Actor Sikandar Kher talks about how he grabbed the role in the Netflix film, his camaraderie with leading casts off-screen, staying relevant in the digital age, and his privileges.
After receiving accolades for his roles in ‘Aurangzeb’, ‘Aarya’, actor Sikandar Kher is currently basking on the success of Netflix’s ‘Monica, O My Darling’ in which he plays the role of Nishikant Adhikari. The comedy-cum-thriller also stars Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi and Radhika Apte and has been loved by the audience for the wonderful direction by Vasan Bala and strong narrative.
In this conversation, Sikandar, who is the son of veteran actors Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher, talks about how he grabbed the role, his camaraderie with leading casts off-screen, staying relevant in the digital age, and his privileges.
Excerpts from the interview
Q. What makes 'Monica, O My Darling' different from your other projects, and how has this film added volume to your acting journey?
I think everything I do is adding volume to what I do. Just getting a chance to work with Vasan, the beautiful cast, and the talent that we have on this film has been a great ride and a great journey. Getting a chance to work with Vasan was superb because I have been a huge fan of his work for a very long time and I always wanted to work with him for a really long time. I got this opportunity and he had faith in me for this character, he felt that I picked the part and I wanted to work with him so it worked out well.
Vasan has his own language of cinema and it's completely his own. There are directors like Steven Spielberg, Manmohan Desai, Subhash Ghai, Yash Chopra, and Shriram Raghavan, who have a beautiful way of telling stories and Vasan is equally unique. He has his own way so he is a different filmmaker.
Q. Would you like to talk about the preps that went behind getting the role right?
My character's name is Nishikant Adhikari, he is the son of the heir of a very big company, a unicorn company and he is somebody for whom life has been a little bit difficult for him since he was a child. So he will go to any means to really protect himself and get what he wants and that’s pretty much the character. The script was so beautifully written that when I read it, I started identifying and connecting with it instantly. I start becoming that person and that’s what this script did for me.
Q. Your exp working with other cast members and how was the chemistry behind the camera?
Working with Raj and Bagavathi Perumal ji was amazing. They are such fine actors and the chemistry between us was good. Somehow our timings and everything worked well and we didn’t have to work on trying to get the timings right. Working with Huma was great too and I have known her for a while. Radhika and I haven’t met and unfortunately, I don’t have a scene with her but we got along really well during promotion and I have always looked forward to working with her. The whole ensemble of the film is great and the chemistry has been amazing and the energy on set is fantastic, thanks to Vasan
Q. Sikandar we saw you performing some of the impactful roles in the ott space off-late. Do you think your journey in the ott space gave you more opportunities as an actor and helped you stay relevant?
I think everybody is getting a lot of work now and there is so much work, there is so much employment not just for actors but all kinds of technicians and writers so I think being constantly working, being in the eye does keep you relevant. It has helped me and I am extremely grateful to be working in a time like now it's a beautiful time to be part of this industry and things are happening for everyone and that’s an amazing thing.
Q. Would you like to talk about the mistakes that you made during your career and how that has helped you evolve as an actor?
I don’t know if there is anything that can be called a mistake in life. It's the choices yaar, they are not mistakes. You never know the outcome of anything so how would I know I am making a mistake? At the end of the day, you will have success and you will have failures. Failures I believe teach you a lot more so yeah I am just grateful.
Q. How do you tackle failures?
Support from one’s family and friends is very important because it's always going to be tough. But at the end of the day, if you are surrounded by the right people and whatever helps you get over it and have internal peace then do it. For me, I look at life in a much bigger picture than just a career. I am blessed in so many ways- look at where I was born, I have a roof on my head, and food on my plate, I have parents who let me talk about everything and anything and who show great faith and believe in me. I don’t have as many struggles as a lot of people do in this country and for me, that’s the greatest thing that I have so I look at what I have and that’s insane.
Two things that I try to fall back on if I am ever feeling low or angry or bitter are to always have gratitude first and kindness to people and animals all around. These two things always help me get through everything.