'Umrika' is not Bollywood per se, says Suraj Sharma

So how does this Bollywood debut feel like?

This is my first full Indian project, so it's obviously great. Its exciting to think of how the film will be received, especially considering the fact that most of it is not even in Hindi but in the Bundeli dialect.

Umrika is in competition at MAMI.

It's super exciting because it's a different kind of film compared to what I've done so far. One never knows how the people are going to react to a small but heavy film. It's also edited differently, and is not Bollywood per se. It has already won the audience award at Sundance, which is awesome. At a time when the Indian film industry really needs a push in the independent sector, having Umrika at MAMI is important.

Considering that Umrika is a complete departure from your earlier work, was it easy slipping into the skin of your character Ramakant?

I grew up in Delhi’s Kalkaji, and have seen real life characters like Ramakant, who find their dreams shattered. It was great to be able to draw on them for the character.

Most Indians pick up an accent even at the airport. Have you picked one up yet? Did you have to lose it to play Ramakant?

The accent (laughs), well yeah, I am beginning to pick one alright. But you know its not something you work on. As for Ramakant, he speaks only Bundeli and no English at all. So the accent didn’t get in the way.

You’ve worked with THE Ang Lee. How different was it working with Prashant Nair?

I think both are equally inspiring in their own way. It was never about money or fame or anything else. Everybody around both these filmmakers is there because they see it more as passion than a job.

Apart from this Bollywood debut, you have done two big-budget Hollywood movies and worked in popular American TV show Homeland. 
Yeah (laughs), I try and get by.

Do you like being famous, particularly the attention from the female fans?
I love working on films and learning more and more about the cinema and its craft. I’m still not comfortable with all the attention. I like being in the shadows and letting my work do all the talking.

Is it because of the attention it brings to your personal life? Like your ex, Gayatri Amla?

I know its seen as ok for people to want to know everything about actors, and celebrities, but I’d be happier to see greater interest in my work.

So are you in touch with Gayatri?

No, no. Please (chuckles). That was so far in the past.

What are your future films?

As much as I would like them to be in plural, there’s only one upcoming Mongolian-American adventure comedy-drama film, written and directed by Jordan Roberts. It's a film I’m quite excited about. Only, I’m not sure when is it releasing.

Many feel Homeland, is white/west supremacist, often disregarding the Arab perspective.

Of course it is quite sad that there is not enough representation. We need to remember, however, that this is at the end of the day an American show catering primarily to American audience. I know the people who write the show and they are good people, free from biases. They wouldn’t intentionally write something derogatory of any race or people. I admit though that how that writing translates into the actual show is very different.

What is your take on the graffiti artists who placed subversive messages throughout the latest episode of Homeland, as part of a protest against the show's “racist” portrayal of the Arab world

Those guys are geniuses. I thought it was amazing to see how they went about creatively protesting right under the nose of the show makers.

Your course on films at New York University has a lot of aspects of cinematography and production...

During making of the Life Of Pi, I was quite taken with the kind of work that went into every single shot and would often hang around the sets to see that process. Being aware of all the technical aspects can only help one deliver better as an actor and that’s what I am hoping to do with this course. 

Who among the greats that you’ve worked with till now do you see as role models?

I guess almost all of them. While the humility and modesty of greats such as Ang Lee, Adil Hussain, Jordan Roberts is really sweeps you off, I’d say that so much of my learning has also come from other people on all the projects I’ve worked on. And these are not necessarily the greats alone.