This character is nothing like me: Namit Das

We know him as Rishi, Sid’s friend from Wake Up Sid. But what you don’t know is that Namit Das is also one of the busiest stage actors today.

“I’m lucky that I get to act so much,” smiles Namit saying, “Theatre is more ego-satisfying and gives a great opportunity to express. But I won’t be partial to theatre. It’s good to shuffle between mediums as it is challenging.”

Talking about Bombay Talkies, the artiste says, “It is a play in which the characters are strung together by a set of monologues. Though it is set with Mumbai as the backdrop, I feel that audiences in other cities, too will be able to relate to the play as the concepts and views highlighted are common.” Namit plays a Gujarati boy who is eager to go to USA.

“My character is of a Gujarati boy, who is standing in a queue to get an American visa. The language is very Andheri types. I had to learn a few Gujarati words and the accent as well,” says Namit, who feels the character is nothing like him, in real. “I don’t relate to the character at all. I’m hardly a Gujarati and I don’t want to go to the USA. The only thing common between me and the character is the love for his girlfriend,” he laughs.

Namit’s working for the first time with seniors like Vikram Kapadia, the director and Darshan Jariwala, his co-actor. “It was fabulous. They helped me with my monologue. Vikram is completely old school and very subtly gets the actor to portray the character he has in mind. Darshan is a smooth actor, whose hardwork and dedication shows in his acting,” shares Namit, as he recalls a memorable experience from one of his earlier shows, “I was rehearsing my dialogues just before one of our shows and Vikram asked me to do it in fast forward. You won’t believe it, I read the 14-minute long piece within 3 minutes.”What: Bombay Talkies Where: Ranga Shankara,JP Nagar When: 7.30pm onwards, this evening, 3.30pm and 7.30pm on April 8Call: 26493982