The name Vicky Kaushal evokes a delighted screech from fangirls who can’t stop swooning over this supremely talented Punjabi munda. While he started off with impressive unconventional roles in movies like Masaan and Raman Raghav 2.0, he’s finally treading the commercial path with Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyan. In the city for promotions, the lanky hunk got candid with us in this freewheeling conversation….
Talking about his role Vicky Sandhu aka DJ Sand, in the film, he says, “The colour of the character was very new to me - he’s very carefree, impulsive, eccentric these were shades I hadn’t attempted before. Vicky is someone who doesn’t think of consequences before doing something and doesn’t understand responsibility. He’s very afraid of commitment not just in relationships, but even with family or profession-wise, he’s afraid of anything that’s permanent. He’s someone who has blue hair and is tattooed- he’s a wild, flamboyant character.”
For someone who’s played a cop with negative shades in Raman Raghav 2.0 and a Pakistani army officer in Raazi, Manmarziyan belongs to a genre he’s never attempted before. “It’s an out and out romantic story and a love triangle. It’s a mix of such different worlds with Anand L Rai, Anurag and the writing of Kanika Dhillon coming together. I was surprised by the kind of treatment that Anurag created, with the aesthetics of Anand L Rai coming into the script. Also, this is the first time I’m working with Abhishek and Taapsee,” reveals Vicky.
Interestingly, Vicky and Anurag’s friendship goes way back to 2010 as the former assisted the director on Gangs of Wasseypur. How has their friendship evolved since then? “My first bite of cinema was through GOW I consider him my mentor and we really think of each other as friends. It’s been a very organic and beautiful journey. Every time I work with him, I discover something new about myself.”
With back-to-back hits and accolades to his credit, Vicky is now the flavour of the season with praise pouring in from all corners. Has this feeling sunk in for the actor? “It’s very humbling and gratifying. I feel a responsibility, as an artiste, to really cater to a wider audience as much as possible. When people watch your film and work and call you by your characters, you feel validated as a human being. All we want is feeling loved. My heart is happy on a film set - no other place gives me that much joy. I’m grateful to God,” says Vicky, who’s upcoming movies include Uri and Karan Johar’s Takht.
With him doing Netflix content like Love Per Square Foot and Lust Stories, Vicky’s all praise for the online medium. “It’s nice to have a medium of entertainment right in your pockets. You can just watch it on your way to work or the ladies can watch it in the kitchen. Entertainment has become more accessible this was long due,” says the actor, who is currently binge-watching Sacred Games and is a huge fan of Game Of Thrones, House of Cards and Prison Break.
Ask him whether he’d like to do a south Indian flick anytime soon and he quickly responds, “Yes. In fact, I was telling Taapsee that I want to do the south Indian dance routine with massive energy like the Allu Arjun songs!”
