Working with veterans is not intimidating, but a pleasure, feels actor Divyenndu, who will soon be seen sharing screen space with senior actor Gajraj Rao in filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s Thai Massage. The actor feels working with talented actors helps you deliver your best performance.
The 39-year-old explains, “Gajraj sir and I come from a theatre background. From day one, we connected well, more so because of the good script. While acting with senior actors helps you up your game, your performance goes for a toss if you have a co-star who does not know the basics of acting.”
Having worked with different actors, Divyenndu says he is very mindful of who he works with now: “When Mangesh Hadawale (director) narrated the Thai Massage script to me, I wanted to know who would play Aatma Ram in it. He said GJ (Gajraj Rao) was on board and I knew we were moving in the right direction. With like-minded people, the job becomes easy and the result is always good.”
Divyenndu has previously worked in Toilet…Ek Prem Katha, a film that addresses the issue of lack of toilets for women in rural India. Talking about whether it’s a conscious choice to be part of movies that highlight societal issues, the Pyaar Ka Punchnaama actor says, “I am an artiste at heart so I don’t take up a project because it’s talking about a certain social issue. For me, a good story is more important…the world I will be a part of. The kind of character I will be playing. After that if it’s also talking about a social change, then why not.”
Giving example of Toilet…, he shares, “ I remember Toilet was one such film when for the very first time in my career, I thought that the character I am playing is not very big (As I have played leads and parallel leads in the past) but what we were talking about in that film needs to be shared, and I should do that. The role is small but the issue is something bigger. Having said that, I loved the character. I thought for someone like me, who comes from a theatre background, may be it would be good to be someone who starts this movement that when you like a story or a character, you just jump into it. Don’t think too much about how big is the role etc.”
But at the end of the day, Divyenndu says, “As an artiste, it has to appeal to me, otherwise I can watch a documentary, or read an article about the issue on google. We are making a film and the film has to be appealing.”