I enjoyed watching the performance of Pranay Pachauri in Crash Course and last year in Shershaah. His portrayal of a Physics teacher- Ashutosh Kumar was thoroughly impressive in Crash Course. The way he displayed a wide range of emotions in the character of a physics wizard was super intriguing and interesting. In an exclusive conversation with Team MissMalini, the actor opens about his experience of working with Annu Kapoor, shift in career from CA to acting and lots more.

But before that, check out the trailer of Crash Course here:

Excerpts from the interview:

On portraying the role of Physics professor, he says…

The experience was great, at the same time it was something so new for me as I had never portrayed a professor before, so I had to really tap into the mind of a professor and understand why they do what they do and how they do it. My character AK Sir is considered a physics wizard so he is known for his teaching methods which made it all the more challenging and interesting in order to give a performance that justifies the passion and uniqueness of my character towards his subject- Physics.

I’ve had the opportunity to have some amazing teachers all my life, but the real essence for my character came from the Robin Williams film Dead Poets Society and I basically picked a lot of nuances from that character. It gave me an insight into the mind of a teacher who’s extremely passionate about the subject yet so human and wise in his real life.

On his experience with veteran actor Annu Kapoor…

He is extremely humble, pure hearted and dedicated to his craft . It leaves a good impact on you and inspires you to possibly some day aim to reach the same caliber.

On his drift towards acting while doing CA…

I was always interested in story telling, the world of cinema was so fascinating that I used to daydream of stories I can write and indulge in. One of the major reasons why I am in this industry is because I want to tell stories, I want to contribute to cinema in my own capacity with my stories and characters.

Pursuing CA made me realise that a fancy white collar job even though lucrative will never be creatively satisfying and it would be working in the opposite direction of what my calling is and so I decided to be a different CA (creative artist). Even though leaving a cushy and comfortable corporate life seemed scary, I am so happy doing what I’m doing, I don’t think any other profession would have given me an opportunity to grow so much personally and professionally in such a short amount of time.

I guess when your heart lies in the work you’re doing, it paves way for you to be exceptional at it, dealing with all the challenges becomes easier and you learn to be patient with yourself and with your craft.

On getting trained with NSG commandos for his role in Shershaah, he says…

It changed my life, it taught me how discipline always wins over motivation. From waking up at 4 am for workouts and drills till 9 am for a month just made me a different person and helped me get into that commando psyche. We were taught to fire guns, dismantle, clean and reassemble the guns, we were taught mission tactics, sign language, obstacle courses were a daily routine and all of this helped us in shooting at 14,000 feet where oxygen was very low and with a limited amount of time in hand we had to carry out missions and operations with tactical accuracy. All that training really helped me in understanding a soldier’s life and I had a new found respect for them.

On challenges while playing a lawyer in Guilty Minds…

The challenge was to humanise a character that seemed like a grey character on paper, but I had to let go of the judgements and understand his world, his insecurities, his concerns and why he is the way he is. You have to read in between the lines to gather information to understand the character’s thought process, then sink all of that in a person who moves, talks, thinks like a lawyer. So it was a very new thing for me to do but this process really helped me push the envelope for myself and I’ve come out a better actor being a part of Guilty Minds.

On his character in Karam Yuddh, a crime-thriller on HotStar…

Karam Yuddh is an interesting tale of revenge- a family drama and a thriller. I got a chance to work with highly respected and talented veteran actors like Ashutosh Rana, Paoli Dam, Satish Kaushik Sir and to lead a project with such stalwarts obviously makes you nervous but also gives you the confidence to believe in yourself.

I am hoping this fast paced thriller is accepted and liked by the audience. I play a student union leader with shades of mystery and ulterior motives.

On playing musical instrument…

Well I was always of the opinion that one should know how to play at least one musical instrument in life, and so with that thought, I picked out a Ukulele and took YouTube tutorials and in a month’s time I was getting better and better at it, it really helps you tune in.

For me it works like meditation, I can spend hours just playing the Ukulele and it helps me calm down, manage stress and it just opens up your understanding of music on another level.

Pranay will next seen in projects with Excel Entertainment and Vipul Shah.