‘I Studied Medicine Only For Papa’

‘Thanks
to

Chhaava‘s
success,
I
now
have
the
creative
freedom
to
pick
and
choose.’

“Now
that
success
has
finally
come
my
way,
it
has
broken
every
ceiling
and
the
fruit
tastes
really
sweet,”

Vineet
Kumar
Singh
tells



Rediff.com
Senior
Contributor

Roshmila
Bhattacharya
in
the
concluding
segment
of
the
interview.

You
are
a
licensed
doctor.
Have
you
ever
practiced
medicine?

No,
there
was
never
time
to
start
my
practice.

Even
when
I
was
in
medical
college,
I
would
run
away
to
assist
on
a
film
(Vineet
worked
as
an
associate/assistant
director
with
Mahesh
Manjrekar
on
films
like
Viruddh
and
Deh).

I
maintained
an
attendance
register
similar
to
the
one
in
college
and
as
soon
as
I
had
minimum
attendance,
I
would
disappear.

I
find
it
strange
when
people
say
you
should
not
plan
your
life.

Arrey,
everything
around
you
is
planned.

Right
now,
I’m
driving
to
town
(south
Mumbai)
and
this
coastal
road,
these
buildings
around
me,
the
city
of
dreams
itself
have
all
been
meticulously
planned
from
scratch,

hai
na?

As
a
child,
I
would
wake
up
at
5.15
am
and
within
an
hour,
would
do
my
revisions.
I
scored
70-80
per
cent
in
school.

If
the
plan
was
to
get
into
medical
school,
why
didn’t
you
pursue
medicine
as
a
career?

The
plan
was
always
to
become
an
actor.

Acting
was
what
I
wanted
to
do
and
I
was
studying
medicine
only
for
papa.

I
had
promised
him
that
I
would
not
leave
my
studies
and
to
date,
I
have
never
started
something
and
left
it
incomplete.

You
should
always
have
a
plan,
set
a
timetable,
and
follow
it
with
discipline.

You
have
worked
with
Mahesh
Manjrekar,
Anurag
Kashyap,
Laxman
Utekar
and
Reema
Kagti.
Yet
success
and
adulation
has
taken
a
long
time
coming.
Weren’t
you
ever
disillusioned?

No,

woh
kehte
hain
na,
der
aaye
durust
aaye
(as
they
say,
better
late
than
never).

(Laughs)
Also,
as
I
can
see
now,

sabr
ka
phal
meetha
hota
hai.

Now
that
success
has
finally
come
my
way,
it
has
broken
every
ceiling
and
the
fruit
tastes
really
sweet.

I’m
shuttling
between
the
promotions
of

Chhaava
and

Superboys
of
Malegaon
and
I
couldn’t
be
happier.

My
films
may
not
have
been
hugely
successful
commercially
but
there
is
no
denying
that

Ugly
and

Bombay
Talkies
were
wonderful
films
and
I
got
them
when
I
was
just
a
struggling
actor.

How
can
I
not
be
grateful
for
that!

Then
there
was
that
knockout
punch,


Mukkabaaz.

Yes,
in
the
wake
of

Chhaava‘s
success,
I’m
going
to
request
the
producers
to
re-release
that
film.

Today,
re-releases
are
doing
well
and

Mukkabaaz
should
reach
more
people.

Tell
us
about

Superboys
Of
Malegaon.

It
was
an
amazing
experience
reuniting
with
the
director,
Reema
Kagti,
with
whom
I
had
done
the
sports
drama

Gold
earlier.

The
film
is
a
celebration
of
cinema.

In
the
midst
of
poverty,
hardships
and
a
crisis,
when
people
in
a
small
town
of
Maharashtra
are
fighting
over
small
things
every
day,
some
residents
—
driven
by
pure
passion,
intent
and
a
strong
community
feeling
—
dare
to
dream
big,
creating
a
booming
film
industry
in
Malegaon.

It
is
a
film
that
gives
you
the
strength
to
hope
and
dream.
And
it
showcases
a
different
kind
of
friendship.

Tell
us
about
your
character.

Farooq
Jafri
was
the
screenwriter
of
films
like

Malegaon
Ke
Sholay
and

Malegaon
Ka
Superhero.
He
passed
away
in
2020.

