This is my purple patch... getting work I want to do, and acknowledged for it

Vikrant Massey is experiencing a career high. The actor has followed up the spectacular success of his 12th Fail with yet another gripping performance in Netlfix’s Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba. “This is my purple patch professionally, and personally after the birth of my son, I can’t ask for anything more,” he says.

“I am finally getting to do the work I want to do, and even getting acknowledged for it – that is something every artiste dreams of. Experiencing it is overwhelming,” he adds.

Personal validation

As fans and the industry back him as the top contender for the National Award for his performance as the underdog in 12th Fail, his Haseen Dilruba co-star Taapsee Pannu says, “Vikrant is the face of earnestness and his captivating performances only prove his finesse as an actor.”

“It has been a long journey of over a decade. Even my films that didn’t work commercially, like Death in the Gunj, and also scoring in the OTT space with Mirzapur, have all led me to where I am today,” shares Vikram, acknowledging that his recent successes are a personal validation. “Whether it is me, Vicky Kushal or Rajkummar Rao, since Day One, we came with the belief that we need to work hard, and be part of good films. Our emphasis has always been on performance. I think the audience has finally seen that and has acknowledged it too, realising that this is how it should be. This is a tremendous boost for actors like us and will help sustain us and our craft.”

‘A space that artistes rarely get’

As he returns to the screen to reprise his role as the obsessed and love-crazed Rishu, on the run after committing a crime of passion, he seems to have met his match in Sunny Kushal’s character. As both these men try to win over the seductive Rani (Taapsee), Phir Aaayi Haseen Dilruba, cleverly weaves a psychotic whodunnit narrative of love, lust and betrayal.

“Kanika Dhillon has a knack for writing quirky plots. Rishu is an entirely different character from what he was in Part 1, and that was the fun of it. As this franchise gets crazier, one has the liberty to push the envelope, and you don’t get often,” says Vikrant.

The actor says he was spellbound by Jimmy Shergill. “He has an aura, a very striking personality. Jimmy Sir is quiet on set, but when the camera rolls, it just magic,” he says about the senior actor.

Looking forward

But, while critics laud Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba as a quirky noir tale of amoral love, its predecessor Haseen Dilruba was called out for being misogynistic in its representation, giving agency to toxic relationships. Vikrant says he was shocked by the social media discourse. “This was spawned by the so-called elite and refined section of society. People come up with their half-baked perspectives without looking at the entirety of the situation. I used to take these things seriously, but not now, since these are the same people who enjoy voyeuristic content, and have skeletons in their closets,” he says dismissively.

Vikrant, who says his days are filled with filming and parenting, will next be seen in the thriller Sabarmati Report. He hopes things will be ‘onward and upward’ from here.

Whether it is me, Vicky Kaushal or Rajkummar Rao, since Day One, we came with the belief that we need to work hard, and be part of good films. Our emphasis has always been on performance. I think the audience has finally seen that and has acknowledged it too.This is a tremendous boost for actors like us and will help sustain us and our craft.”