In The Railway Men, you play the conscientious manager of the Central Railways during the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. What drew you to the project? My initial point of interest was an established production house like Yash Raj Films supporting a debut director, Shiv Rawail, for an unconventional project like this; all three seemed like anomalies. But once I heard the script, I knew why everything fell into place. The idea was not to dwell on a tragedy, but the indirect messaging associated with the historic event—the story of unsung heroes. You won’t believe how many railwaymen got in touch with me to express their gratitude, because we decided to tell their story. No one really knows how they contributed towards minimising the impact of the leak.
You seem to have a penchant for unsung heroes. Even before The Railway Men, you acted in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022), based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, a scientist accused in the ISRO espionage case and later exonerated. Is this a conscious decision? I have an affinity for stories of courage, both fictional as well as based on real people. Both Three Idiots or Rang De Basanti, for example, talked about a better society. I don’t know how I make the choices, or why these narratives come to me, but I am grateful that they do, and at the right time.
You were so convinced about Rocketry that you did not just act in the film, but also directed and produced it. By winning a National Award, did the film give Nambi Narayanan the validation he was denied? That was my only objective with Rocketry. It was not to prove myself as an actor, producer, or director. I simply wanted to make a film on a man whose story needed to be told and heard. The smile on Nambi sir’s face after the film came out was the biggest validation for me. The National Award further reinforced the belief that my heart was in the right place.
In your three-decade-long career, you have explored everything from TV and film to OTT. Has your process of approaching characters changed over the years? It has. The idea is to stay relevant, and with the audience getting younger, I feel my relevance is just on the brink.
I constantly try to keep up with the aspirations of this generation; or they won’t watch my movies. So, the process has become more demanding. I have seen my friends fall off the film wagon because they don’t want to change. For me, it’s the opposite. I believe it is my job to learn from the changing world. Whether it is new technology or the Gen Z terminology, I need to be abreast of everything.
As theatres are becoming an exclusive space for over-the-top spectacle films such as Pathaan or Tiger 3, do you think OTT has given a new lease of life to creators? Had it not been for OTT, the industry would have missed out on some spectacular actors. There is also a difference between films for theaters and projects meant for OTT. It is an important decision to realise which format a story belongs to, before approving a script. Shiv and his team made a smart decision with The Railway Men. A movie on the subject would have been interesting, but a bit difficult to draw audiences. On the other hand, the series has already reached a wide audience.
You were appointed the President of FTII earlier this year. Do you have any specific ideas in mind? It is a huge responsibility. I am just getting a hang of what can and needs to be done. It is a phenomenal institution, one of the best in the world. The enthusiasm with which people want to be part of it is overwhelming.
