Amol Parasher will soon be seen in Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare directed by Alankrita Shrivastava. SHALINI SAKSENA chats up the actor about his journey

What is the film about?

The film is directed and written by Alankrita Shrivastava. It is an interesting take on lives of people in our country. All my scenes are with Konkana and the complex relationship they have since they are from different class.

How has your journey been thus far?

I have been in the industry for around 10 years, I would say that my acting journey began only five- six years back as I have been acting seriously in the last five years.

What has been some of the ups and downs?

In the beginning, there were many downs. When I came to Mumbai I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t have any work. There were many lean periods. There were times of frustration. It was tough to pass time. Things changed in 2016 and luckily I started getting work, a lot more than I expected.

How tough is it to deal with this situation?

To be honest one is angry. It is easy to say have patience. But this is not easy when you see others get work and you have none. One has to be patient in a good way.  You don’t know how long you will last here. You have to be ready all the time. You have to keep yourself motivated at all times.

Did you always want to be an actor?

No, not at all. I was pursuing my engineering in from IIT-Delhi. I started acting doing plays where I was there— within the campus and outside. I even worked for a year while pursuing theatre. But it was tough because of office hours. I was getting frustrated. I realised that I was missing acting and wanted to go back to the stage. That is when I decided to take a break. I met a few theatre people in Mumbai, quit my job and shifted here. I never went back.

Usually, films is the first step after theatre, you chose TV. Why?

This is not entirely true. I did this one TV show last year because it was different, it was a conscious decision. I was doing theatre because I love being on the stage. Many of us are not very enthusiastic about TV since it doesn’t excite as much even though there is a lot of money. It was not about making money. If that I was the case I would have stuck to my job.

Is that why you did web, is offers excitement?

Yes. It offers you so much more. Not that there is any harm in doing TV shows. TV actors are so hardworking. It is just that I don’t find any relatability. Web and theatre offers excitement. There is experimentation. This is why a lot of Bollywood filmmakers are doing web shows since they also feel that they have a lot more to do.

Has the change in content made you reinvent yourself?

There have been changes in web content. When I did my first web show things were different since the budget was small and scales have increased. Not the case now.  If players are here now. This has opened up doors to do more on a much larger scale. This is great for actors.

What is the lesson that you have learnt?

There are lessons everyday as new things are thrown at you daily. You have to reinvent yourself. You can’t be smug. To be flexible and have the ability to learn all the time. Things change you can’t say you know all.