Begum Jaan's Salim Mirza speaks his heart out

Begum Jaan’s right hand man Salim Mirza with his two menacing dogs in the film '

Begum Jaan

' made quite a formidable figure. But in real life, the Meerut-born actor

Sumit Nijhawan

is almost shy but a man who isn’t shy of speaking his mind. After doing masters in International Business from the Delhi School of Economics, Sumit’s journey to Bollywood and acting in important roles in films like '

Sarkar Raj

', 'Raja Natwarlal' and '

Jannat 2

', among others is an interesting one.


You have also done Masters in International Business from the Delhi School of Economics. What made you take up acting as a career?
I was born in Begum Bagh in Meerut and studied there there till Class X. My mom was a teacher and my father a bank officer. I have lovely memories of Meerut where I’d see lots of kites flying in the sky a s a kid in my locality. So I grew up getting really fond of flying them. Cricket came next and eventually I fell in love with the game and played it till a decently competitive club level. I also used to participate in debates, dramas and quiz competitions in school. Along with these activities, I was a good grade holder in academics, although my teachers could beg not to differ but I could still state a fact that I wasn’t the easiest of students to have in the class, so merited punishment often. (laughs).
Then it's been some years since I did my masters and moved to Mumbai. But the journey has been a good one and has had its fair share of highs and lows and made me learn a lot about life. And I guess it would be more interesting pursuing it further because it really enriches one as a human being. In fact, any performing art gives one a lot of joy and emancipation so I consider myself blessed to be in the medium
As to how I became an actor, I’d say my experiences through life, my education and my understanding of having interacted with people of various backgrounds and cultures, by virtue of my stay in different hostels through my educational years, gave me a rough insight into people and their priorities and all of of this influenced me to quite an extent. Plus one fine day, a friend of mine made me believe that acting is being some other person and convincing people that you are that person when you are not. He said, ‘It’s a very intelligent and tough art form’, so the quest to unearth that intelligent and tough art form really got me fascinated. Acting also beckoned me because by then what I was studying, I didn’t find a calling for it and the rigours of a regular job did not interest me much. And here I have to say I am blessed to have such supportive parents and well wishers. who allowed me to do that Also, while performing in school and college plays, I'd started to subconsciously enjoy the idea of acting. So I packed my bags, landed in Mumbai and finally Jackie Shroff and Raj Bharat saw some merit in me and cast me in a film called 'Tum Ho... Na' and the journey began. Now I wish it continues for as long as I survive.

As Salim Mirza (right in turban) with Vidya Balan in the film Begum Jaan (BCCL)

Your performance in 'Begum Jaan' as Salim Mirza has been praised a lot. Has that appreciation translated to more film offers?
Yes, I did expect Salim Mirza of 'Begum Jaan' to be noticed and it being appreciated makes me feel happy. But now it translating to more roles should happen if the filmmakers making films have the will to see me fit into parts that their films have.

Do you think lead roles elude you?
I think more than the lead roles eluding me its the mind set of the filmmakers and their lack of faith in themselves to cast me in the lead that baffles me more. In spite of me having performed sizeable roles (I’d like to firmly believe that), a few times whenever opportunity has come my way that I can shoulder a film myself, perhaps their conviction failed midway in promoting it, like my film 'Maazii'. It was appreciated a lot. In fact, coming to 'Maazii' I don’t even know whether anybody ever heard about it barring me and a few others who worked on it despite it having won several awards, if that means anything to the so called filmmakers.
Besides, I am yet to be in a position when films are laid on a platter and I get to choose them. Barring a few directors, the roles that I get to do come to me when some big saleable actor backs out or there are some date issues/money issues and I take up the part for want of anything better to do. I guess I'll keep doing this and one fine day with a slew of roles behind my name they (filmmakers) might start considering me saleable and probably someone will start writing roles for me. Coming to the praise/critical acclaim that I got for '

Mazii

', it is all that my earnings could total up to and I feel fortunate and very happy about it. It gives me the oxygen to breathe and believe that soon their shall be more light.

Being an 'outsider' in Bollywood, would you say Bollywood is a victim of sycophancy and nepotism?
See, sycophancy and nepotism are in built traits, which whether we agree or we don’t, humans seek in some form or the other in nearly most walks of life. Now in films, I firmly believe that the medium of film making is akin to worship which requires a lot of hard work and discipline because the silver screen bares it all. These compromises if one makes based on sycophancy and nepotism turn out to be eye sores which the medium of film making does not forgive. So the idea should be to keep ones personal fetish out and separate and focus on the film in hand and not mix it along with the honey bearing bees fluttering around. Though in majority cases its easier said than done. Sycophancy and nepotism do exist but one can’t survive for long based on that alone.