‘Attention Comes With Pressure And Responsibility’

‘Tomorrow
I
will
go
back
home,
clean
my
bed,
pay
my
rent,
all
the
normal
things
that
a
person
does.’
‘I’ll
still
be
the
same
person
for
my
friends,
my
parents.’
‘That
grounding
is
the
real
thing,
rather
than
the
feeling
of
having
made
it.’

For
an
IIT
graduate,
you
would
expect
to
pursue
a
more
stable
career.
But

Amol
Parashar
moved
to
Mumbai
to
chase
his
far-fetched
dream
of
acting.

After
launching
his
acting
career
a
decade
ago,
Amol
carved
a
space
for
himself
with
steady
work.

In
this
phase
of
his
career,
Amol
amps
up
his
resume
with
two
new
streaming
projects
—

Gram
Chikitsalay
and

Kull:
The
Legacy
Of
The
Raisingghs
—
that
shows
him
acing
two
diametrically
opposite
performances.

“I
had
no
plan,
no
vision,
no
set
goals.
I
knew
there
was
no
practicality
involved
in
my
decision.
The
only
thing
that
drove
me
was
the
need
to
act,”
Amol
tells

Mayur
Sanap/Rediff.

I
liked
the
moral
righteousness
and
tenderness
in
Dr
Prabhat
Sinha,
your
character
in

Gram
Chikitsalay.
What
is
it
about
this
character
that
spoke
to
you?

On
a
very
non-artistic
level,
I
think
these
kinds
of
characters
have
a
certain
impact
because
cinema
and
storytelling
can
be
aspirational
in
some
ways;
some
characters
can
be
aspirational.

I
believe
we
all
have
goodness
inside
of
us.
It’s
just
the
world
around
us
makes
us
a
little
cynical.

I
think
everybody
knows
mostly
what
the
right
thing
to
do
is.
But
when
you
watch
someone
do
the
right
thing,
in
spite
of
all
the
challenges
they
might
be
facing
and
the
sacrifices
they
are
having
to
make,
that
can
touch
the
good
part
of
people.

Was
it
an
instant
yes
from
you
for
this
show
because
you
have
collaborated
with
The
Viral
Fever
(TVF)
before?

I
knew
TVF
was
producing
it
and
Rahul
(Pandey)
was
directing
it.
He
has
done
some
stellar
work
in
the
past,
so
I
was
quite
confident
and
excited.

Everybody
in
the
actors’
circle
knew
that
this
was
going
to
be
a
great
show.

Thankfully,
it
landed
in
my
lap.

I
have
worked
with
TVF,
but
Rahul
had
to
be
convinced
because
I
never
worked
with
him
before.

I
had
heard
that
he’s
a
tough
nut
to
crack.

But
by
the
end
of
the
first
meeting,
we
had
decided
that
we
are
doing
this
show
together.

This
is
the
first
time
you
are
leading
a
show.

I
have
done
a
couple
of
things
but
sadly,
they
didn’t
see
as
much
exposure
when
they
came
out.

I
had
done
a
film
called

Cash,
which
was
a
comedy
around
demonetisation.
It
got
lost
in
the
noise
of
some
bigger
projects.

I
think
for
a
very
large
audience
out
there,
this
is
the
first
time
they
see
me
like
this.

Do
lead
roles
provide
a
better
platform
to
make
a
statement
as
an
actor?

It
definitely
gives
you
some
attention.
But
eventually,
what
you
do
with
that
attention
is
also
important.

That
attention
can
give
you
some
pressure
because
it’s
on
your
shoulders.

In
an
ensemble
part,
you
don’t
have
that
pressure.
You
can
experiment
a
lot
more
with
your
character.

With
the
central
characters,
the
story
is
told
through
their
eyes,
so
the
writer
and
the
director
have
a
set
vision
of
what
they
want
to
convey.
You
have
to
be
very
accurate
in
their
depiction
because
there
is
hardly
any
scope
for
mistakes.

Everybody
loves
the
attention,
but
attention
comes
with
pressure
and
responsibility.

The
last
time
we
saw
such
a
village
setting
was
in

Panchayat.
Did
you
anticipate
comparisons
between
these
two
shows?

It
was
bound
to
happen.

It
is
from
the
makers
of

Panchayat:
TVF
and
Prime
Video.

It
is
almost
like
the
first
half
sentence
of
the
story
is
the
same.

A
boy
arrives
at
a
village.
He
has
come
with
a
purpose
and
he
finds
out
that
it
is
not
going
to
be
very
easy.

The
first
few
words
will
sound
similar,
which
we
knew.
In
fact,
in
some
ways,
it
was
intentional,
because
we
wanted
to
create
a
world
where
such
stories
can
exist.

But
we
were
told
to
not
fall
into
the
trap
of
trying
to
recreate
that.

I
mean,
in
terms
of
whether
it
was
my
performance
or
Rahul’s
direction,
we
were
constantly
reminded.

