my
jacket
off,
and
both
of
us
were
on
the
floor,
almost
acting
together.
For
me,
that
was
the
thing.

I
connected
to
the
actor-director
so
much
that
it
was
very
easy
for
me
to
respond
with
whatever
he
threw
at
me.

He
also
said
that
you
thought
he
was
not
happy
with
your
performance
during
the
rehearsals.

(Laughs)
Yeah,
I
would
always
feel
that.

I
was
out
for
promotions
(of
other
projects)
and
he
would
constantly
feel
that
I’m
not
giving
my
all.

He
felt
I
was
not
pushing
myself
enough
and
was
not
there
enough
for
him,
as
an
actor.
But
I
felt
that
I
was.

If
you
look
at
it,
Amay
(his
character
in
The
Mehta
Boys)
is
being
pushed
around
and
everyone
constantly
keeps
telling
him
that
you
are
capable
of
so
much
more
and
you’re
not
giving
your
best.

I
almost
started
feeling
the
same
kind
of
resentment
that
Amay
feels
for
his
father
during
the
rehearsals.
I
used
to
find
ways
to
keep
away
from
him.

Strangely,
the
moment
we
started
shooting,
he
hyped
me
up
and
how.
He
would
come
and
tell
me
how
good
an
actor
I
am.

So
the
shoot
became
very
smooth
and
comfortable.
The
rehearsal
was
difficult
because
I
would
put
in
the
hard
work
and
still
feel
not
being
validated.

Do
you
draw
experiences
from
real
life
to
play
your
characters?

That’s
all
I
know.

I’ve
always
been
curious
and
I
connect
to
people
from
the
long
list
that
I
remember.

Earlier,
there
was
a
lot
of
cinema
inspiration
that
would
come
in
because
I
had
seen
a
lot
of
cinema.
After
a
point,
it
stopped
inspiring
me.

I
got
more
inspired
by
life.

I
think
I’m
more
curious
about
reality
than
the
fiction
that
they
create.

As
an
actor,
there’s
a
lot
of
vanity
attached
to
the
job.
How
do
you
make
sure
it
doesn’t
become
a
hindrance
in
your
process?

You
can
always
find
your
way
out.

I
have
always
been
this
guy
who
talks
to
everyone.

If
you
were
around
with
me
and
I
had
some
free
time,
I
would
be
asking
you
questions,
not
you
asking
me
questions.

I’m
the
one
who’s
curious
and
keep
asking
questions.

I
keep
indulging,
expressing
my
thoughts
and
views
and
wait
for
them
to
counter
it.

I
think
that
is
what
excites
me
and
my
work.

As
far
as
vanity
is
concerned,
we
all
know
this.
All
the
actors
who
have
been
around,
especially
the
ones
who
come
from
the
outside,
who
have
found
a
way
after
years
of
looking
for
it,
that
struggle
has
been
our
resource
system.

And
today
also,
everyone
can
connect
to
that.
You
just
need
to
touch
back
to
being
your
real
self
because
that
is
what
you
were
until
this
group
of
10
people
who
have
decided
to
surround
you.

Also,
I
have
a
personal
thing
against
the
idea
of
vanity.

I
feel
that
most
of
the
problems
in
life
arise
from
there.

Your

Laila
Majnu
co-actor
Triptii
Dimri
said
you
had
given
‘500
per
cent’
to
the
film
so
much
so
that
you
would
often
starve
yourself
to
play
Majnu.
Would
you
still
go
to
extreme
lengths
to
achieve
your
characters
or
you
have
found
better
ways
to
do
that?

The
only
way
I
know
how
to
function
is
to
give
it
my
all.
I
don’t
know
any
other
way;
I
hope
I
find
one.

A
lot
of
people
can
put
in
50
per
cent
but
present
it
in
a
way
that
it
looks
500
per
cent.

I
wish
I
knew
that.

Even
if
I
put
in
100
per
cent,
people
would
feel
it’s
80
per
cent
(Laughs).

Do
you
analyse
your
performances?

When
the
film
comes
out,
you
just
look
for
the
rough
edges
in
your
performance.
You
see
if
it’s
effortless,
if
it’s
not
looking
pretentious.

If
I
feel
there
is
a
fake
moment
or
something
that
I’m
pushing
for
didn’t
come
through,
I
acknowledge
that.
That’s
part
of
a
craft
that
is
probably
something
that
I
need
to
work
on
but
I
don’t
over-analyse
it.

The
one
thing
I’m
doing
is
to
just
trust
the
director.
If
he
has
liked
it,
I
am
okay
with
it.

Eventually,
it’s
the
audience’s
reaction.
Sometimes
there
is
a
strong
reaction
for
a
performance.
I
definitely
look
at
what
they’re
trying
to
say.

My
favourite
film
of
yours
isTu
Hai
Mera
Sunday.
It
was
such
an
unassuming,
no-frills
performance,
it
didn’t
feel
like
acting
at
all.

It’s
one
of
my
favourite
films
that
I’m
a
part
of.

Now
that
you
brought
up

Tu
Hai
Mera
Sunday,
I
felt
with
Amay
in

Mehta
Boys
there
is
no
performance
there.

Like,
you
know,

Laila
Majnu
is
a
performance
and

Khakee
is
a
performance.
So
is

Bambai
Meri
Jaan.

Mehta
Boys
and

Tu
Hai
Mera
Sunday,
I
felt
like
these
guys,
in
a
way,
were
the
same.