Ankur Bhatia aka Sangram from Aarya, opens up to mid-day.com about his long wait for success, risking it all to become an actor despite earning an MBA, why he hasn’t done TV and more.
How excited were you about Aarya season 2?
I had been waiting very patiently for it to come out. I was running out of patience in November and luckily they came out with a promo that released on December 10th. It was a hurdle shooting the show during Covid and then the lockdown happened. There was always that limbo that it may come out next year. I wanted it to come out this year because there were so many people asking me what happens in the second season! It was hard to hold on because we know the story and other people kept guessing what will happen to Sangram and Aarya, whether Russians are coming, whether Aarya is going to New Zealand or not! I liked that people were waiting for the show and the sooner it released the better for us. There’s so much content coming out these days, that I feel going by the recall value, Aarya 2 came out at the right time.
Did the success of season one surprise you?
This was the first project where I let go of expectations because I’ve done films like Sarabjit and Haseena Parkar before and I had a lot of expectations from my part. I’m not from the industry, so after so much struggle and auditions I got these parts that were pivotal to the movie. The fate of these movies was totally different than what I expected. They were not well received so it was always a struggle to get the next project. With Aarya I let go and was the last one to get on board. I had no idea who was playing Aarya but I heard Ram Madhvani loved what I did in the take. I tried being as honest as I could with my character Sangram. I was pleasantly surprised once the show released, people recognised me on the street as Sangram in New Jersey and New York.
How did you deal with the phase where your movies weren’t working at the box office?
I don’t have a theatre or acting background, so I was constantly learning. I thought maybe I’m not doing something right. In Sarabjit I played a 50-year-old sardar as well as a young character. While watching all these great actors onscreen you get to know what are your good as well as not so great qualities. As an actor you are constantly looking to sharpen your skills and that kept me going.
Was working with Sushmita Sen intimidating?
The one thing that never happens to me is I never get intimidated no matter who it is in front of me. My first ever scene was with Sanjay Dutt, if I didn’t get intimidated then, it will never happen! My first film had Priyanka Chopra, second had Aishwarya Rai, while the third had Shraddha Kapoor opposite me. I’ve been a fan of these people but on set I’m the character, not Ankur Bhatia. With Sushmita Sen, I was Sangram her brother since day one. She’s such a wonderful person that she became family, I am protective towards her.
Are you looking at featuring in more web series?
The medium doesn’t matter as long as I’m in front of the camera. I’ve never said no to TV as well but I don’t think I fit the bill because I’m too tall, at 6 feet 3 inches. I’ve always done films and now web series and I’m getting interesting offers but I’m being careful because my parts in Zanjeer, Sarabjit and Haseena Parkar are not even close to what I am. I’ve grown up in New York and have an MBA. Nowadays it’s a thin line, films are releasing on OTT first. It’s a great time to be an actor, there’s so much work because of web series.
How did your family and friends react when you decided to risk it all to become an actor despite your educational background?
As Arnold Schwarzenegger said, these people are called naysayers. People who haven’t taken risks, be it your family or friends, will always say you are getting a decent salary, have a car and house. Why to risk all that? I was very clear in my thought process, my wife was completely supportive. Since I was educated and working in the finance industry, I had that maturity to go by a process. There’s one logic where you dream of becoming a star, or you work to become an actor. Being a star is based on destiny but becoming an actor is in your hands. It’s a journey I want to pursue and become better with different kind of roles. It took me 8 years to fetch Aarya.
Upcoming projects?
I’m currently shooting Ali Abbas Zafar’s next directorial with Shahid Kapoor and Crackdown 2 for Voot. There are a couple of other projects in the pipeline.
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