Jimit Trivedi is very selective with the kind of projects he wants to associate with but when he does, he always hits a bullseye. While his first Hindi film Bhool Bhulaiya and his character of Chandu remains to be a popular one among the masses, Jimit went on to prove that he is more than a placeholder comic actor with Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor starrer 102 Not Out and Vasan Bala’s Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota.
However, his portrayal of a calculative cop in Homi Adajania’s women-centric mafia web series Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo really came as a surprise for many as they got to see a more serious and nuanced side of his acting craft. Jimi Trivedi who is quite popular in the Gujarati film industry interacted with News18 Showsha exclusively where he emphasised how he wants to break away from the typecast of a ‘trivial’ character.
Here are the excerpts:
Your role in Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo was a very different kind of a role for you. So how come the makers were able to see that character in you?
I think I was destined for this role. Sometimes things fall in place for you. Constantly, I was rejecting the same kind of roles whether it was comedy or buffoonery or playing Gujrati who is constantly eating and cracking jokes. I was fed up with that thing so I wanted to break that image. Unfortunately, in our industry, we are famous for typecasting people. I was rejecting a lot of roles and I would give credits to Homi Adajania because he is a director who always thinks out of the box and you can see that in the series also. The way they showed Rajasthan and it’s completely a made-up place but still you believe that this place is there, these characters are real.
That’s why he always sees actors in a very different light. If you are doing the comedy, he will like to explore the new talent. If some actors had done the same kind of a role, he would still like to give them a different kind of a chance. For example, me and Deepak Dobriyal have done lots of comedy. We are famous for that and people recognise and associate us with humour. But in this show, Deepak Dobriyal has also done a very serious role. When I got the call from the casting directors, my main point was to live this character to the fullest and I should believe that I am this character. That involvement in that character through whatever brief I got. Homi Adajania had told the team that he got lots of auditions for Proshun’s role but it was only Jimit who was not taking himself seriously at all. So all these things just paid off!
What kind of prep did you do for Proshun? What was your approach to that character viz a viz what the makers wanted out of it?
They were very clear. The way the show has been written, I will definitely give credits to the writers because they play a major role in this. Even the smallest, tiniest role, they have an arc and it is very crystal clear for an actor to understand. For me, it was more interesting since my character was very complex. Intelligence is always the most complex thing to understand, you always find intelligent people weird. It was a challenge. I told Homi Adajania in one of our meetings that Proshun is a very intelligent guy. He sees patterns in everything, doesn’t matter whether to solve anything or create anything. He gave me the freedom to approach my character to the best of my wisdom.
In the scenes where you were sharing screen space with Dimple Kapadia, your intimidating aura was at the same level as Dimple Kapadia’s. How were you able to match up with her energy?
Because I have worked in theatre, one basic thing that I have learned is when you step on a stage, you are a character and not the name parents have given you.
You are completely a new aura, new mindset, new psychology and new body. Whenever I have performed in front of legends, whenever I am acting or performing, I am there as a character. I don’t see there is a if name in front of me. They are playing their part and I am playing my part. So the though of being overshadowed or being overpowered doesn’t bother me. Because I never focus there and I am completely focused on my work only. That shows on screen.
What was your major takeaways from working alongside Dimple Kapadia? How did she influence your craft of acting?
Since I’ve worked with Bachchan Sir, Rishi Sir, I have found this one common factor even in Dimple Kapadia that you come on sets with your full preparation and you are only acting. Being dedicated to your work, being grounded and most importantly to be in control of your fame. If your stardom will overpower you, then it will automatically start affecting your surroundings, your co-actors, everyone. What I learnt from the guys is to never allow your stardom to come in between your fame. It will start affecting your work slowly and steadily and in the long run will ruin your career. That’s one thing I’ve learnt and observed in everybody. They keep on working and they are very chilled out on sets. They will make you comfortable and automatically the positive environment is created. Everybody has their own capacity of acting, their own talent, their plus and minuses. It differs from actor to actors. But what I’ve learnt and understood is that your acting craft will grow with your own mechanism, with your own understanding. This will make you a better human being and automatically it’ll reflect in your craft of acting.
What kind of trajectory would you like Proshun to witness in the second season?
I am still waiting for the news that second season is on cards. But I am sincerely hoping it returns because the point where the show has ended, it’s given that the second season is going to happen. Since I want to get surprised by Homi’s take as to what is the next thing, what are writers bringing to the table. Because I am sure that this kind of show has not happened or made in Indian OTT platforms. This is the first real show. So I am just waiting for an official confirmation rather than imagining my character will do this, do that. Proshun is a dead, serious character but people are still appreciating my work. So I’ll wait for the surprise.
