'There's
A
Little
Bit
Of
Derek
In
Everyone'
Q.
Your
latest
release
'Chhichhore' has
been
receiving
a
lot
of
love
from
the
audience.
Did
you
always
anticipate
the
film's
success
when
director
Nitesh
Tiwari
narrated
the
idea
to
you?
A.
Absolutely.
One
of
the
first
things
that
Nitesh
Sir
told
me
was,
"There's
no
hero's
friend
in
this
film.
It's
friendship
which
is
the
hero'.
Friendship
is
such
a
common
theme
across
age
groups
that
everyone
has
either
lived
a
college
life
or
are
currently living
into
one.
It's
a
nostalgic
trip
for
them.
'Chhichhore'
beautifully
caters
to
both
the
audience.
This
is
one
of
those
films
where
we
laughed
out
loud
at
the
situations
when
we
read
the
script
as
actors.
On
paper,
if
it
brought
so
much
laughs,
we
were
sure
that
it
would
appeal
to
a
lot
of
people
on
screen.
Q.
Has
the
feeling
sunk
in
yet
for
you?
A.
Honestly,
not
yet.
Every
morning,
I
am
waking
up
to
hundreds
of
messages
from
people
saying
that
they
loved
the
film
and
really connected
with
my
character
Derek.
It's
great
and
overwhelming
because
I
have
spent
one
year
of
my
life
working
on
this
film.
One
Friday
and
one
weekend
will
decide
whether
people
like
it
or
not.
When
it's
exploding
the
way
it
is,
it's
very
heartening
for
an
actor.
Q.
Your
character
Derek
in
the
film
initially
has
his
emotions
all
bottled
up
inside
him.
Until,
he
bumps
into
Sushant's
character
and
the
burning
spirit
in
him
to
achieve
something
rekindles.
Have
you
met
people
like
him
in
real
life?
Have
you
been
in
that
situation
ever?
A.
The
reason
why Derek
has
appealed
to so
many
people
is
because
there's
a
little
bit
of
him
in
everyone.
Everyone
in
their
lives
have
been
in
situations
where
they
have
really
wanted
to
achieve
something
but
either
the
circumstances
or
the
society
or
social
media
tagged
them
as
losers.
I
love
the
overall
theme
of
the
film
which
tells
you
to
never
let
other
people
define
your
happiness.
A
lot
of
my
friends
have
gone
through
that,
either
in
academics
or
in
love,
where
they
faced
a
challenge
and
gave
up.
But
then,
they
managed
to
turn
that
around
just
because
they
continued
to
push.
Derek
has
a
very
emotional
aspect;
there's
almost
a
boyishness.
'A
Successful
Actor
Is
Someone
Who
Is
Happy'
Q.
Another
relevant
point
which
the
film
makes
is
that
it's
not
always
about
the
successes
or
the
failures;
rather
it's
about
the
chase.
How
do
you
define
success?
To
be
more
specific,
what's
a
successful
actor
to
you?
A.
I
really
believe
in
living
in
the
moment.
For
me,
a
successful
actor
is
someone
who
is
happy.
Someone
who
is
being
creative,
productive
and
appreciated
by
people.
But
if
you
are
always
chasing
a
phantom
future,
you
will
never
be
successful
because
you
haven't
lived
in
the
moment.
Personally,
for
me,
that
transition
happened
before
'Mardaani' where
I
had
given
about
a
hundred
auditions
and
got
rejected.
But,
I
never
took
those
rejections
in
a
negative
way.
Instead,
it
looked
at
them
as
feedback
to
improve
myself
and
my
work.
I
have
been
very
lucky
so
far
to
bag
different
parts.
'Mardaani'
was
a
crime
drama,
'Force
2'
was
an
action-thriller,
'Manto'
was
a
historical
where
I
got
a
chance
to
work
with
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui,
'Chhichhore'
was
a
college
drama
and
'83'
which
is
a
sports
film.
Q.
A
lot
of
actors
say
that
they
are
very
detached
as
actors.
The
minute
the
camera
goes
off,
they
are
out
of
their
character.
Do
you
identify
with
them?
A.
It
takes
me
about
two
weeks
to
get
out
of
a
character.
But at
the
same
time,
I
am
as
detached
as
I
am
after
that
period.
During
the
shoot,
I
am
very
attached
to
my
characters.
It
happens
to
me
every
time.
While
playing
a
role,
about
fifty
per
cent
is
acting,
the
rest
half
is
about
giving
your
soul
to
it.
'It
Will
Be
Wrong
On
My
Part
To
Judge
Every
Film
As
'Niche'
Or
'Mainstream'
Q.
Has
your
process
as
an
actor
changed
over
the
years?
A.
When
you
go
to
acting
school
and
you
are
ready
to
do
a
film,
you
have
a
feeling
of
knowing
the
process.
But
as
you
bag
different
roles
and
work
with
different
directors,
you
realize
that
you
have
to
adapt
based
on
the
need
of
the
story
and
character.
For
Derek,
I
had
to
get
into
four
months
of
athletics
practice
with
national
coaches.
Through
that,
I
discovered
that
this
is
probably
the
kind
of work
that
Derek
does.
So,
I
was
living
that
part.
I
am
a
non-smoker.
But
for
my
role,
I
started
smoking
herbal
cigarettes
even
when
I
was
with
my
friends.
For
Sham
Chadha
from
'Manto'
or
Walt
from
'Mardaani',
it
would
be
more
about
mental
preparation.
It's
a
different
process
for
every
role
and
that's
the
biggest
learning
that
has
come
to
me
over
the
years.
Q.
You
mentioned
that
'Chhichhore'
was
one
of
the
most
challenging
roles
in
your
career.
What
was
your
biggest
takeaway
from
the
film?
