- Q: Abhishek Banerjee has become the new talk of the town...
Abhishek: I can't get out during lockdown, so I can't understand that. You can call it as the talk of Instagram rather than the talk of the town. I can see it here and I'm happy to see that.
- Q: Hathora Tyagi is super duper hit...
Abhishek: I'm overwhelmed with joy. No one knows what I am feeling inside and how happy I am.
- Q: Where did you grow up and how did you prepare yourself?
Abhishek: I grew up in Delhi and Chennai. Although I was born in Kharagpur, West Bengal. I studied nursery and KG in Naktala. Then I went to Delhi. There I studied till class four in Kendriya Vidyalaya. Then I studied till class nine in Kalpakkam, Chennai. I’ve always been very good at sports. I used to study with full attention. I played hockey, football and handball. I was the goalkeeper. I even played cricket at the regional level.
- Q: How were you introduced to acting?
Abhishek: Sport in South India is followed in a disciplined way. Children are engaged in sports from an early age. Therefore a lot of sports athletes come up from here. That is why so many players come up from South India. When I came to Delhi, I found out that there were not many athletes in our school, since the culture was no so popular here. I could not play cricket in Delhi. Kids in Delhi fall prey to sledging. On top of that, being a Bengali boy, studied in South India, I could not match up to that culture. I was a normal child. But what I learned arriving at Delhi is acting.
- Q: Please tell us about your first encounter with acting...
Abhishek: I started singing. Our teacher said he was making a musical Ramayana. There was no dialogue. The scenes were such that a song would be played in the background while Ram appears before the audience. I was not fair, so didn't get the role of Ram.
- Q: Were you left out because of your skin colour?
Abhishek: I was dusky. Hence I did supporting roles. I also acted in a program during Durga puja. I didn't perform well. I saw myself in a video and thought to myself "how could I act so poor?" and I'm not even lying when I say this. I started working on myself when I was probably in class five, six or seven. Seeing those performances, I thought, I am such a bad actor! I started practising from that age. Then I came to Delhi...
- Q: But you lost all connection to sports there...
Abhishek: Yes. But the performance remained. I used to mimic too and I became very popular for it. The teachers made me Deputy Head Boy just for these talents. After going to Delhi, studies took a back seat. I was fine until 10. At that time everyone wanted to be an engineer. I entered plus two with Computer Science. But nothing was going through my head. Negative energy started pouring in. I was wondering what to do. One day while I was getting up on stage and a science teacher taunted me saying "You do this!', You're good at it!" I thought whoever said it, said it well (laughs). That was right too. I am the best in school. I was the best in school even as a child. That's when I decided to act. I was a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh used to study at Kirori Mal College in Delhi, so I wanted to study there too. Then I asked Zeeshan Ayub who is a school senior and an actor. I told him that I want to take admission in Kirori Mal. He was a student there. Zeeshan told me, "if you know acting, you will get admission. But for that, you have to give an audition." Then I started watching theatres. I did these all by myself. My parents did not know anything about this. Dad thought I would take the entrance exam. I went to Kirori Mal College and gave that audition. I was shortlisted on the first day. On the second day, they called me. And the next day my father was supposed to admit me in Dayal Singh College. I said to him, I shall go for the audition.
- Q: Didn't your father say anything?
Abhishek: After the admission test, I somehow ran to Kirori Mal College. I was an hour and a half late. Yet the professor allowed me to audition. The entire day went there. The next day I prayed to the Goddess Durga so that I could get admission in Kirori Mal College. When I arrived at the college, I saw that there were only four names on the list and mine was one of them. It was the day the actor in Abhishek Banerjee took birth.
- Q: You are also a well-known casting director in Mumbai...
Abhishek: After college, I was in Delhi for two years. When I was in college, the subject of casting director became very popular. Abhimanyu Roy of Chak De India, Gautam Kishanchandani of Dev D, Hamid Trehan of Kaminey came at our college. Casting started in Delhi and we the new actors of the university would go and help them. I was curious about how this casting works. Gautam Kishanchandani told me to try my luck in Mumbai. He told me I was a "fine actor." He never said I am a "good actor." He also said that I can cast people in films. When he, the man who worked with Anurag Kashyap, said this, I felt like I have something in me. Then I came to Mumbai and started assisting Gautam. It was, too, a very organic process. I started working with him and enjoyed it very much because I was able to act. I was acting in the audition room. I was making money, was able to pay the rent of my house, can get my own food. On top of that, I was working as a casting assistant with him.
