Abhilash Thapliyal: My First Film Was A Big Disaster, And The Kind Of Flak It Drew, I Was Really Disappointed Afterward, I Do Rely A Lot On Validation

I come from Uttarakhand but I am an army kid, so I was born in J&K and raised all across the country. Professionally, I have been a radio jockey, and I came to Mumbai to be a part of Kapil Sharma’s show, which never happened. But then I got my first film, and since then, I have been enjoying the process and playing different parts. I think post-Aspirants, a lot of directors and makers have shown a lot of confidence and offered me varied parts. So yeah, I am loving the journey.

I think ‘Blurr’ will always be very special to me, mainly because I can’t even now imagine myself as an antagonist. The director trusted me with that part, and the kind of reactions and reviews I got were overwhelming. Apart from that, of course, ‘Faadu’ holds a special place because my character in ‘Faadu’ was very different from who I am in real life. I don’t drink or smoke, and my character here was that of an addict. One project that will hold a very special place in my heart will be ‘Kennedy’ because a) It was with Anurag Kashyap, and b) It is because of this project I could experience the whole Cannes Festival.

I am not a trained actor, so my first reaction is to surrender to my director. Secondly, I look for characters from my life. So, if there is anyone I have seen or observed who is similar to that character or if I have been close to someone who resembles that character, I try to bring those nuances to my performance. That is something I have done in the recent past. But primarily, I am a director’s actor. I surrender, and that comes very naturally to me. Whatever my director tells me to do, I execute.

As I have mentioned, I am not a trained actor, so every project and every character is something new for me. I am also trying to figure out myself in this world, so there is no specific method or technique that I have applied. With every character, I think my approach changes, but there is no specific technique or method to crack a character as of now.

Any film or story that receives applause or acclaim, the credit first of all goes to the director. For all the films/web shows that I have been a part of, the credit first goes to the director and then to us actors. I try to create my characters closer to reality; I draw them from real life. Whether it’s SK from ‘Aspirants’, Roxy from ‘Faadu’, Deepak from ‘Blurr’, or the recent character Dev Matthew from ‘Maidaan’, they are very real characters, and I think that is what connects and resonates with the audience.

As actors and public personalities, every work we do, every story we tell is for the audience to assess. It is in the public domain, so you really can’t escape criticism. My first film was a big disaster, and the kind of flak it drew, I was really disappointed afterward. I do rely a lot on validation. I always think that as actors, we either get a ‘galli’ or a ‘taali’. But yeah, I am trying to become that person who reacts to bouquets and brickbats alike.

I believe every few decades, the relationship between actors, celebrities, and their fans and viewers changes. In today’s day and age, you have to open your doors, just like your hearts, for our viewers. I do share a lot of things on social media, but I am very cautious as to what I am putting out there for the audience to see. I used to do a lot of political commentary initially, I used to make a lot of reels, but now I want my visual performances to be exclusive to my professional work when it comes to web shows and films. And I don’t want to do a lot of reels and video content for social media anymore.

When I did my first film, every billboard had my hoarding, I was everywhere, and I thought that this was going to be a blockbuster, and I am going to be the most sought-after actor after this film. It was a box office disaster. Not a lot of people even know about that film. Thankfully, I learned my lesson very early in my career that you shouldn’t be expecting too much from a story; you just do your job and get out of that project. Do your job with all honesty and sincerity. And that is what I have been doing since then. I always hope for the best, but I am always prepared for the worst.

I just want to collaborate with the best storytellers this country has. I have worked with Anurag Kashyap, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Amit Sharma, Navdeep Singh, Ajay Behl, and I just want the list to keep growing. And I have worked with these directors in a very short span of time, so my expectations have gone through the roof. I want to be a part of good stories, good characters, and every day I keep telling myself that the screen length does not matter. If your character is important, if your story is good, and if your director is someone you can rely on, then just go for it.