Here’s good news for everyone who loved watching Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon and misses Barun Sobti on-screen: he’s already finished shooting for his debut Bollywood flick (Main Aur Mr Right), and has begun pre-production work on his second film, 22 Yards. We know you guys love him (if the comments on this post were any indication!), so when he popped into our office today for an interview, we asked him all about his films, his upcoming play in Dubai, and whether he has any plans on returning to television. Check out our exclusive interview with the man himself!
Team MissMalini (Team MM): Tell us about your film, Main Aur Mr Right.
Barun Sobti (BS): It’s a romcom, it’s a simple film. There’s no path-breaking cinema. It’s a very light film, actually, people who are looking for a lighter dose of romance and comedy should go in. I think it’s going to have a lot of youth audience and I’m playing the character of Sukhi, a wannabe model/actor… [mumbles] like in real life. And yeah, that’s about it.
Team MM: When is it releasing?
BS: I’d like to know. [smiles] No, I know. It’s going towards the mid of July.
Team MM: Tell us about 22 Yards and your character, Ron Sen.
BS: Ron Sen is actually short for Ronajit Sen. I’m playing a cricket agent in 22 Yards, and a lot of people – including me – are not aware that cricket actually has agents. So everything from what product is going to be endorsed on a cricketer’s bat/jersey, and what player is going to be playing for club, and what endorsement is going to come out on the field, is all figured out by a cricket agent. I’m playing one of those. There’s me and another character, we’re going to be the two lead actors. There are a lot of other substantial characters as well. It’s a nice script, going by the fact that everyone the makers have approached and shared the script with have gotten onboard. That goes to say how good the script is.
Team MM: You’ve completed the second round of workshops for 22 Yards, right?
BS: We’ve been working quite a lot on the film, because originally it was written in English. So to translate it into Hindi with the same kind of weight and effect becomes a little difficult. So we spent a lot of time translating into… not completely Hindi, that didn’t happen, but Hinglish. That took a lot of time, but I think we’ve done a fair job and we pretty much have exactly the script we’re going to use in the film.
Team MM: Is this your look in the film?
BS: One of them. This is my look when I’m not really working a lot [laughs] I don’t like to shave or trim. But this is luckily going to be one of the looks in the film.
Team MM: How similar are the MAMR and 22 Yards characters to you?
BS: So the character in MAMR is a very righteous kind of a guy. He’ll be like, if he sees someone crossing the road and having difficulty, or someone’s car breaks down and you need someone to push, or offering a woman seat… he’d do that. So would I. But Ron (22 yards) is a very intense, broody sort of a guy. I sometimes get like that, but otherwise I’m a pretty chilled out, easy-going sort of a guy.
Team MM: You’re going to be in a play with some of the other cast members of Iss Pyar Ko Kya Naam Do in Dubai soon. Tell us a little about that – have you been to Dubai before?
BS: I’ve never been to Dubai. Actually the only travelling out of the country I’ve done in my life has been in the last 6 months, because I was always working. So this is going to be the first time in Dubai, and this play… one of my friends Akshay, we were shooting for Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Do one day and we were just discussing this play’s subject. While we were in conversation about doing something of this sort, everyone got to a consensus and said “you’ll do it.” So I gave my word; that’s the sole reason I’m doing it. I’m not really a stage person, and I think this is probably going to be the last time I’ll do something on stage.
Team MM: Which is more difficult: TV or film acting?
BS: No no, characters are difficult to play. Facing the camera is exactly the same. I mean it’s different for the director of photography, the director, for the cast/continuity team… but for an actor it’s exactly the same.
Team MM: Which Bollywood actor/actress would you like to work with?
BS: I have no idea. I’m not the kind of person who’d look at a production house, or the cast, or the director, or a banner to say yes to a project. I would just simply look at the script and my character.
Team MM: Any plans to return to television?
BS: Plans, I don’t make any plans. If they don’t work out, what’s the point? I don’t know, I just take life as it comes.
Team MM: How do you stay grounded despite the success you’ve received?
BS: [embarrassed] People really think a lot of me, actually. There’s not much I’ve done in my life. And I don’t know… you are what the people around you make you. I think the people around me and my family give me a reality check every now and then. See, the good thing is, my folks, my family, my wife, they are proud of me in the right way, you know. They’d be proud, but they wouldn’t go out showing off. They’d just be content and happy and shower their love on me. So they take it pretty well, and I’m actually proud of the way they take it.
Team MM: Any plans to join Twitter? You have a lot of fans!
BS: I’m really bad with social networking sites. I won’t be able to justify it. I don’t want to be answering a couple of questions and being lazy for the rest of the life and people blaming me. So I’d rather not do that. When cellphones came out, it took me a little while to get used to them as well. So I’m the kind of person who’d rather talk in-person.
Rapid Fire Round!
Team MM: Who’s the last person you texted?
BS: Uh… [pulls out phone] Jerry. One of my friends.
Team MM: What’s the last song you listened to on your iPod?
BS: I don’t have an iPod, but in my car, there’s this song going on called A Hundred Miles.
Team MM: If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?
BS: I’d be invisible.
Team MM: What’s the last thing you bought?
BS: Coffee.
Team MM: If you had to visit one country, which would it be?
BS: [thinks] Right now… Greece.
Psst there’s still more! Keep your eye out – we’ve got Barun’s special message to all his fans coming up, as well as a chance for you to win an autographed photo of him! 🙂
Pix: Khyati Gandhi for MissMalini