Actor Vardhan Puri on his journey in Bollywood, how theatre opened up his world and the unique bond he shared with his grandfather Amrish Puri.
Your Instagram profile says ‘If it can be imagined, it can definitely be made into a film’. How important is imagination power for an actor?
I think imagination is everything for an actor because whenever you are playing a character, there are different kinds of roles that we have to play as an actor. It is obvious that we haven’t lived the life of all those people whom we are going to enact. Like for example, if I have to play the role of a policeman or a doctor I obviously have not been lived their life. So, I have to learn from experiences & observation. Character building is nothing but putting observation and imagination together and marrying them both. Imagination is an important prerequisite of becoming an actor. Therefore, an acting teacher always says that meditation is very important in terms of performance. Mediation allows you to enhance your power of imagination. So according to me, imagination is everything. (TMM)
How did ‘Paagal’ happen to you?*
I would say ‘Pagaal’ happened due to the power of manifestation and I manifested it for a very long time. I had a wonderful conversation with Yash Chopra (ji) and he identified a certain spark in me. I was supposed to do a film with Jayantilal Gada and Mahesh Bhatt Sahab which didn’t work out due to certain reasons. That is when I discovered the magic of romantic thrillers and along with my director we came across this idea of ‘Paagal’ and that’s how it happened. There was an idea that I was working on with my co-writer and my director Chirag and the moment Jayanti uncle realised that I was doing that film with Bhatt Sahab, he told me that I am excited to work with you, so if he gets something good he’ll contact me and if I find something good I should contact him for sure. That is when we went to Jayanti uncle with this idea and after presenting it on an audio-visual presentation, within 5 minutes he asked us to leave the room and called us back after a minute and told us that we are working on this film. So it was a matter of 5 minutes that took him to lock the film.
More than 90 plays, what are the learnings from the theatre world that have helped you in front of the camera?
Theatre teaches you that you have to be egoless to be an actor. The first thing that theatre did was, it broke my ego completely. Also, the art of rehearsal and preparation is something you learn from the theatre and last but not the least is the importance of discipline. The film industry is not a very organized sector, there’s a lot of disorganization. Sometimes people don’t take time seriously. But theatre teaches you that punctuality and discipline are what makes a man.
You have worked as an assistant director too. How does it feel to be on the other side of the table now?
It feels amazing because when I was an assistant director to Habib Faisal and Maneesh Sharma Sahab, I worked with Parineeti Chopra, Sushant Singh Rajput, Arjun Kapoor, Anupam Kheer (ji) who are really good actors. That time I was on that side, where I was giving them cues to help them work on their character, I used to do all the secondary casting of the film and supervise on the set. It was during the period I realised that I wanted to be on the other side.
Biggest learning as an assistant director learnt over the years.
As an assistant director, I have learnt that you have to be an all-rounder. According to me, an assistant director has to be the ‘Jack of all traits’. You have to do a lot of things right from making tea to sweeping the set before the shots, giving cues to the actor, to giving claps and maintaining continuity, helping with costumes, making sure that the props and art setup is all in place. It teaches you to know everything, whether you an actor or a writer or a director.
Do you feel the pressure of being the grandson of a legendary actor?
(Vardhan Puri) I feel no pressure because I think pressure is a very negative word. I would rather say, it’s a responsibility because of my grandfather. He was a wonderful actor and he worked really hard to achieve everything. I feel honoured to be his grandson and I always remember one thing that he told me that “Agar aapko bada aadmi banna ho toh kisi ki nakal mat karo” which means “Be original and be yourself”. I am inspired by his versatility and never going to try to emulate the kind of acting he did. I loved his sense of discipline, his persistence and the respect he had for everyone around him.
Tell us about your bond with your grandfather Amrish Puri?
(Vardhan Puri) said our bond was very unique because along with being my grandfather, he was also my best friend. My room was adjacent to his room and as a kid, I used to always sneak into the room and sleep in between him and my grandmother. Of course, there was a very high sense of respect, he was very firm and he made sure that I respected everyone. I had this habit of touching my grandfather and Grandmother’s feet the moment I met them in the morning and at night just before sleeping. Every time my grandparents used to come home, my sister Saachi and my brothers Krish and Shantanu used to touch their feet and spend a lot of quality time with them. He was very much part of our childhood. He uses to get us things to eat and buy us really cool toys. He used to help us repair our remote control cars and help my sister join back her broken dolls. It was a very cosy and cute bond at home and he never made us realize that he is such a big star.
Amrish Puri played dark characters. What kind of roles and films tempt you?
Vardhan Puri, I am an actor who belongs to the theatre, so I have no demand. In the very first play, I was a 70-year-old man and it taught me that as an actor you should be excited about what comes to you and then you have to react to it. So I am excited about playing all kinds of roles be it comedy, thriller, action or any other character. I have this huge affinity towards dark characters not only because my grandfather played them, but because they have so many nuances and they bring so much more to the core. One character that I am really obsessed with is the Joker from ‘Joaquin Phoenix’, the way he portrayed the role in the trailer it’s so different from what I have seen in the past from the Joker.
You have learnt the art of acting from National award-winning filmmaker-writer Satyadav Dubey. What kind of bond do you share with him? Any anecdote you want to share?
The bond between us was very formal. There was no masti involved at all. I don’t think we have spoken about anything apart from work. I remember this happened when there was a reading at a theatre in Juhu and we were all rehearsing together. He got really angry at me because I fumbled one line. He asked me to go home and said that he will not train me. I was so scared, I went back home and spoke to my sister and my parents, told them how Dubey Ji sent me home. He then gave me hundred pages to remember in a day, which was practically impossible. Next day, I went and I apologized to him. After convincing him for 2-3 days, he agreed to take me back, but instead of the lead role he gave me a cameo in the play and I was really hurt. That was the time when I felt the real hunger to excel in theatre and entertainment. Dubey sir used to believe that humiliation will always help an actor to grow.
You are quite active on social media. What do you make out of it as a medium?
It’s a good tool to connect with people, but you should not be addicted to it. One needs to realise that you are supposed to be bigger and more dynamic in your social media profile and not the other way round. So you have to focus on your craft and use this as a supplementary tool. This can’t be your entire life. I myself enjoy being on the social media platform and it is a fantastic way to connect with people.
As a fervent reader, what types of book you love to read. Is there any book that you think can be converted into a film with you as a lead?
There is this fantastic play written by Vijay Tendulkar called ‘Sakharam Binder’ and I have promised my grandfather and my theatre guru Pandit Satyadev Dubey that at some point in my life I will make a film on it. Vardhan Puri totally obsessed with this play as it is a complex tale about a man, his marriage and another person and the dynamic between them. It is so beautiful, complex and nuanced something that Vardhan Puri said he definitely love to make into a film and act in it as well.
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