We
were
told
that
you
guys
are
out
there
in
that
village
for
40
days
and
we
want
you
guys
to
come
back
with
something
that
is
uniquely
you.

A
few
similarities
were
bound
to
happen
but
that
phase
is
over.
Now,
whoever
is
watching
the
show
is
watching
it
for
what
it
is.

Do
you
think
the
similarities
invited
negative
reviews
for

Gram
Chikitsalay?

We
were
aware
that
it’s
going
to
start
with

Panchayat
and
that
we
are
in
the
shadows
of
a
giant
show.

But
that
will
not
stop
any
of
us
from
telling
the
story.
If
we
believe
in
the
story,
we’re
going
to
tell
it.

You
don’t
have
to
be
afraid
of
your
own
show
or
any
other
show.

If
you
read

Mirzapur‘s
first
reviews,
they
were
not
great.
But
the
show
eventually
becomes
what
it
becomes.

Right
now,
the
way
people
are
reacting,
the
kind
of
messages,
posts
and
memes
I’m
seeing
on
my
social
media,
I
keep
forwarding
them
to
Rahul
because
he’s
not
on
Instagram.

I
want
him
to
know
what
people
are
saying
and
the
way
they
are
reacting.

It
is
a
detailed
analysis,
which
means
they
have
been
touched
by
the
story
and
are
thinking
about
it.

The
reviews
on
Instagram
are
essays.
This
is
not
very
usual.
They
have
a
lot
to
say
about
what
they
have
just
watched
and
that
means
something.

Are
we
going
to
see
a
crossover
between

Panchayat
and

Gram
Chikitsalay?

Maybe.
I
have
no
idea.

That’d
be
interesting
because
a
lot
of
my
friends
have
also
said
it.

Like,
what
happens
if
Prabhat
goes
to
Phulera?

We
had
made
a
promotional
video
with
the
characters
from

Panchayat
to
promote

Gram
Chikitsalay.

How
do
reviews
help
the
actor
in
you?

My
own
filter
is
very
harsh.
Not
in
a
bad
way
but
my
standards
are
very
high.

I
have
always
tried
to
have
an
objective
to
what
I
do
and
how
much
I
want
to
achieve
from
any
character.

I
know
some
scenes
where
I’m
like,
oh
shit,
I
should
have
done
better.

That’s
my
own
analysis
of
it,
which
will
evolve
over
time.

That
is
not
for
anyone
to
see
or
discuss.
It
is
for
me
to
remember
the
next
time
I
do
a
scene
and
make
it
better.

You
have
been
a
part
of
interesting
projects
like

Sardar
Udham
and

Trippling.
But
you
remain
mostly
unfamiliar
to
the
mainstream
audience.
Do
you
aspire
to
do
more
commercial
work
to
bridge
that
gap?

Sure.
It’s
always
nice
to
reach
out
to
a
larger
audience.

If
you
have
two
people
in
the
audience,
you’re
happy.
But
if
you
have
20
in
the
audience,
you’re
happier.

I
think
that
happens
slowly.

In
my
case,
I
had
no
idea
about
how
the
business
works
and
how
to
use
my
opportunities.

I
don’t
know
whether
that
was
lack
of
media
knowledge
or
PR
or
having
somebody
who
pushes
you.

What
is
in
my
control
is
what
I
make
of
the
opportunities
that
come
my
way.

What
is
that
you
are
looking
for
at
this
juncture
of
your
career?

More
opportunities.

Not
that
I
don’t
have
opportunities
but
I’m
greedy
in
that
department.

I
feel
this
is
a
good
phase
of
my
life.

I
feel
comfortable
in
myself.

I
tried
to
grow
over
the
years
and
hit
some
notes
that
I’m
finally
proud
of.

You
have
been
around
for
over
10
years.
Has
there
been
a
moment
in
your
career
when
you
felt,
Yes,
I
have
made
it?

It’s
a
fleeting
feeling,
I
think.

I
don’t
even
know
what
‘making
it’
means.

It
may
be
okay,
I
have
this
much
money
in
my
account,
or
I
have
this
many
followers
on
my
Instagram,
or
these
many
films
under
my
name.

I
think
it
is
the
human
nature.
We
want
something
and
when
we
get
it,
we
are
satisfied
for
a
while.
Then
the
heart
starts
desiring
something
more.

But
it’s
not
like
that
with
me.

I
stopped
chasing
that
feeling
once
I
realised
that
it
just
stays
for
a
day
or
two.

Yes,
there
are
days
when
you’re
excited
and
your
adrenaline
is
rushing
and
when
you
feel
like
life
is
good.
But
somewhere,
there
is
awareness
that
this
is
a
temporary
feeling.

Tomorrow
I
will
go
back
home,
clean
my
bed,
pay
my
rent,
all
the
normal
things
that
a
person
does.

I’ll
still
be
the
same
person
for
my
friends,
my
parents.

That
grounding
is
the
real
thing,
rather
than
the
feeling
of
having
made
it.