Angad Bedi, who plays an encounter specialist in Ekta Kapoor’s mesmerising underworld saga Mum Bhai, a web series set to stream from November 12, gives us glimpses of his professional and personal life
On his role in the web series
I play Bhaskar Shetty, an encounter specialist. I ventured into unknown territory, because I’d never done something like this before. But I didn’t mimic any real encounter specialist. Nonetheless, I had seen such roles in cinema, so I wanted Bhaskar Shetty to be someone never seen on screen before. Secondly, I wanted him to be a regular guy, not a heroic person. I wanted people to be able to identify with him. I wanted him to be known as an encounter specialist at work, and the rest of the time as a common man.
This project is very massy, different from the kind of work I have done so far, like Pink, Inside Edge, Zoya Factor and Gunjan Saxena which have great storytelling but are not massy. It is a very protagonist-driven project. It’s a type of film actors used to get in the 90’s — angry young man roles heavy on drama and action. Ekta always told me, ‘Angad be a man hero and don’t be heroic.’ I feel my performance will tap the audience that I have not been able to tap so far.
On working for Ekta Kapoor
I call Ekta the lady boss. She knows how to tap subjects in unknown territory. She also has the ability to target both cosmopolitan cities and smaller centres. This is the second time I’m working with Ekta. State vs. Nanavati was an urban project set in South Mumbai with three lawyers. This is a good and big project which could have been a feature film, but for the pandemic which has got everyone doing digital stuff. In a way it’s a blessing — much younger audiences too will like to watch such overwhelming drama.
On future projects
My next project will hopefully start in December. But I have to work out the logistics. I have three projects on hand — one is digital and the other two are feature films. The timeline is not fixed because of COVID-19. This year I have had two releases despite the pandemic — one is Gunjan Saxena and now Mum Bhai. Hopefully, people will see me in three projects, but it depends on the prevailing conditions.
On reality shows
Having participated in reality shows earlier, that’s not my space right now. I’m an actor, so I do not want to do reality shows. I would rather trade on my passion for acting, make my name and a strong position in that sphere. My focus is cinema — feature films and digital projects.
On marriage and family
“I advocate marriage. A family settles a man more. You have responsibility, your world changes. In my life, marriage is a blessing and works in my favour. My parents are very happy with my professional progress. I value it, as a person can only go far if the people supporting him look after him and vouch for him. That’s what has been happening with me. I have very good producers backing me too. I have been fortunate, as Excel Production House, YRF and Dharma and Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Production House have repeated me. I hope to be part of these production houses again. I want to be an actor producers take time and again.
On help from Neha
“She can’t promote me. My work has promoted me. Having said that, if my wife helps me, why not?
On parenting
“Neha and I decided from the beginning that Meher is not going to be alone. So, when I’m working, Neha is hands on and if Neha is working, then I’m hands on. Since Meher has started talking, she is like a friend, and argues with me as a person. We have banter going on all the time. She has not yet turned two but picks the clothes she wants to wear and picks out my clothes too. I have had a boss in my wife, and now in my daughter I see another boss. I like to give her happiness. I want her to be inclined towards sports. Sport is good for the mental growth of a child. I will definitely introduce her to many outdoor activities as it will help her overall growth.”
