Abhishek Banerjee on 'The Great Weddings of Munnes': "I wanted to make a relatable romance"

Abhishek Banerjee and Barkha Singh in 'The Great Weddings of Munnes'.

Abhishek Banerjee is best remembered for his dark role as Hathoda Tyagi in the critically acclaimed series Paatal Lok. Taking a break from the many intense characters he has played in OTT shows, the Stree actor says he was glad to finally be part of a light-hearted entertainer again. Banerjee plays Munnes, a simple guy looking for a bride, in the series The Great Weddings of Munnes on Voot Select. Excerpts from a chat with the actor:

Can you tell us what made you give the green signal to this show?

Firstly, it was because Raaj Shaandilyaa was making it and I completely trust him with the story which is relatable and funny. It passes on an important message to the audience in a subtle manner. I am fond of the work he has done which has been quite popular over the years, whether it is Comedy Nights with Kapil or Laughter Challenge.

When I look to collaborate with somebody, I look for the chances of that person probably repeating me or me having a tuning with the director. I want to work in my comfort zone. I don’t want to be in the scattered zone where I am looking for work all the time. I like regrouping with the same like-minded people. After working with him on Dreamgirl, we knew we had to do something again.

He (Raaj Shaandilyaa) told me about this concept and I said yes immediately. I understand the milieu of Uttar Pradesh and I related to the character. Plus, I have not done something in the rom-com space in OTT shows. A lot of people have asked me when there will be a girl cast opposite me. So I thought let me finish this off once and for all. Not only do I have a girl opposite me here, I am also looking for more!

This must have also come as a break after doing intense shows such as 'Mirzapur' and 'Paatal Lok'…

All my web shows have been like that. I had done light-hearted roles in films so I knew I could do it, but it has been very difficult to get out of the image of the psycho killer or gangster. I have got many offers for dark roles but I really enjoy massy comedies and massy films such as Stree, Dreamgirl and Bala. The audience also liked me there, but because of the pandemic and the rise of my dark characters, people forgot that. This show is a nice way to remind them of this actor who has been part of the funny films they have seen. I hope this is a genre I continue to do.

Do you think romance and emotion come naturally to you?

I never got an opportunity for them on stage. We didn’t do those kinds of plays and nobody gave me those types of films. This is the first test for me where I had to do romantic scenes. I don’t know whether I have succeeded in that, but I have made an honest attempt at it. We don’t usually get to see relatable romance on screen; it’s mostly aspirational. In this show I wanted to make it relatable. If I have been able to do that, then it’s a win for me, otherwise I will try again.

You said in an interview that you are an actor because of the internet medium. Could you elaborate on that?

I was not getting a chance in films. I was rejected most of the time and the only people who took interest in me were the guys from The Viral Fever (TVF). They asked me to give an audition for Pitchers, and I was offended because they wanted me to give an audition for a one scene role! I thought here I am, a big-shot casting director, and they are asking me to audition! (laughs) I kept delaying it but ultimately went for it because they are my friends. I didn’t know the worth of those lines (referring to the popular dialogue from Pitchers – Tu beer hai). I didn’t have a clue how big it’s going to be. That one scene changed my entire life. The audience started recognising me from then onward. That scene became a rage and made me realise that maybe I am not as bad an actor as the world had been trying to make me think. Filmmakers started taking notice of me. Devashish Makhija saw me in Pitchers and cast me in Ajji. Amar Kaushik (of Stree fame) noticed me because of Ajji. So the internet was that democratic medium which gave birth to me and many other actors who may have still been struggling if this medium had not been there.

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For someone who does not fit into the conventional mode of a hero, if it weren't for digital platforms, do you think it would have been more difficult to break into the mainstream the way you have done?

For somebody like me, definitely, to be able to do a masala song or to do a rom-com would have taken more years. OTT has opened up the space for actors and also made the creators, channels and producers who are trying to tell good stories understand that they need good actors, directors and technicians. The response is very immediate these days. It’s great that we can now experiment with actors and see more relatable characters. That’s what I liked about The Great Weddings of Munnes too. A number of people messaged me or wrote on social media that this looks like their story or their friend’s story. If there was an aspirational factor, they probably would not have been able to relate to it.