Sumeet Vyas: You do some projects for love and some for money

With two web series last year, Wakaalat from Home (WFH) and Dark 7 White (D7W), actor Sumeet Vyas terms the last year, kinder to him than a number of people who went through a lot in 2020.

“I feel grateful that I was able to work in a year which was difficult for many people. We shot WFH at home, which was interesting, while D7W was shot after lockdown eased. The latter allowed me to play a dark role, as it was unlike what I had played before. It was humbling to be considered for a role like this as often, actors don’t get the opportunity to break the mould,” he shares.

Going forward, he reveals that he wants to probably slow down a bit and do the kind of work that excites him. “Actors are freelancers and there is always a fear that if we reject projects, will others offer us roles? Due to that fear, you end up taking most work that comes your way, without strategising. Moreover, most don’t come from wealthy families, so we have to run our kitchens as well. But this year, I want to do roles that appeal to me and not just for bread and butter. Hopefully, the appealing work will pay as well (laughs). Most often roles that you love, don’t pay and at times, work that you don’t think about much, pays your bills. Some projects you do for the love and some for money. Having said that, it is not that you pick up bad projects but after shooting for a bit, most actors get an inkling that the project isn’t turning out the way you thought or wouldn’t be up to the mark and vice versa too has happened,” he explains.

With Covid-19 affecting people and industries, the entertainment space too has been bearing the brunt. Vyas strives to focus on the positive side, that is boom in OTT projects. “What OTT has done is given audiences some very good stories. It doesn’t matter how popular your project is or how well it is promoted, if it is a genuinely differ story, it will get the attention, no matter how. Like because people watched Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, which was a well-made show and got all the attention last year, the platform, too, generated interested. Even Paatal Lok didn’t have stars or popular faces but it was a good show, everyone watched it. The slight tricky impact the OTT revolution has had is that people are feeling sacred to go to cinemas- right now. People won’t stop watching films. This will change,” he hopes.

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