Want to concentrate on films, not theatre: Vinay Forrt

It is often said that there is a time for everything… when things just fall into place and the good times begin to roll. Good times are here for  Vinay Forrt but time is exactly what Vinay Forrt does not have right now with  his packed schedule.

 

Joy Mathew’s film 'Shutter', in which Vinay played an auto-rickshaw driver, has contributed largely to his successful career.

  

Theatre laid the foundation for Vinay’s acting career. He started taking part in plays right from his fourth standard and during his degree joined the Lokadharmi theatre that travelled around the country and incorporated dance forms like Kathakali, Ottamthullal etc. This opened avenues for interactions with senior and veteran theatre artistes and literary works that shaped his acting ability. A stint at the FTII, Pune helped in honing and sharpening his skills. It landed him a part in his first film Ritu from where his career took and he managed to carve a niche for himself as an actor.

 

After 'Shutter', he will now be seen playing a journalist  in '7th Day'. He says, “I like each of my characters at different levels but this role has given me ample space to showcase my acting ability. Prithviraj is the hero and I share screen space with him and am there throughout the movie. It’s an emotional rollercoaster ride and I enjoyed playing out all those challenging emotions. I believe that an actor’s quality and talent can be assessed in his ability to portray emotional sequences. When I analyse an actor personally, I gauge his calibre viz a viz his ability in delivering emotional sequences!”   

 

Acting with Prithviraj has only upped Vinay’s status as an actor. Vinay says, “There is a tendency amongst actors to be in their comfort zones but Prithviraj made me break out of it with his suggestions. Prithviraj is an actor who is very supportive of his co-stars and looks to contribute to a film as a whole.” Vinay is a contemporary dancer and a trained kalari and yoga expert but admits to not getting much  time for it now.

 

Has theatre become a casualty considering his very busy film career? Vinay candidly admits that it has. He mentions that the last play he did was a year and a half back and since then has only had the opportunity to watch and read good plays. Vinay refers to the changing priorities at different stages of an artiste’s career. He opines, “Whatever I am today is because of some of the decisions I took in my life; right now my priority is films. Once I  become an established actor, theatre will become a luxury for me. I can go back to theatre at any time but right now, it is the time to prove myself as an actor.” 

 

Personally speaking he muses, “I draw a line around myself and like to sit within that circle and concentrate on my work.” A lead role has never been Vinay’s priority but paramount is the space to unleash his creative talents. He also talks about his dream, “I do not mind spending months perfecting a role and am not looking at 12-13 films a year. I want to push boundaries as an actor and want to become a ‘commodity’ that sells! I want to reach a stage where my name can bring in satellite rights and where I can carry a film on my shoulders.”

 

Vinay’s forthcoming films include '7th Day', 'Rasputin', 'Seconds' and 'Masala Republic' amongst a host of other offers.