Revealed! How did Vishal Jethwa prepare for his role in the Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari-starrer Human?

Revealed! How did Vishal Jethwa prepare for his role in the Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari-starrer Human?

The actor, who is making his web series debut with Disney+ Hotstar's Human, opens up about his character in it and wish to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Rohit BhatnagarUpdated: Saturday, January 08, 2022, 06:38 AM IST
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Pic: Instagram/vishaljethwa06

He made us loathe him as a deviant villain in Mardaani 2, and now Vishal Jethwa is all set to make us cry buckets as a victim in the medical thriller Human. In a candid conversation with the Free Press Journal, he talks about his struggles, how he prepares for a role and his latest web series. Excerpts:

Do you consider yourself lucky to debut with Rani Mukerji in Mardaani 2 and work with Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari in Human?

I feel that I am lucky, but I also feel that it’s not only luck because I started my journey when I was 16. I lost my father in 2008, and post that my mother held all the three children by herself alone. I had to begin work a little earlier than expected. I joined acting school, worked in theatres, did several cameos and episodes in big television shows. After struggling for nine to ten years, I got my break on the big screen. However, I won’t deny that I am lucky since there are a lot of people who couldn’t make their mark in the industry. It is a blend of blessings, hard work and people who gave me opportunities. Also, I believe that my failures taught me so much. I have given my 100 per cent.

Your portrayal of Sunny in Mardaani 2 or Mangu in Human come across very well prepared roles. What was your approach?

The biggest weapon to understand your character is the script, your director followed by your writer, and then it comes to your preparation. As an actor, my preparation would be different for different characters, kinds of cinema, and directors. When I was about to begin Mardaani 2, I was told that I won’t be getting the script as they wanted me to come raw. If I had been rigid, then how would I perform. For Mangu in Human, I used a bit of preparation for Sunny. I had to break through the dialect of the street as Mangu belonged to a lower-middle-class family of a rural area in Bhopal. I appreciate my writer and co-director, Mozez Singh, for making me understand the subtext so aptly. However, since Mangu isn’t a dark character, my preparation wasn’t as intense as it was for Sunny in Mardaani 2.

How was it to share screen space with Kirti and Shefali?

Both these actors are very well versed and experienced. They are very switch-on, switch-off actors. They joke around on the sets, but the moment the director says action, they are completely different personalities. If I had to prepare any intense scene, I would go and sit in the corner at least thirty minutes prior to rolling, so in a way, it was difficult to work with them. I even tell my staff not to disturb me when I am preparing for my scenes on the sets. It would take me a lot of time to become like them.

A still from Human

A still from Human |

Both Mardaani 2 and Human are intense and issue-based stories. What other genres do you wish to explore?

It is certainly a difficult answer to give. Every actor wants to experiment with different genres. Since I have done a lot of history and mythological roles in television, I want to use that strength in Bollywood. Maybe a period drama with Sanjay Leela Bhansali or a Sikh role from a traditional-folk background.

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