INTERVIEW! Vikrant Massey On 12th Fail, Bollywood Journey & Struggles: I Want To Be The Voice Of The Voiceless

Vikrant Massey is one of those actors who leave an impression on the audience with each of his characters. From playing a friend to the lead actor to playing the hero, he has redefined the representation of heroism on screen and perhaps that's why he appears so relatable. Vikrant considers 12th Fail to be his most special film. And after watching it, we also completely agree with his belief.

Actor's latest film 12th Fail is out in the theaters from October 27. In an exclusive conversation with Filmibeat, Vikrant Massey expressed his happiness of playing the lead role in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's film. He also talks at length about his journey in the film industry.

Excerpts from the interview.

Q. You are seeing a theatrical release after a while. How are you feeling?

A. I am very happy. 12th Fail is a very special film for me. Also, even today I am able to work as an actor, I am able to meet you guys and talk about my films, all this means a lot to me. I feel grateful before every release of mine. Whatever I have asked for in life, I got more than that. People have given me a lot of love and I feel that somehow now is the time to payback. Everyone knows what my journey has been like. How much work have I done in television, then how did I come into films and since how many years have I been working there. Today I can say that my life has been successful.

Q. As an artist, how do see people's expectations?

A. I am not afraid of expectations. But yes, I keep thinking that I should be able to give something in return to the people who have given me this privilege and the opportunity to reach here. That's why I want to be worth people's time and money. I think taking out time to watch a film, investing your hard-earned money on something, liking it, discussing it, is a big thing for an actor. That is why the effort has always been to give a good film. Some films work, some don't, it's part of the job.

Q. How do you deal with the ups and downs of your career?

A. I think, it's my self-believe. And I have been very lucky that I have a strong family. There are few friends, but they tell the truth on my face. They did not change their behavior towards me with my hits or my flops. Even I would like to give credit to the media. In between, when some of my films did not do well, they clearly wrote that this cannot be the work of Vikrant Massey. All these things help me understand my own work. And that's what keeps me going. I also have confidence in myself that I can do good work. I want to be a part of good stories.

Q. The tag line of the film is #Restart. Has there been any turning point in your life or career, when you have restarted?

A. After about 3-4 years, one of my film is coming to the theatres. So this is also a kind of restart for me. Earlier, even after I left the TV, I had to restart. I gave up a platform that I had built for myself in 10 years. And I did that because I believed that I deserve a chance in films.

Q. How was your 12th?

A. (Laughs) Very bad. I started working right after 10th. Our financial condition was not very strong. So, I was in junior college when I joined Shiamak Davar's group. I worked there for one and a half year. After that I started acting in television. It affected my education. But yes, I agree that education is very important. I strongly believe that education paves the way to a better life. But academic success alone is not success. To achieve success in life you have to be kind, a good person.

Q. This film also discusses about corruption, bribery. Have you ever dealt with it in real life?

A. Truly speaking, I have given bribe twice. And both times I did not have a driving license. I was 17 years old, underage but used to ride my friend's bike a lot. So I got caught once. At that time I had some 40-50 rupees in my pocket, I had to give it and leave. But I very quickly realized that this was all wrong. Taking and giving bribe both are wrong. Nowadays I get very irritated with the power play in our society.

Q. Have you faced power play in the film industry?

A. (Laughs) That happens every day. And it also hurts. But somewhere my self-confidence is more unbreakable than that power play. It happens and you have to take it in stride and move forward. You can't hold it against yourself or anyone else. Because it was like this before us also. Power play has always been there not only in the industry but also in the society. The poor and helpless have to face many problems.

Q. You are not very active on social media now. Do you feel that people are judgemental out there?

Q. Yes of course, people are judgmental. And you can't do anything about it. Now I am not very active on social media because there are different side effects of expressing ones views there. When social media started, there was excitement that it will be used to spread information all around. With one click you can gain knowledge from all over the world. But people have made those platforms something different. There we are living in cancel culture. If you don't agree with a particular idea, you get cancelled. It has adverse effects, especially on the youth. If you don't listen to each other, then how will you move forward? We were taught from our fathers and grandfathers that forgiveness is a great virtue. But today we are not able to forgive.

Q. Most of the characters you play are very relatable and so I think you being tagged as 'common man's hero'. Do you choose such characters deliberately?

A. Yes, I choose such characters very consciously. Success and fame in the field of entertainment are very temporary. Many great actors have come before me and many will come after me. Therefore, what I am doing now is very important for me. This is a privilege for me. From where I come, I have seen days, when I took one of my friends to my house and seeing my financial condition, he stopped picking up my calls from the second day. So, I want to be the voice of the voiceless. I want to represent that common man.

Q. You always wanted to become an actor?

A. Yes, I wanted to become an actor since childhood. I am from Mumbai, so I have seen a lot of film shootings. I have seen Sanjay Dutt and other actors on set. I used to watch everyone from a distance. However, I wanted to come into this industry after finishing my studies. But due to the financial condition of the house, I had to start work early.

Q. And how happy do you feel today seeing yourself as the lead in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's film?

A. I can't explain it in words. This film is very special for me. I never dreamed that I would get a chance to work in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's film. I have grown up watching his films. Also, the special thing about this film is that in it you will get a glimpse of every single person, who dreams, who hopes to achieve something.

Q. You keep your personal life completely separate from the industry you work in. Why is it so?

A. It is not that I keep my private life hidden from anyone. My thinking has been that as an actor I work for 12-14 hours every day, after which I want to spend my time with my family. Nowadays, as an artist, you have to be very active socially, which I am not. I can't have parties after working all day. And if I keep making appearance in parties then when will I work? Most of the films I do, have to be completed in one and a half to two months because they have a limited budget. Obviously no one is investing 200 crore in our film. So I always try to finish my work on time. That's why people think I'm not out there. Secondly, even when I go out, I don't call the media to cover me. Even today I go myself to bring ration for my home. I want to keep life simple because I also know that I will not work for very long.

Q. How do you feel when you look back at your career so far?

A. I feel extremely grateful. But I feel like I've just started. I am just 36 years old (smiles). There is still a lot of work to be done, a lot of stories to be told and not only in acting, but also I want to do writing, perhaps directing and producing as well. Apart from entertainment, there are some other things also to be done in life.

Q. After 12th Fail, which films are you are working on?

A. One is Black Out with Jio Cinema, then Haseen Dilruba 2 and Sector 36 is also in pipeline.