There is a huge gap between all your Hindi projects right from Bhool Bhulaiya and 102 Not Out to Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota Hai and Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo.. what’s the reason behind that?
I am very choosy with the roles. Generally it happens that when you get one good break, then you won’t immediately get another break after that. I always want to know the storyline, even if it’s just one scene. I would like to know whether it is making any difference in the story, whether people are going to remember the character or whether I’ll be satisfied with my work that people will remember this character. I have been rejecting roles constantly because at one point, I started telling casting people also that I am looking for serious roles. There has to be some substance in the character. It can’t be like a packet of Lays where you think it’s full and when you open it, it’s salted, peri peri or cheese. Plus I had lots of options. I was doing ads, lots of Gujarati films, plays etc. For me, I had no dearth of options so I was rejecting it. I have same pattern in the regional films also that the script is making any sense. If you make a bad film or a good film, it is going to take the same amount of energy and time. I always wanted to invest my time and energy in a role that people will remember.
What’s one thing about the Gujarati film industry which makes it different and unique than Bollywood?
Any regional cinema, they have their own history, their own culture, their own take. And there is always a fun element and depth and a message with a regional dialect. For example, Gujarati culture is a business-minded culture and how you are projecting things. It will connect people with their roots. Once you connect people with their roots, you automatically start exploring your culture. Bollywood is pan-India while regional cinemas have small pockets, like South that has become bigger than Bollywood. The culture and flavour is particular to a regional setup. So I think this is one that always gives you a different shade. If you see Marathi films, they are always related to Swatantra Sainani and history. If you go to Gujarat, there are lots of things connected to the business and literature. That makes it unique.
You’ve been in the entertainment industry for a long time now. How has it evolved over the years? What are the challenges it faces in the coming times?
If I talk about Bollywood then it’s content, a good content. Because content is being produced but they have not yet explored the kind of literature we have, the kind of history we have and that too up-to-the-mark. If you have to show any freedom fighter’s history or anything, we are unable to do justice to it. There is a lot of talent and we have this diversification. We have so many industries and cultures, to adopt and to evolve, everything happens at its own pace and time. When the time comes, things start changing. So now is that time because through OTT, you can show different cultures, different topics. The Indian culture and aesthetics is so deep-rooted that we have not studied yet. I will not say they have not been explored because they have been ignored. So this is the right time to recognise it and bring it to the light. OTT is a strong medium because previously it was only theatre. But now, we also have audio storytelling mediums as well like Audible and Spotify.
Now you believe that OTT would be largely benifitted by the pool of regional actors. Share your thoughts on that?
OTT has been a very big blessing for actors and not people who claim to be actors and those actors who have not gotten their dues. So because OTT has the standard that you have to put content, you have to bring content. Because of OTT, you get viewers from all accross the world and the standard is that you have to put the content in front of them, only then they will watch them. Because they have a huge library. If the content is not strong, they will not watch it.To perform and to give justification to any kind of content, real content which has been written very well, who can give justification to that character or situation, you need an actor. You don’t have any other options. That is why actors are again in demand. Not that they weren’t but they were given tags of character artists. They were not identified as actors. So OTT has opened that space not only to India but even the local talent can be identified by and approached by somebody who is sitting in France, USA or anywhere. Even the shows are dubbed in their language. The doors have opened up in a very big way and that’s why they are in demand. Because an actor can blend themselves and transform themselves into a character and that’s what needed in a content driven thing. You have to transfer yourself in different roles, you have to look different and to justify that, you have to show that psychology, that body language everything. And only a trained actor can do that.
Considering your love for OTT, do you want to work more in that space? If yes, what kind of roles would you like to experiment with?
I will not say that I am in love with OTT because there are so many shows that are thrash. Even I watch it and after five minutes shut it off. Because you get every kind of thing everywhere. So I can’t say that you get good content all the time from OTT. So I don’t want to just stick to one place. But definitely OTT is something which is like a novel. You get into the depth and as an actor, you also like the process. Because as an actor, you have a lot of time. So whatever you are working on or whatever you are searching about, one benefit is there. Then you put everything into it. You don’t have a time constraint like films. And lastly the kind of subjects you can show in OTT, you cannot show it in films or television. I would like to do OTT shows and films and even feature length theatrical films. But something meaningful. Not typical humour thing all the time.
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