I usually get intense roles due to my looks, but want to explore comedy: Ashwath Bhatt

Written By: Yashaswi Kochar

Ashwath Bhatt, known for his intense roles in films like The Diplomat, Sita Ramam, Kesari and Raazi, will be performing his acclaimed play Avalanche for the first time in Ahmedabad (at the Bharat Rang Mahotsav) on Sunday (February 15). He says, “I performed Ek Mulaqat Manto Se in Ahmedabad many years back and shot a short film at NID. I remember shooting at the Sabarmati Riverfront; it felt like a smaller version of the Thames in London. You should now have Amdavad Eye just like the London Eye (laughs). I remember having Gujarati thali in Vadodara while shooting a documentary.”

‘Want to explore comedy on screen’

Talking about regional cinema, Bhatt, who has done Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, and Kashmiri films, says, “I am open to everything if the role is good. I manifested comedy, and I am doing out-and-out commercial comedy right now. I would love to explore humour and comedy on screen. I usually get serious roles because of my intense looks. I wish to be versatile.”

Has he ever felt typecast due to his looks? Bhatt says, “Once, I asked Vikram Bhatt why I was getting similar roles. He told me it was due to my ‘amazing eyes.’ Directors have told me, ‘I want to use your eyes and looks.’ But I tell them I can do comedies as well. If I have been able to do it in theatre, I can do it on camera too.”

‘OTT has created its own stars’

Talking about the OTT boom, he says, “It is a brilliant platform. Before OTT, a lot of talent got wasted. It has created its own stars, who would have gone unrecognised otherwise. It has brought work and recognition to actors. In the late ’90s or early 2000s, people did not get these opportunities, but now their talent is recognised when they are in their 50s or 60s. They did not get those opportunities in their prime as there was only commercial Hindi cinema or art cinema. The opportunities were limited. Also, small films are now getting platforms to be showcased.”

‘Indian audience is very star-driven’

Talking about fewer people coming to theatres, Bhatt says, “That shift happened during the pandemic.” Asked about the nepotism debate in Bollywood, he adds, “Indian audience is star-driven, and that’s the reason why the Khans, Kapoors and Kumars exist. Why do you think star kids interest the public? Just because of their surname and the lineage. They might be talented; I have nothing against them. I don’t believe in nepotism; a doctor promotes his own son, and a businessman promotes his own children. There’s nothing wrong with promoting your own child. My problem is when a genuinely talented person is cast, but you get them kicked out of the film for your own kids even when your kid has delivered flops.”

‘We need to create spaces for independent cinema’

Talking about movies featuring big stars getting more shows, Bhatt says, “You are not allowing any other films to release, and you won’t give them shows. You do not give shows to smaller films, except at odd hours, and then you say audience nahi jaa rahi hai. The audience wants to watch good films, but they also need shows. Sometimes, even quality films just manage to break even.”

He adds, “These days, even OTT is not accepting films unless you have a theatrical release, and if it doesn’t work there, OTT reduces its price. But what about small films then? We need to create spaces for independent cinema; else it won’t survive. Then we’ll have only four or five hits, and that will not sustain the industry.”

‘Art changed the way I looked at trauma’

Bhatt, who spent considerable time in England and shuttles between theatre, films and teaching, says, “Art came into my life and changed the way I was looking at trauma. I started laughing again and understood the power of red nose clowning. It healed me, taught me a lot about life. Then I started researching and practising it and teaching kids. When I teach, I often get to hear the same thing from different cultures, which proves that humanly, we are the same.”

Talking about his initiative Theatre Garage Project (the main philosophy behind it is to find something in nothing), he says, “All of us feel in a similar manner, and that is where it all started– spreading joy. We go to places like orphanages and cancer hospitals. In my family, we had half a dozen cancer patients; my mom and another relative survived, but everybody else passed away. Accepting is the key; the clown is the master of acceptance.”

‘Playing Manto made me evolve as a person’

Bhatt, who has been playing Manto for almost 25 years on stage, says, “Playing Manto has made me evolve as a person. Reading him makes me understand how hypocritical and loving a human can be out of nowhere. He wrote what he saw. Unki bhasha mein itne sakht shabd thay Urdu ke, jinse logon ko takleef ho jaati thi, and that is why people have reservations about Manto. Manto exposed the hypocrisy, but it also deeply touches you. I want to explore more about his life.”

Asked about other works of Manto he wants to perform, he says, “Chacha Sam Ke Naam Khutoot is creating havoc in the world right now. I also want to perform stories by Anton Chekhov, Premchand, and Kafka.”

‘Trying to give back as much as I can to my community’

Bhatt, who hails from Kashmir, had to leave the place as a teenager. He says, “I always look for a reason to go back to Kashmir, be it for plays or film shoots. I do not have a house there, but it is still my motherland. As a Kashmiri Pandit, I have trauma, baggage that I still carry. I am trying to give back as much as I can to the community and feel happy about it. Whenever you face anything traumatic like caste-based violence, injustice, or prejudices, there are always two choices: you can be a better person or a bitter person. You have to choose which one you want to become.”


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