- Q: When did you become a full-fledged casting director?
Abhishek: Meanwhile, Gautam thought he would retire. By then, I have done casting for a film titled Once Upon a Time in Mumbai with him. I had a little bit of experience prior to that as well. While The Dirty Picture was under development, Milan asked Gautam if he could do the casting. Gautam informed that he could not. He wanted someone who is an associate to Gautam. He then offered me the chair of a casting director. That's when Abhishek Banerjee was born as casting director. Since then many more offers have been coming my way. I was only 24 then. That's when I thought of taking up my part-time job as my career. I was being rejected as an actor and then I started my own company as a casting director.
- Q: You were being rejected as an actor, yet you were casting people?
Abhishek: When I saw new actors auditioning, I used to say to myself, "You are still far behind, Abhishek!" They were all good. I felt like there was a lot to learn. I never took myself too seriously in this matter. Then I was working for a movie called Ghanchakkar. It had been five years in Mumbai then. The director said that he would give me the character of Idris. But I was not called for the audition. Then I thought, acting is not my cup of tea. So I stopped thinking about it. I also became very fat by then.
- Q: Then how did you get back to acting?
Abhishek: I was going through auditions like "timepass." Eventually, I worked with TVF Pictures. People started to recognize me a little bit. I said to myself, "No, I have to try." Then I started again, did a few short films. I asked my friends to give me a chance. Devashish Makhija who made me work in two to three short films cast me for the movie Ajji. After that film, my friends, who knew me as a casting director, realized that Abhishek is also a talented actor. Then I did Stree and then Pataal Lok came my way.
READ | Srishti Shrivastava: Working with Big B, Ayushmann no less than dream
Q: While working as a casting director, you might have as well got the training as an actor. Is there any actor who taught you how to act?
Abhishek: To be honest, it is Jaydeep Alhawat. I am not saying it because he is there in Pataal Lok. I have told this to Jaydeep many times. I know him from his first movie Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. In that film, I was the assistant associate casting director. I know him from that movie. Seeing him, I understood how bad an actor I was. This man has inspired me a lot. When he got a chance in Raazi, I was very happy. I felt that the deserving candidate got it.
- Q: You must have struggled a lot in Mumbai in the beginning?
Abhishek: Everyone has to go through this struggle. You have to struggle in any job.
- Q: Looking back, how do you feel?
Abhishek: It feels very good. Sounds very nice. I am very proud of that young debutant Abhishek. During my twenties, I had a tremendous belief in myself, now, I wish that it continues all through my thirties.
- Q: You're 32, right?
Abhishek: That's what Google says (laughs). My real age is 35. But if someone calls me 32, I don't mind.
- Q: What is your family's reaction to Hathora Tyagi?
Abhishek: My mother is very angry. She is saying to leave Bollywood. My wife is not watching either. Both the women in my family don't care at all (laughs).
- Q: You've played a lot of comic characters. Would you play villains, action heroes and romantic heroes on screen?
Abhishek: I really want to. Someday, I will definitely do it. Not an action hero or a romantic hero, I would say, an action film or a romantic film. I have a hidden talent which many are not aware of. I am a brown belt in martial arts, couldn't bag black belt.
- Q: There is a lot of discussion going on about big screen and OTT platforms. Anushka has also said that OTT is the future. What do you feel?
Abhishek: I support the platform which endorses good content. The whole thing depends on the content. The platform you choose depends on you. If the content is good, everyone will watch it.
- Q: Any message for the audience of ETV Bharat Sitara?
Abhishek: Thank you very much. You are accepting everything so well. I'm not just talking about Pataal Lok but other movies too. The more you say, the better work you will see. Thank you so much. Take care of yourself in this lockdown. Be safe.
