I like to be challenged as an actor: Sumit Kaul

Sumit Kaul has always been a man of action!! His body of work has always talked for him, whether it was his villainous role in Laagi Tujhse Lagan or his Justin act in Chakravarthin Ashoka Samrat or his very recent comic role in Bahu Humari Rajni_kant. But comedy is something that happened to Sumit after a long time. Talking of it, Sumit said, “Well, I have not done comedy for a long time now. But when I started theatre in the year 2002, I did quite a lot of comedy plays. So I knew I could do it if given the opportunity. Trust me, comedy is something that not all actors will be able to dabble in. But for me, it is really unfortunate that I have never been offered comic roles. Guess people require a particular look for comic roles. And my eyes tend to favour negative roles. But I was happy that I was considered for this crucial cameo role of Amartya in Bahu Humari Rajni_kant.” On his role in Bahu Humari Rajni_kant, Sumit explained, “The character was written very well. But it was a huge challenge for me to play a Bengali character. I never thought that I could be cast for a Bengali character. Also, I had no time whatsoever to get into the groove of the character as I had to start shoot quickly. So I had to rely on my past interactions with friends and colleagues that I had worked with when it came to playing a Bengali. I am glad that I pulled it off and all liked it. Everyone starting from my co-actors, colleagues to team liked my performance. And I got a wonderful feedback from my fans, and it was rewarding.” Sumit has an uncanny way of choosing the roles he desires to play. And explaining about it, Sumit said, “I don’t pick up roles to mould a career, if you can say that. I like to be challenged as an actor. And Justin challenged me as it was a very complex and multi-dimensional character. In simple words, Justin was a very real character. Also, I can say that my past work has somewhere created some sort of a reputation for me, that either I can play the real characters well or I can play characters in a very real manner. Coming back to the point, I like to be challenged. I always want to play a character that will allow me to indulge in the creative side of my work. TV can get monotonous wherein one needs to elongate certain reactions. So as an actor, I always look forward to work where that monotony breaks, and I can be creative and spontaneous and bring forth all my experience as an actor.” So which are the characters that were class apart for you? “See, 24 gave me this opportunity in a very subtle way. Also, I played the transgender role in Siya Ke Ram and that really challenged me in a strong way and allowed me to play with the creative juices.” Sumit is a class performer and his thoughts about playing a certain tough role are very remarkable. “If I need to play a character that anyone can play, that role does not excite me. I get attracted immediately to roles that not too many people will be able to do justice. It’s a joy working with such a character.” When asked about the changing trends in TV and the future of TV, Sumit was quick to say that, “It is actually a great time to be an actor. Even if you are looking at creative satisfaction or the monetary benefits, you have ample of avenues open as an actor. Having said this, the regular TV scenario has not changed too much. Even today, we are targeting a very set audience. But at the same time, it is a good feeling to see that most of the GECs are ready to dabble with finite series concepts. This brings in newness, and makers come in with the courage to tweak things to suit their interest. Finite series gives all of us an opportunity to do something not fully based on TRPs. We tend to say a story within a set period of time; there is a lot of compactness seen and a sense of creativity too. I am excited to be part of such a time as an actor.” Sumit who is known for his path-breaking roles in TV has been offered only one comic role in his career before Bahu Humari Rajni_kant happened to him. “I had done a comedy show on Mastii channel by name ‘Muje Meri Family Se Bachao’. Though the show was short-lived, that was a very interesting role. And now, with Bahu Humari Rajni_kant, the eagerness to do comedy has come up again. It’s very unfortunate that my role in Rajni was also short lived. But I am happy that lot of people saw me in it. And I am pretty excited with the way it came out. You never know, this might be the beginning of lot of comic roles to come for me.” When asked about the kind of roles that has still eluded him, Sumit clarified, “I think I can do justice to romantic roles. I don’t know from where this misconception has come that I might not be able to carry off a romantic role. I guess that again has to do with my eyes. But romance happened for me as Justin. And it again happened as Amrtya. So I feel I can really handle a romantic role well.” Sumit, we wish you all the very best!!