Vardhan Puri, grandson of late Amrish Puri ventured into acting with the satellite blockbuster Yeh Saali Aashiqui followed by Asek, a straight to OTT-release is now gearing up for his third film titled Dashmi. The film is directed by Shantanu Tambe and is set to release in cinemas on January 19, 2024. The film is a social drama and questions the evilness that still prevails in modern society. In an exclusive chat with The Free Press Journal, the actor talks about his reasons for doing this film too early in his career and much more.
What made you say yes to Dashmi?
In the mixed bag of commercial films that I am doing this year, Dashmi is an interesting filmt to be a part of solely because of the intent and the bravery of my director Shantanu Tambe behind it. This is the only film that I have done so far which had no major studio backing. When I got a call from the casting team, they knew that I wasn’t doing such films but he convinced me to hear the script. I met the director and he narrated the climax, I was numb and my eyes welled up.
Go on...
I thought this story needs to be told. I felt that sometimes we do films for very clever reasons. Industry has taught me to be clever. I did Dashmi for Shantanu’s vision and its plotline. I saw my director’s conviction that pushed me to be a part of this film. Something inside me told me that Dashmi is a film and not a project.
Does it bother you when films with no backing come to you generally?
I feel a good film will find its audience by any means. Look, what Hanuman is doing at the box office. !2th Fail had no superstar in it but look at the kind of success it received. It is purely the conviction of Vidhu Vinod Chopra. His past films haven't done this kind of a business, even though his films are masterpieces. I believe people don't care about anything today except for the content. Healthy social media discussions can uplift the art in totality.
Are you happy to sustain in the era of social media?
Everyone is entitled to have an opinion. Trolling is not good for anyone, it can harass and psychologically damage you but fortunately, I had never faced any such negativity so far. People have been very kind to me. There might be a couple of things that might have hurt but nothing major. I have done Dashmi for my soul, and to sleep peacefully. In the past, the actors used to do Shyam Benegal cinema besides Manmohan Desai, Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai's cinema. Dashmi isn't an arthouse film purely, it is in the most commercial space too.
Dashmi arrived too soon in your career, does it make you more responsible as an actor?
As an actor, having a strategy is dangerous (laughs). I am an instinctive actor.
You tasted an overnight success when Yeh Saali Aashiqui did so well after its OTT release. Do you seek theatrical success?
The response was unexpected. Yeh Saali Aashiqui was released in November 2019 and then pandemic happened. The film did an average business at the box office for whatever reasons but it was so honest that it exploded on OTT. A lot of people told me to make the second part. since it has got a fan base and it's ready to have a franchise. It was like a blessing. In 2024, people will see me in more theatricals, Dashmi being the second one of my career.
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