Kunal Kapoor, who turned 44 on October 18, discusses how difficult it was to get into and stay in the Hindi film industry.
In the current environment, there are several paths and mediums to explore and be a part of, making it an exciting moment to be an onscreen performer. However, actor Kunal Kapoor admits that becoming an actor, especially as an ‘outsider,’ was difficult a few years ago.
He says that right before his big screen debut in 2004 with Meenaxi- A Tale of Three Cities, he was discouraged from pursuing a career in show business.
“When I first started out, a lot of people told me, ‘Don’t become an actor because outsiders have a hard time breaking through.’ After Rang De Basanti (2006) came out, I was the next big thing for a time. Then they (the filmmakers) remarked, ‘He’s gone, he’s finished.’ And now I’m getting a lot of calls from directors saying, “You’re such an intriguing performer, we’d want to work with you more.” As an actor, you go through a whole cycle,” the actor explains.
He acknowledges that the market is volatile, and he emphasises that views change rapidly in this industry. “There were filmmakers who didn’t believe I was appropriate for a part they were scripting a month ago.” ‘Would you be interested in hearing the part?’ a number of them have now phoned. “It changes extremely quickly,” Kapoor admits.
In addition to the insider-outsider argument, the actor claims that being an outsider in films is less difficult now than it was previously. “The only choice you had was to become a supporting actor, then the villain, if you didn’t make it as the leading man.” As an outsider, you don’t have a network of friends and relatives who will go out of their way to help you advance your career. He says, “That is not going to happen.”
Things have changed, though, with the introduction of OTT services. “In case you don’t find the movie you’re searching for, there are amazing programmes you can do,” adds the actor, who was recently featured in the historical online drama Empire. On these sites, you may be a part of films. This is the ideal time for outsiders to take on the role of actor. On OTT, nobody is thinking about the market.”
