‘You see glimpses of Sridevi in Janhvi’s acting’: Angad Bedi

Angad Bedi’s most recent release was The Zoya Factor starring Sonam K Ahuja. His next big-screen outing will be opposite her cousin, Janhvi, in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl. But before that, he will be seen in the web series The Verdict — State Vs Nanavati, which will stream on September 30. The actor talks about working with the two actresses, career, struggling period and how marriage and fatherhood have changed him.

Tell us about your character in The Verdict — State vs Nanavati.

I play the role of Karl Jamshedji Khandalvala, a Parsi by birth who doesn’t think he’s a lawyer despite being the best one in India and never losing a case in his life. He considers himself a connoisseur of art and music and has been an ex-Air Force Pilot. He then takes the most controversial case that 15 top lawyers have refused and wins it. 

How is the show different from Rustom (2016), which was on the same subject?

In Rustom, you only had one perspective and in The Verdict, you see it from three different perspectives through late Ram Jethmalani, Chandu Trivedi and  Karl Jamshedji Khandalvala. It is a completely different take on it. We have 600 minutes of edited footage and 10 episodes have been made out of it.

After working with Sonam K Ahuja in The Zoya Factor, you are also working with her cousin Janhvi Kapoor in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl. Did you find any similarities between them?

They (Sonam and Janhvi) are poles apart as individuals. Sonam has won a National Award for Neerja and played the part in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga really well. Zoya Solanki was a tailor-made role for her. Janhvi is extremely spontaneous and hardworking. A lot of times when she is performing, you see glimpses of Srideviji in her acting and she has the same twinkle in her eyes. She is dedicated and still in the zone of trying to prove herself.

Janhvi Kapoor and Angad Bedi

You have three back-to-back projects. Would you say you are reaping the benefits of hard work and perseverance now?

It all depends on timing. When you are going through a sound phase, you get quality work and you also start working hard. I was and still passionate about my work. I was just waiting for the right break and filmmakers to put their faith in me.

What did the period of struggle teach you?

You have to persevere and keep being sane. No role is big or small; every character does its magic and brings its own connect with the audience. Every actor goes through a patch, where everything seems to work and all my roles have different roles, looks and people will see me in characters that are poles apart from each other.

Has content superseded star power? How do you see the balance between these two factors?

It is a blurred line. Star power will always remain relevant but content has become the king. A star can pull in the crowd on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but Monday onwards, the collection of the film gets decided by the content and performances. Beyond a point, a star also needs a good script for him/her to shine.

And how much does the length of the role matter?

In today’s time, nobody waits for the perfect character. If you are part of good projects and working with good filmmakers, you will automatically get good roles. I have never really stressed about the length of the character. I would love to do a slice-of-life comedy, and make sure that my characters don’t get repetitive.

How much have marriage and fatherhood changed your life?

Since my marriage with Neha (Dhupia) and the birth of my daughter Mehr, everything is going pretty smooth. Both (Neha and Mehr) have brought good luck into my life and I am really appreciative of that fact.