Laapata Ladies brought massive success for actor Sparsh Shrivastava at a very young age, and it’s quite easy to get typecasted in the Hindi film industry. SCREEN exclusively discussed this aspect with Sparsh, and he agreed about being served similar kinds of roles. With the Kunal Kemmu-directorial, VIBE, the 27-year-old is hopeful to break the Laapata Ladies’ image. 

“There is definitely a conscious effort to do something new because that keeps you excited to work but the honest truth is that I have just started, so I don’t have hundreds of choices to pick and choose from. This role came my way, and I am very grateful for it. There is an effort to break away from what I’ve done before and show something new so I can keep entertaining the audience,” he said.

Sparsh on the pressure that comes with success

The love that came his way after his breakthrough has also brought its own pressure. Sparsh admitted that he has been thinking about the need to consistently prove himself because the competition is cut-throat. “Ever since my web show became a hit, I’ve had it in my head that I must work hard and consistently deliver my best performance. In today’s time, there is a lot of talent emerging, and it’s easy to get overshadowed. So you always have to stay on top of your game, which pushes you to keep improving and evolving,” Sparsh said.

Interestingly, Kunal did not originally write Bugs (Sparsh’s onscreen character), in VIBE, with Sparsh in mind. Instead, the filmmaker changed the character after deciding that Sparsh was the right actor for the part.

Why Kunal Kemmu cast Sparsh 

“In all honesty, he didn’t fit the part as originally written, so I moulded it a bit. He was younger than the part was written, so I made the character younger and tweaked the relationship dynamic,” he said.

Kunal Kemmu wanted to avoid putting Sparsh in a box after his success in Laapataa Ladies. “He is an interesting actor, and this was different from anything he had done before. I like casting actors against expectations rather than typecasting them. That is always exciting to me,” he said.

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Kunal wants to give actors the opportunities he once wanted

Kunal’s decision to adapt a character for an actor comes from something more personal too. His own experiences in the industry have influenced the way he approaches casting today. “A lot of things I felt as an actor shaped how I work now. I won’t get into the details of everything I faced because I don’t know the other side of the story, but whatever I felt, I wanted to change it for others.”

He admitted that there were times when he felt he had “got the short end of the stick.”

“Since I am an accidental director and writer, acting was all I originally wanted to do. If I have the platform and privilege to make a difference, I won’t let it go to waste. I want to work with capable actors who haven’t found the right platform yet. It isn’t purely altruistic, they help me tell my story the way I want to, so it benefits me as well but if I can create the kind of opportunities I wished someone had created for me, I am happy to do so,” said the Madgaon Express actor-maker.

‘I can’t call it a recurring accident anymore’

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Kunal still describes himself as an accidental director, but after writing and directing consistently, even he admitted that the phrase is beginning to lose its meaning. “I can’t call it a recurring accident anymore. I really enjoy it. I wouldn’t have discovered this side of myself if I hadn’t taken the leap. I feel a responsibility to stay consistent and keep pushing my boundaries to give audiences a fresh theatrical experience every time,” Kunal said.

On directing Preity Zinta as Madam H in VIBE

VIBE also brought Kunal face-to-face with Preity Zinta, whom he admired for years. Directing the Veer-Zaara actor was his first interaction with her, and he admitted that he had previously been too nervous to approach her at social gatherings. 

“I was always too shy or nervous to approach her at social gatherings but when we met, she chatted with me for an hour and a half before we even discussed the script, making me feel completely comfortable. I was initially nervous because everyone loves her classic screen image, and here I was directing her not to smile in certain scenes to serve the story. Seeing the final edit, I am so glad it paid off,” said Kunal.

Sharmila Tagore’s cameo left the crew in awe

Kunal also got the opportunity to direct the legendary actor and mother-in-law, Sharmila Tagore, who has a cameo appearance in VIBE but a crucial one to the story.

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“It was surreal. It was a small but a crucial cameo, having the legendary Sharmila ji walk onto the set was incredible. She was a thorough professional, came on the set on time, and gave her shot,” he said.

While the director and crew had to focus on getting the scene right, the magnitude of the moment hit them only after the cameras stopped rolling. “On set, you focus on being a director and getting the shot, but once we wrapped, the entire crew looked at each other in awe of what we had just filmed,” Kunal recalled.