From working in films like Raazi, Khuda Hafiz 2, Sita Ramam, Mission Majnu and many more to IB71, actor Ashwath Bhatt has created a bank of films to his name. The actor was last seen in Vidyut Jammwal starrer IB71 as Afzal Agha, the head of the Pakistani intelligence bureau. Based on the 1971 war, the film received rave reviews from critics as well as from the audience.
While speaking with FPJ, Ashwath revealed that his character in the film needed a lot of hard work. “I had to work on body language, look, tonality, and personality for developing the character. All the characters that I played so far had different backgrounds,” Ashwath said.
After working in many films and playing different characters, on asked about how long it takes an actor to get due credit; Ashwath said, “I believe that whatever the job has been assigned should be done in the best possible way. I am just enjoying my craft and the entire process. The good content of the movie is driven by the entire ensemble." But does he regret the less screen space in the star-studded movies? We asked. “Ultimately, work speaks despite screen space,” stated the Raazi actor.
Ashwath Bhatt performing on theatre and Ansari in Sita Ramam |
Apart from Vidyut Jamwal, Ashwath has been working with some of the best talents in the industry, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in Raazi, Siddharth Malhotra in Mission Majnu, Irrfan Khan and Shahid Kapoor in Haider, and Akshay Kumar in Kesari. “Everybody is trying to do their job and each one of them is respectful to each other. Vidhyut (Jamwal), for instance, is absolutely brilliant and a very down-to-earth professional. He is a good human being,” he said.
However, his fondest memories are of working with the late actor Irrfan Khan. “I had met Irfan Khan a couple of times and he had an infectious smile. He was a good listener and a calm person. I used to feel an emotional connection with him and I got to learn a lot from him,” recalled the actor.
Hailing from Srinagar, Ashwath has come a long way since he came to Mumbai. “For me, when the people in the industry appreciate my work, it brings me joy and soul satisfaction. I feel confident and have peace of mind,” Ashwath said, adding that the industry has become more welcoming to newcomers with many OTT platforms. “OTT has opened another frontier for newcomers, old actors, tv actors, and non-working actors. However, for OTT, the content should be good, consistent, and conviction driven.”
"I teach clowning", said Ashwath Bhatt |
As of now, Ashwath is busy working on a couple of web series, an independent film 'Main Ladega', two short films, 'Riha' and another one with filmmaker Varun Grover, and a feature film with John Abraham titled ‘The Diplomat’. When asked which actor or director he would like to work with, Ashwath is quick to add Ranbir Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Vikram Motwane, Mira Nair, and Dibakar Banerjee. “I am hungry for work, good roles and I desperately want to do a clean comedy which is much required in today's time,” concluded the actor.