He
was
an
amazing
guy
who
blossoms
into
a
beautiful
character
on
screen
because
he
doesn’t
mince
words
and
is
so
adamant.

A
dialogue
of
his
—
‘writer

baap
hota
hai‘
—
has
become
very
popular.

Would
you
believe,
it
grew
out
of
improvisation.

While
performing
a
scene
that
was
beautifully
written,
the
words
just
slipped
from
my
lips.

Surprisingly,
the
line
has
caught
on
in
a
big
way.

I
thought
it
was
apt
because
my
character
is
a
writer
himself,
fighting
for
his
creativity,
but
now,
people
too
are
calling
to
say
that
they
give
expression
to
a
writer’s
long-suppressed
angst
and
passion.

What
else
is
on
the
cards?

Well,
there
is
a
show
with
Kabir
Khan
for
Amazon
Prime
Video.
I’m
playing
the
main
lead.

There’s
also

Jaat,
a
punch
’em
action
film
with
Sunny
Deol
and
Randeep
Hooda.

Yes,
it
is
produced
by
Mythri
Movie
Makers,
the
producers
of
Allu
Arjun’s
blockbuster
franchise

Pushpa.

I
was
in
Hyderabad
last
week,
shooting
through
the
nights
for

Jaat.

Since
they
have
announced
the
film’s
release
date,
April
10,
we
have
to
hurry
to
make
the
deadline.

I
did
not
sleep
for
55
hours,
but
I’m
not
complaining.
This
is
what
I
signed
up
for.

There
is
also
a
film
with
Anurag
Kashyap?

Yes,
it’s
too
early
to
talk
about
it
in
detail
but
working
with
Anurag
is
always
amazing
because
he
never
wants
you
to
repeat
a
character,
no
matter
how
well
received
it
is.

It’s
hard
to
believe
that
the
actor
who
plays
Danish
Khan,
Sardar’s
eldest
son,
in

Gangs
of
Wasseypur,
is
the
same
guy
who
was
cast
as
Vijay
in

Murabba,
Anurag’s
directorial
in
the

Bombay
Talkies
anthology.

Vijay,
the
naïve,
small-town
boy
who
goes
to
Mumbai
with
a
jar
of
homemade

murabba
(mango
preserve)
and
his
father’s
dream
of
longevity
to
seek
an
audience
with
superstar
Amitabh
Bachchan,
is
again
the
polar
opposite
of
Chaitanya
Mishra
in

Ugly,
who
you
absolutely
cannot
trust
because

woh
bolta
kuch
aur
hai
aur
karta
kuch
aur
(he
says
something
and
does
something
else)
and
does
not
hesitate
to
betray.

Both

Ugly
and

Bombay
Talkies
opened
in
2013
and
I
was
accepted
in
both
films.

Five
years
later,
he
cast
me
as
Shravan
Kumar
Singh
in

Mukkabaaz
though
I
had
never
played
a
boxer
before.

When
it
is
Anurag,
a
new
chapter
unfolds
for
me
as
an
actor
with
every
film.

Will

Chhaava‘s
success
change
the
direction
of
your
career
now?

I
hope
it
brings
along
better
offers
and
bigger
opportunities.

But
if
you
recall,
even
after
doing
the
lead
role
in

Mukkabaaz,
I
was
happy
playing
second
fiddle
to
a
new
girl
in

Siya.

I
have
two
sisters
and
the
subject
of
the
film
was
close
to
my
heart.

As
an
actor,
I
felt
it
was
my
responsibility
to
raise
my
voice
for
it.

Also,
I
have
decided
that
every
year,
I
will
do
an
indie
film.

It
may
well
go
against
my
mainstream
image
but
if
it
is
propagating
an
important
social
message
and
going
to
international
film
festivals
with
it,
it
would
be
well
worth
the
effort.

It
is
only
be
30-32
days
out
of
365
days
and
will
challenge
me
as
an
actor.

Thanks
to

Chhaava‘s
success,
for
which
I
have
to
thank
all
my
directors,
film
critics
and
the
audience
who
have
placed
their
faith
in
me
all
these
years,
praised
my
work
supported
me,
I
now
have
the
creative
freedom
to
pick
and
choose.

What
more
can
I
want!