Amit Sial is ready with his next release Kathmandu Connection. Directed by Sachin Pathak, Kathmandu Connection is a gripping thriller inspired by true events. Set in 1993, the story centres around the incidents that happened a few months after a series of bomb blasts in Mumbai. Apart from Sial, the cast includes Anshumaan Pushkar, Gopal Datt, Aksha Pardasany and others. It is a mini-series with six episodes and will be streaming on SonyLIV on April 23.
When asked what made him say yes to the crime thriller Sial said, “This is not just any crime thriller. It is a love story with elements of crime thrillers and human drama. I took it up because I had a meaty role and it has a strong message.”
However, what is it about crime that finds so many takers all over the world? “A lot of people enjoy watching content related to the underground. Crime sells, fortunately or unfortunately! People like to see films about the dark side to human condition. Selling crime and sex has always been popular and very much in demand. Even cursing on screen seems to fascinate the audience now,” he quips.
The road to becoming an actor wasn’t an easy one for Amit. Acting wasn’t considered a viable career option by his family. Which is why after graduating with B. Com Honours from the Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, he was sent to earn a post-graduation diploma in International Business from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. The actor, however, refused to give up on his dreams and kept pursuing his passion for acting in theatre and films. He finally found fame with Dibakar Banerjee’s Love, Sex Aur Dhoka where he played a journalist, who was on the verge of committing suicide.
“I was lost before I came into films. I didn’t know what to do with my life as a young man. Then I decided to completely immerse myself into acting and that helped me a lot. I found a focus and purpose in life. I left my stable job and came to Bombay. I took up acting which is very unstable as a career option. But I needed to do it at that point, I couldn’t run away from myself. Like everything else in life there is a proper time for everything. I needed to make that shift at that particular time in my life,” he said.
You need to apply yourself to one thing and be at it, forever! That is the only way to succeed and I don’t think there is any other way.
The actor has also been part of a slew of interesting projects such as Mirzapur, Jamtara — Sabka Number Ayega, Charlie ke Chakkar Mein, Coffin Maker, Phas Gaye Re Obama, Hope And A Little Sugar, etc. While talking about his journey he said, “As an actor when you get to play a particular role you have to look inside yourself. For every role you play, you have to look for that particular emotion within yourself, before you can start emoting. So, all my experiences in life have added to my bank of emotions to draw inspiration from. In hindsight I think I have been very lucky in life.”
Since the world around is going through such tough times in terms of job security, does having an alternate career help one at all? “I may be completely wrong but my life has been such that I feel there are no Plan Bs. In fact, that is exactly why I felt so lost in my younger days because all along I was thinking of an alternative plan to survive. You need to apply yourself to one thing and be at it, forever! That is the only way to succeed and I don’t think there is any other way. If you are pursuing something or wanting to be something keep doing that. Be focussed, persistent and don’t be in two minds about it. One cannot achieve anything if you are in two minds about your goal. A lot of time goes in finding out what you want in life. But once you do find it don’t give it up. Dedicate yourself to it,” he signed off.
