As the actor retraces his steps to TV, with Kahani Navbharat Ki, he tells Saimi Sattar the reasons for his move and why is the show a must-watch

Vikrant Massey, the name almost always conjures up the adjective earnest, followed by humble, grounded and all the antonyms for bratty, entitled and high-headed. Right from the time he caught popular attention — as Shyam Madan Singh —in the memorable Balika Vadhu, Massey played every character, including those who were a deep shade of grey,  with deep conviction. Whether it was Devdas Mukherjee, a thief, in his debut film Lootera (2013) or a cuckolded husband, Rishu in the more recent Haseen Dillruba (2021) or even Bablu, the brains behind the gang in Mirzapur (2018) it was this total belief in his character that made him shine with a boy next door ordinariness.

So, it isn’t surprising that a TV media house zeroed down on him to play anchor for the show Kahani Navbharat Ki which charts the history of the country. We connect over a call and chit-chat about the world as Massey reciprocates with his customary warmth. He informs me that though he had a Covid scare, the tests thankfully were negative. The discussion then switches to his latest venture. Excerpts from the interview:

Why and how did you decide to switch back to TV?

It was a no-brainer. The team explained the concept, that they had been researching for two years. The larger context of the show was to celebrate 75 years of Independence. When I read the script, I immediately wanted to be a part of it. It might sound really cliched, but main sach keh raha hun (I am being honest), it seemed God-sent.

I always wanted to be a part of something like that... a show which is a mix of history, knowledge, hope and everything worthwhile. It was ready-made and offered to me on a platter. I recognised that in some way or the other I would be contributing my bit. I want to do that through the films and shows that I take up.

The younger generation, unfortunately, is engrossed in consumerism. Research shows that grown-up adults spend about a quarter of their waking time on mobile. So, I wanted to come out with something unobserved, kept on the rack for the longest of time and dust it off to present it nicely and bring it out in a manner that we can take pride in our history. It really encapsulates that mood. It is full of hope, pride and what better time than 75 years of Independence to share these stories.

Was there any particular incident that got your attention?

There were so many things. It is a 10-episode series and I really can’t pinpoint one. Our history is so vast that we had to filter out some things. Everything has its significance and place. There are so many people in the younger generation who are not aware of the many challenges we faced and overcame as a young country or the many hurdles that were thrown at us. Take our approach to Science in the 50s... Or the fact that we practised secularism with all our heart and soul... Or that we gave marginalised women the right to education and to vote. How did we overcome all of that? Despite all trials and tribulations, the way we liberalised our economy. How we are one of the largest democracies in the world. Despite the ups and downs, we are facing... these are the things that, I strongly feel, we need to take cognisance of, feel proud of and share with our people. When we are approaching this milestone, we can also think about what the coming 75 years would be like. How will we chart the future... depends on the present.

The show talks about history... of late, it has become a contentious issue. How have you tackled that?

History has always been a contentious issue. Our generation is seeing it for the first time. But these things have always existed. However, the history we are talking about is devoid of any tilt, tint, lineage or conformism. Yes, I agree that the public discourse, especially on social media, is marred by politicisation. We consciously tried to refrain from that. We had academicians and historians who worked diligently on the show. It was a conscious decision to understand and take pride in our identity as Indians first and share these highly significant stories. And the rest is up to the audience. We have cooked up the dish with fair diligence and honesty.

Anchoring and acting are two different ball games. What are the points of differences and similarities?

Acting for fiction is a completely different ball game. It is a make-believe world that you are trying to encapsulate your audience with and convince them of the story. But when I’m hosting a show, I’m sharing my privacy, opening the door for the audience to come in to also share my experiences. It’s far more challenging and I enjoy that. People see me as an actor and here I’m sharing a piece of my heart, ideology, hope and belief. I am proud to be associated with the show as, I said, we tried to highlight the story and history of India and hope to inspire people who will shell out their valuable time and watch it.

You’ve dabbled in TV, OTT and films. Do you approach the roles differently in each? And does each help your growth as an actor?

I have never limited myself to the medium. I have always believed that I am a storyteller. I have also believed that I have a knack for being able to adapt to changing times, which everyone should. But my larger idea is to go out and tell stories. Till the time I am able to do that, I am sleeping soundly. When I am unable to do so, I will be facing another set of challenges.

What makes you take up any role or show?

It’s a mix. The challenges that it puts out for me as an artiste, my belief in the story. I also strongly feel that, as a creative independent artiste, it’s my responsibility to be in sync with current times. And as long as I tick off these boxes, I’ll take up these stories. I think it is an amalgamation of things.

You have done a wide variety of roles — Mirzapur, Haseen Dilruba, Lootera ... what goes into making a character that is believable? Is it by observing the people or discussions with the director?

Can I cut you in? This set of questions, we can keep for another day. I join hands and apologise for this. We will sit and discuss this.

So, coming back to the show, were there any challenges during its shooting or content development?

As an actor, there were not many challenges. I can be so proudly indulgent and say that we had a great team of statisticians, data analysts, historians, technicians who made this show good. But there were challenges that every team goes through, whether it is fiction or non-fiction. And especially when you are dealing with a sensitive topic like history. And as you said, it is a contentious issue. You are actually treading landmines. So, those were the set of challenges we faced but did manage to overcome smoothly. There were historical and factual challenges.

Was there a lot of back and forth in the script?

That happens everywhere. It is like cooking a recipe. Mid-way you realise, haldi thodi kam pad gai hai. Thodi haldi daal den (The turmeric is a little less. We should add more of it). It is a part of storytelling. As long as you stay true to the idea of storytelling, without any indulgence or conformism, these are likely to happen. It happens everywhere. Even in journalism, when you have written a piece and are revising it... you edit a few words, add others. It is applicable everywhere.

What are the future projects that we see you in?

Love Hostel will be out soon. I am doing the official remake of Forensic. There is also Mumbaikar with Santosh Sivan. I am filming for Blackout and waiting to start Gaslight with Pavan Kriplani who is a dear friend.