Badtameez Dil actor Barun Sobti: ‘If there was no good writing, there would be no good content’

Actor Barun Sobti. (Photo: Twitter)

On a sultry Saturday afternoon, Yeh Hai Mera Sunday, Asur 2 and Iss Pyar Ko Kya Naam Doon? actor Barun Sobti spoke to me about his latest and forthcoming work. In the recently released romantic drama Badtameez Dil (Amazon MiniTV), Sobti plays Karan who he describes as “complex”. He just had Asur 2 come out and is awaiting the release of murder mystery Kohrra. It’s a busy year for the actor who began his career in television soaps and now straddles all formats from films to OTT as well. Edited excerpts from an interview:

It must have been liberating for you to play a character like Karan in Badtameez Dil after roles such as Nikhil in Asur 2 and Sameer in Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke? What attracted you to the part?

Yes, it was actually really liberating. I am a lighthearted person and I was drawn to the lighthearted premise of the show. The show came to me from Tanveer Bookwala, the producer, who is a very old friend. So, I immediately started calculating a few things, like time, scheduling, etc. Then I read it and I actually read the whole script in one go. When I started acting, I had become a picky person and I told myself at one point in time that it was going to be a huge green flag for me if I am able to finish a script in one go. The writing on this script was layered and it was deep, mature and fun. And I thought this is something I should do. Karan is the most complex character in Badtameez Dil. I wasn’t always told what to do on set, but the producer once told me you hit it out of the park every time you come on the set. That was good. Also, we had a great time shooting because we all got along really well.

Was there any aspect of playing this character that you found particularly challenging?

Not challenging, no. Much of the credit for that should be given to my co-star Ridhi Dogra and all the other cast members because I was so comfortable and having fun. It was like doing a play in school. We were being innovative. We were helping out each other, giving suggestions. Most of all I loved performing the emotional scenes. My heart was full when I was performing those scenes. It was so satisfying as an actor and as a creative person.

From among the various characters you’ve played, which one do you relate to the most?

None of these characters are like me. I'm a very boring couch potato. But when I play a character, I do try to find similarities. For instance, if you look at Karan. Does he seem like the kind of guy who would settle down with one woman for all of his life and have two kids? So, clearly I am not Karan. But you have to channel whatever similarities you find. My process is to look for logic: what about this makes sense to me. Like Karan, I too have lived my life a certain way, not because that's how it was prescribed by society. It was just that I liked it like that. If I had wanted to be a farmer, and being a farmer was a taboo, I wouldn't care about the world. I would be a farmer. That is that kind of a person Karan is. All I would say is, I had a ball doing all of these characters.

Does it matter to you which platform your work is broadcast on? When you consider a script, is that a deciding factor?

Which platform does not matter. Other actors may say that it matters to them, but it doesn't matter to me. When I started Badtameez Dil, I had no  idea what platform it was going to be on. Similarly, I had no idea on which platforms Donali and Bawandar were going to be shown. I knew that Kohrra was always going to be Netflix. So I have a lot of stuff happening and anyway I am not a greedy man. I am happy where I am. I am very happy with the things that I'm working on.

You described yourself as a 'couch potato'. What do you like to watch?
I watch very complex and intense stuff. I think that was also one of the major reasons I wanted to do this show. At one point, my wife and I were having a conversation that there is only intense stuff on OTT so going the light-hearted way might be wise. I watch a lot of documentaries. I've pretty much seen every documentary on a serial killer. I signed up for Asur because it spoke to me. I loved Mindhunter, and it reminded me of that. I like decoding the subconscious, basically. I like figuring out the psychology of people. It’s been great because I understand people very well now. I'm not easily offended any more. Unless an idiot speaks to me badly for no reason, I am not easily offended because I always go back to why would this person say or do this and try and figure it out. Then, when you find the reason you don't get offended.

You have often spoken about writing, scripts and your admiration for writers. Do you think things have changed for writers between serials and series/television and OTT?

I'm actually pretty much right in the middle of the OTT revolution and I am noticing that there is a lot of respect for the writing. Even the common man understands that. Before, just the lead actor and lead actress got all the praise. Also, now writers are demanding and getting a higher billing. People are being respectful to each other and understanding how much importance should be given to the written word. If it wasn't for the written word, none of us would have a livelihood, to be honest. If there was no good writing, then there would be no good content.