Sumeet Vyas: I want to play slightly grey characters now

He had a small role in the female buddy film Veere Di Wedding (VDW), but Sumeet Vyas, who played Kareena Kapoor Khan’s boyfriend, had all the girls in the audience eating out of his palm. As the sweet and supportive Rishabh, he was the perfect foil to the hyper and confused Kalindi (Kareena). And, his understated performance has won him a lot of acclaim.

“The response so far has been overwhelming. From the time I read the story, I knew it would be a fun film to be a part of. I was also excited about working with Shashanka Ghosh, and of course, with Kareena, who is one of the biggest superstars in the country,” enthuses Sumeet, who is best known for his web series Permanent Roommates and Tripling.

‘I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS’

Since he is an established actor on the digital platform, wasn’t he apprehensive about being lost in a female-centric film?  He replies, “I knew what I was getting into. It’s not just about the four girls; every character has a crucial role. But I was a little nervous because there were a lot of songs and dances in the film — I haven’t done a lot of lip-syncing and dancing. It was nerve-racking dancing with the likes of Kareena and Sonam (K Ahuja). I secretly rehearsed for a good two-three days before I went on the floor so that I don’t make a fool of myself.”

Ask him about the cute chemistry he shares with Kareena in the film and he says the credit goes to her. “The first day of the shoot with Kareena was fascinating. I hadn’t met her before the shoot because she was travelling. We didn’t have time to rehearse or get acquainted with each other. Shashanka just introduced us and asked us to shoot. The brief was — we have been dating each other for three years. He told me to hold her by her waist and I was like, ‘How can I do that in the first meeting with her!’ A huge credit goes to Kareena because she made sure I was comfortable,” gushes Sumeet, who feels both he and Kareena come from the same school of acting. He shares that she is extremely professional, comes on the sets and performs. “She is not interested in gossiping or fooling around. Even I am like that, I don’t like to joke around,” he says.

ROLE CALL

Now that VDW has done well at the box office, Sumeet is hoping it will translate into some good work in Bollywood. “Sometimes, you have a big part in a film, you put your heart and soul into it but it doesn’t do well, then it sort of becomes irrelevant. I am glad VDW is doing so well. When everybody sees your work, it creates more opportunities and gives more confidence to people who want to consider you for their film,” he says candidly.

Sumeet, however, is clear that he does not want to repeat the kind of roles he has already done. No more playing the cute and funny guy anymore! “It gets boring after a point. I want to experiment and explore different genres. I want to do a thriller and experiment with slightly grey characters because for an actor they are a lot of fun,” he smiles adding that he is a huge fan of Hollywood actor Javier Bardem. “I love his work in No Country for Old Men and Casino Royale. He pulls it off so well. He almost makes you sympathise with him even while playing a negative character,” he says.

TAKING A BREATHER

Sumeet will next be seen in the second season of the web series It’s Not That Simple. He is also scripting the second season of Tripling, which will start by the end of this year. Other than that, the actor is listening to scripts. “Many filmmakers want to cast me in a role similar to VDW, but I am done with it. I am taking a breather. Playing a sweet person with a sense of humour is closer to my personality and I want to do something that is far removed from me,” he explains.

JAB THEY MET

Last but not least, the actor was recently in the news for his relationship with TV actress Ekta Kaul. Any plans of taking it to the next level? “Not anytime soon. Right now, we are seeing each other, let’s see how it goes.” Would he work with her if an offer came to him? “I would love to. In fact, we did a pilot episode of a TV show long back, but that never took off. That’s how I met her for the first time, but after that, we lost touch. Last year, we met again and kept bumping into each other (and started dating),” he signs off.