A.
My
biggest
takeaway
is
the
theme
of
the
film;
that
it
is
your
desire
and
ability
to
chase
your
dreams
that
define
you
and
not
how
the
society
perceives
you.
Q.
Recently
in
an
interview,
your
co-star
Navin
Polishetty
said
that
he
is
very sure
about
the
kind
of films
that he
wants
to
do.
He
said,
"I
don't
want
to
be
an
actor
whose
films
get
good
reviews
and
no
box
office,
that
I'm
sure
about.
I
want
to
be
an
actor
who's
movies
don't
compromise
on
storytelling
but
also
have
the
potential
to
work
at
the
box
office." What
kind
of
opinion
do
you
share
on
this?
Would
you
be
okay
doing
a
film
which
you
know
won't
rake
in
numbers
but
the
idea
is
very
close
to
your
heart?
A.
Firstly,
I
think
every
actor
has
his
own
point
of
view.
So,
I
can't
comment
on
what
Navin
said.
But
as
far
as
my
thought
process
is
concerned,
I
want
to
reach
the
ability
where
someone
who
has
got
a
great
niche
concept
can
use
my
name
or
take
me
in
their
film
and
that
works
for
the
audience as
well.
To
answer
your
question,
an
actor
needs
to
have
a
balance.
It
will
be
wrong
on
my
part
to
judge
every
film
as
'niche'
or
'mainstream'.
I
would
do
a
film
like
'Manto'
which
was
screened
at
the
Cannes
Film
Festival
because
I
am
getting
a
chance
to
work
with
Nandita
Das
and
tell
a
great
story.
At
the
same
time,
I
would
love
to
do
a
'Chhichhore'
or
a
'83'
which
I
know
on
paper,
will
be
amazing.
I
am
willing
to
tell
both
kind
of stories.
The
goal
is
to
reach
a
point
where
you
become
commercially
successful
and
your
name
is
enough
to
help
a
niche
story
to
move
forward.
'One
Of
The
Most
Beautiful
Things
Of
Being
An
Actor
Is
You
Can
Get
People
To
Smile'
Q.
What's
the
best
part
of
being
an
actor
apart
from
the
fact
that
you
get
to
live
a
lot
of
different
lives
on
the
big
screen?
A.
One
of
the
most
beautiful
things
of
being
an
actor
is
people
smiling
at
you
when
you
meet
them
in
public.
When
they
see
you,
they
remember
a
scene
from
your
film.
For
a
moment,
without
even
making
an
effort
in
real
time,
you
can
get
people
to
smile.
Another
thing
is
that
when
they
are
in
the
theatre
watching
your
films,
you
make
them
forget
about
their
worries
and
change
their
thinking
about
something.
Q.
You
have
played
varied
characters
in
your
film
career.
Have
has
your
journey
been
so
far?
A.
I
am
just
starting
out.
This
is
the
beginning
for
me.
I
am
very
lucky
to
have
done
a
variety
of
roles.
It's
great
because
I
have
a
goal
where
I
want
to
get
to.
An
actor
should
be
able
to
convince
the
audience
that
he
is
believable
in
the
story
which
is
being
told.
I
am
fortunate
that
after
seeing
my
work,
they
believe
in
me
and
the
directors
will
have
a
tough
time
to
typecast
me
in
any
one
particular
part.
'If
The
Team
Works,
The
Film
Works'
Q.
'Chhichhore'
and
'83'
are
ensemble
films.
When
you
do
a
film
with
many
characters,
each
actor
gives
his
best
shot
to
make
sure
his
character
remains
etched
in
the
audience's
mind.
At
the
same
time,
you
also
need
to
collectively
lift
the
film
as
a
whole.
Do
you
feel
doing
an
ensemble
film
is
tougher
than
taking
up
a
solo
project?
A.
No.
When
you
do
a
film
like
'Chhichhore',
you
not
only
give
your
best
but
also
want
everyone
to
do
the
same.
Because
this
is
a
kind
of
film
where
if
any
person
under-performs
or
over-performs,
people
won't
believe
in
that
friendship.
In
'Chhichhore'
and
'83',
everyone
is
so
different
in
what
they
are
doing.
It
makes
me
feel
really
happy
when
I
read
reviews
that
appreciate
my
co-star's
performances.
That
just
adds
to
the
aura
of
the
film.
It's
great
when
you
meet
people
who
have
watched
your
films
twice
and
they
have
started
identifying
with
the
characters.
That's
a
goal
of
a
friendship
film
like
'Chhichhore'
and
a
team
film
like
'83'.
It
doesn't
make
it
tougher.
I
know
a
Derek
is
a
Derek
in
his
own
right.
When
I
am
reading
it
on
paper,
I
am
very
secure
about
how
his
character
transition
happens.
The
same
applies
to
'83'.
When
you
are
playing
Sunil
Gavaskar,
you
are
automatically
secured
about
his
positioning
and
what
his
place
is
going
to
be
in
the
film.
For
all
these
films,
if
the
team
works,
the
film
works.
'It's
The
Best
Time
To
Be
An
Actor
In
Bollywood'
Q.
Lastly,
with
the
kind
of interesting
projects
you
have
in
your
platter
right
now, do
you
think
this
is
your
best
phase
as
an
actor?
A.
(laughs)
No,
I
wouldn't
want
to
put
a
full
stop
on
anything.
I
believe
this
is
a
great
phase.
I
always
believe
that
the
best
is
yet
to
come.
But,
I
do think
it's
the
best
time
to
be
an
actor
in
Bollywood.
Today,
stories
are
the
new
stars
and
the
box-office
and
the
audience
is
proving
that.
You
also
have
amazing
digital
opportunities
with
Netflix
and
Amazon.