Ankur Rathee: "Hindi films should compete with international and regional cinema"

Actor Ankur Rathee played Daman in 'Undekhi' Season 2 and Varun in 'Eternally Confused and Eager for Love'. His next project - Shehzada - is set to release in theatres in November 2022.

2022 has been a busy year so far for actor Ankur Rathee. He's been juggling shooting for Shehzada - a feature film with Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon - and OTT series like Undekhi 2, Eternally Confused and Eager for Love and Brochara 2, with preparing for his wedding with actress Anuja Joshi in June this year.

In an interview, Rathee spoke about films being a huge part of his growing up years, the language used in OTT shows, colour-blind casting and more. Excerpts:

Did you always want to become an actor? What inspired you?

Films transported me, as a kid, to another world, era, or culture I'd never even heard of. I remember feeling a flood of emotions that were still very foreign to my adolescent self. I hadn't yet gone through heartbreak, crippling fear, or romantic infatuation, but I witnessed some semblance of these through cinema. These films were a bridge to understanding the people and world around me. That was powerful, and I knew when I grew up, I needed to be a part of that. I've studied acting in many classrooms and institutions in the US, but my most impactful training happened on the stage. My teens and university days were spent doing dance recitals, musical theatre productions, or a cappella shows. It was during those rehearsals and performances that I built the foundation for the artiste I am today.

You have done several shows in the OTT space with so many different character portrayals. Which have been your toughest roles?

Daman in Undekhi Season 2 required a lot more prep than I initially anticipated. The script with its many plot twists and changing character dynamics, presented a unique challenge: maintaining consistency of character. Daman trades his purist values for a more morally ambiguous path this season. The question I grappled with frequently was: How can I motivate some of his more dramatic choices and alliances. He is a highly loyal person and yet finds himself flirting with betrayal. A once helpless Daman was now scheming and concealing secrets.

What do you have to say about the language of OTT and censorship?

Censorship is a slippery slope. Telling storytellers they can't use certain words seems like a gross disservice. Curse words exist for a reason. It's not really about the word, is it? All languages give birth to these obscenities because they encapsulate some human sentiment. Remove them from your dictionary and new ones will take their place. They are powerful sounds when used selectively in dialogue. However, the crude overuse of obscene language in our cinema feels artistically lazy at times, but that's no reason to censor something.

The Netflix series 'Eternally Confused and Eager for Love' has almost been written off by some critics while there is a section of GenZ that seems to relate to it. What is your take on it?

GenZ courtship rituals are wildly different from what other generations identify with. Eternally Confused and Eager for Love was a deep-dive into the anxieties and fears of navigating the dating culture today. It's bound not to resonate with everyone. It's very understandable that some would find it difficult to relate to a protagonist who is crippled by fear of rejection and self-sabotaging thoughts. And yet, there are so many of us who feel that way on a daily basis. It means a lot when someone like Ray can be the hero of his story.

Colour-blind casting is common these days, especially on OTT platforms. How essential is it for actors?

Non-traditional casting is vital to giving all actors access to the same opportunities, regardless of their ethnicity, body shape, or sexuality. This inclusivity is part of being responsible storytellers.

Playing gay characters, working on intimate scenes - how tough was it?

That intimacy wasn't foreign to me, irrespective of my character's sexual orientation. The love two men feel for each other isn't inconceivable, because love is love. That feeling and its expression are universal.

With so many actors all around, most of them talented, do you feel that there is too much competition these days?

Quite the contrary, it's exciting. We're all pushing each other to grow. I've learned that to succeed we need to operate from a place of abundance, not lack. There is an abundance of opportunity that is perfect for me. When a colleague of mine is succeeding, I try to remember he's my teammate and a fellow dream manifestor.

With theatres opening up and things returning to normal do you feel that OTT platforms will lose some of their clout?

It's hard to reverse a cultural shift of this magnitude. I don't anticipate OTT viewership will decline significantly. It simply offers too much in the way of convenience and catered content. That doesn't mean people won't also go to theatres.

The cinematic world has shrunk with the rise of subtitling and dubbing in multi languages. What do you have to say about this?

The more the merrier. I think the more versatile content our audiences consume, the more they will demand from their content. Hindi films should compete with international and regional cinema, as that will only help us evolve.

Tell us about your upcoming projects.

‘Shehzada’ with Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal, Ronit Roy, and Manisha Koirala, directed by Rohit Dhawan.