Actor Ashmit Patel marked his return to acting with the streaming series 'State v/s Ahuja', which released on Watcho on February 9, 2024. In the series, he essayed the lead role in the series which narrates the tale of Bollywood superstar Ansh Ahuja facing rape accusations by his maid.
The series has been helmed by Tarun Chopra, and the courtroom drama explores the themes of suspense and investigation, with several twists and turns. Post the show’s release, Ashmit, during an exclusive chat with Outlook India, spoke about his self-imposed hiatus, what made him say yes to the show, and opened up on his dream role. Excerpts from the interview:
Firstly, what were you doing during your hiatus?
It hasn't been too long, I had a film release last year. I had one episode of a series on the Jio Cinema, which had different actors in each episode. I had a couple of music video releases. Yes, I had not had a web series or a full-length work release in a long time, so yes, it is sort of a comeback. I have been keeping busy because of my DJ gigs, have been producing music, and under my banner, I manage artists and events as well.
How has been the response to your comeback?
As soon as we dropped the trailer, we had a lot of interest from the viewers, about the storyline on this actor being accused of rape. It has piqued the audiences’ curiosity. So, yes, there has been a buzz around it, and so far, so good.
What made you say yes to ‘State vs Ahuja’?
There were a few factors, which made me say yes to the project. Ofcourse, the script and the narrative is important. In this case, there were a lot of twists and turns, and in the end of each episode, you need to have that cliffhanger sort of thing, so the viewer wants to watch it more. Is he guilty, or not guilty? The trigger gets pointed to a lot of people, so the script naturally had all of that. So, the script appealed to me, and the character is strong enough. There are so many layers to it, and it interested me. The director Tarun Chopra, and we had a discussion about how we would create this character, so this vibe was important and it was there. If you are in tandem with the character, it’s easier to create something magical.
How is it different from the characters that you have played before?
Well, for one, I have never played the part of an actor. The situation this character goes through is something new, I have never been associated with something like this. Also, the turmoil he faces in every aspect, the media, the fans, everything made me say yes to the project.
What's your dream role or project?
I would love to do an epic, like a serious drama, or something mythological like Chhatrapati Shivaji. Would love to come riding on a horse. Would love to do action, I think, I have the physicality for that, and also would explore doing a romantic comedy. Comedy is really hard to do, it needs perfect timing.
Where do we see yourself next?
In a few days time, we would be able to talk about it soon. Hopefully, soon.
‘State vs Ahuja’ also stars Jaswinder Gardner, Anurekha Bhagat, Sarika Singh, Swapnil Ralkar, Apeksha Verma, Drishti Patil, Manish Jaitley, Arjun Krishna, Vicky Baidyanath, and Harsh Gautam. Produced by Suresh Thomas under the banners of Crescendo Films and Amicable Crew, 'State v/s Ahuja' is available to stream on Watcho.
