There is no doubt that Adarsh Gourav has established himself in the entertainment industry as an actor capable of pulling of complex and intricate roles. From his critically-acclaimed film with Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka Chopra titled ‘The White Tiger’ to playing the antagonist in Sridevi’s crime-thriller Mom, Gourav boasts of a filmography which compliments his craft. As the actor is cementing his feet in the world cinema, his recent web series Guns & Gulaabs helmed by Raj & DK became a success upon it’s release.
In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Adarsh Gourav reflected upon his character in the show, reuniting with Rajkummar Rao, getting offers from the International entertainment fraternity, his upcoming film Kho Gaye Hum Kahan with Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi and more.
Here are the excerpts:
How did you connect with your character of Chota Ganchi?
I was very scared to be honest because the character has a lot of layers to it, to understand. But where I began understanding Jugnu was because he grew up in a toxic environment, surrounded by Alpha Sigma males and without a mother. I think the lack of a female presence can affect anyone and when I thought that he has no mother, a sister who got married early, I started understanding who Jugnu could be. And I started building him from there on.
Chota Ganchi was not your usual ‘run of the mill’ gangster. He is also vulnerable and insecure. How did you tap into that?
I guess I just tapped into my own vulnerability and insecurity. Also, by believing in the truth of the character. Just the fact that he never had a friend in his life. The only person he thinks is a friend, it’s because he is scared of him. Nirmal is Chota Ganchi’s friend because of that very reason. So by trying to understand the loneliness and isolation of him, I was able to do justice to it.
How did Raj & DK help you in understanding the character in a much better way?
As an actor, it’s the choices we make that define you. But sometimes, you end up making wrong choices because you know that person you are playing would be for a couple of months.
So during that period, the director or the writer steps in and they are like ‘you know why don’t you try something else? This doesn’t look as authentic or real to the world. So try a different route’. So that’s when Raj & DK come in and they keep actors in check.
There’s a particular scene where your character commits his first murder but he is not very proud of it. Can you recall something about that scene?
That scene ends up with me throwing up because I don’t intend to kill the Doctor. But when it happens, I am completely in shock that I have taken a life. While I am used to people listening to me by the virtue of who my father is, taking a life with my own hands is an altogether different thing. To see blood in front of me and to see someone lifeless, it hits you. It would be the same with any person. Just because you can throw a punch at somebody, it doesn’t mean that you’ll feel the same when you kill somebody. You’ll be scared and s******g in your pants.
How was it like reuniting with Rajkummar Rao? How will you describe your equations with him?
It was an absolute pleasure and delight to work with Rajkummar Rao again. I love him to bits. He is not just the greatest actor of our times but also a fantastic human being. He has been there for me during some really tough times and he helped me a lot in my personal life as well. Everytime I work with him, I get as excited as if I am working with him for the first time. Both of us, by virtue of being outsiders in the industry, and coming from middle-class families, we connect on that level. We relate with each other’s lives, we understand each other and it’s just an honour to work with him everytime.
What makes Raj & DK such effectively storytellers and directors?
Because they don’t take themselves seriously. And because they are not from the city and they come from a small town in Andhra. They were engineers originally who decided to quit their jobs and pursue something that they loved. It takes a lot of balls to do that. And when you meet them, you’ll realise that they are very simple, humble, grounded people. And that quality sort of extends into what they make. Their characters don’t take themselves too seriously, their characters are people who mess up, who have flaws, who keep slipping and falling. And everytime there is a situation that becomes too serious, they crack a joke. So you are conveying a lot of heavy information, with having to feel the weight of it. It’s the best way a performance can be delivered.
You were last of the few actors who got to share the screen space with Satish Kaushik? What do you remember about that?
Every moment spent with him was very memorable. But I remember particularly when he told me the story about the day Rickshaws came to Bombay. Because he had moved to Mumbai in the late 70s, when Rickshaws hadn’t started. He told me Rickshaws were much cheaper than taxis. As for my character, I hadn’t thought about it but I am excited to see Raj & DK and Suman how they take Chota Ganchi forward. Since the possibilities are endless. Any choice can be an interesting choice.
How do you plan to prioritise your work here in India since you’ve been getting a lot of international recognition.
It really depends on which stories I like more and which director I want to work with more. Having said that, I obviously want to keep working in India. It’s my home, it’s where I belong, it’s where my folks are. But at the same time, I also want to be accessible to all the opportunities that comes my way. It’s just about figuring out that balance. Perhaps one project here, one project there and then I want to spend time with my family and chill.
Did you ever feel that people see you only in a certain kind of roles? If yes, how do you cope with it?
Thankfully, I haven’t been stereotyped. Every character that I have played have been quite different from one another. Whether it was Balram from White Tiger, Mohit Chadha from Mom or Dhruv from Rukh or Ganchi from Guns & Gulaabs, they’re all very different, they all belong to different stratas of society, speak very differently. I am very excited about Kho Gaye Hum Kahan because the kind of space I’ve played in and the kind of character that I have played is very, very different. It’s very fresh take on friendship between three friends, living in Mumbai and how social media affects their lives. I don’t think there’s been a friendship genre as good as Kho Gaye Hum Kahan for a very long time. I had such a blast working with Ananya and Siddhant.
Ananya Panday receives a lot of flak from people. Having worked with her, why do you think people are so harsh on her?
What I can tell you from my experience is that Ananya is an absolutely amazing human being. She is very genuine, very humble, very curious and very hardworking. She doesn’t take her job lightly. She really pushes herself. She is just a brilliant actor and you cannot forget the fact that she is only 24 years old. She is actually really young. And to have achieved whatever she has and to deal with all the public attention she gets, it takes a lot. But she has managed to stay grounded and I am very proud of her and the work she is doing. And I am so excited for everyone to see how amazing she is in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.
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