Five years ago, Barun Sobti became an overnight sensation when he stormed the small screen as bad boy Arnav Singh Raizada in the STAR Plus TRP-topper Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?. He quit the show — citing “exhaustion” — a year-and-half later, but his fan following kept growing. He’s gone missing from TV since, but the 31-year-old heart-throb’s popularity seems undimmed. Proof? A short video of his from t2’s Twitter account got 280 retweets and 477 likes in no time on Tuesday evening, while on Facebook, the video had 3.3k views in a little over a day.
And now, Barun is padding up for a second screen innings with 22 Yards, a cricket-centric film directed by Calcutta’s Mitali Ghoshal. Currently in town to shoot the film, Barun spoke to t2.
Welcome to Calcutta once again…
Yeah (smiles). I am recovering from typhoid. But I am fine now.
Barun Sobti in Calcutta for a whole month is great news for your fans. What are you looking forward to doing here?
What I like about Calcutta is the food. I like simple Bengali food like dal, shukto, fish and mutton. I also like the people that I have interacted with so far. My wife (Pashmeen Manchanda) will come to visit me for a weekend.
Since you have shot in the city before for 22 Yards, do you have any favourite spots?
I haven’t travelled around much because I was here for work. What I have noticed is that no two places in Calcutta are alike. I like the bylanes and the old places. This city has a lot of character.
We have eaten at Marco Polo a couple of times. Right now, I am not eating out after typhoid. I am not a party kind of a person. I like to sit down with friends with a drink and talk.
Now that you are reshooting 22 Yards, will the approach be different this time?
The approach is the same. We have modified the script and the cast is looking good. I hope it turns out the way it has turned out in my head. As long as the product promises to be better, I don’t think any actor should mind coming back and doing it again. It is another opportunity for me to look back and do it better because whatever I do, I always feel I could have done it better.
Your character Ron Sen is a sports agent ala Jerry Maguire. If you were one in life, who are the sport stars you would have on your client list?
If it was 10 years ago, then I would have said Sachin Tendulkar and Ryan Giggs. Both are absolute legends of the game and I am a fanboy! If I am surfing through something and if I see their pictures, I stop for a while.
What do you follow more — cricket or football?
A little bit of both... I don’t follow as much as I used to. I watched quite a bit of Euro 2016. I was rooting for Germany, but nobody saw that coming... that Portugal would win that day!
You have been missing on screen for three years. What’s kept you busy?
I was developing a few things... I was preparing for 22 Yards. That’s pretty much it. I don’t take a lot of work for the heck of it. I was exhausted when I left Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?. I did a film (Main Aur Mr Riight). I travelled on work. I read and rested.
So what will we find on your bookshelf?
Reading is something that I have started in the last one year. I don’t read online... I need a physical book in my hand. I read non-fiction. Right now, I am reading In the Skin of a Jihadist (A Young Journalist Enters the ISIS Recruitment Network), 1984: The Anti-Sikh Violence And After and the Aghora series.
You’ve been away for so long. No fear of being out-of-sight, out-of-mind for your audience?
There’s a set rule in everyone’s mind and we humans are too scared to do our own thing. I am not! What should I be afraid of? I am afraid of ghosts (smiles).
Name, fame and money aren’t everything. My peace of mind, projects that keep me satisfied, and my family life are important. I am thankful for the way things have turned out.
It’s unfair on my part to reveal why I quit the show (Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?). So, I would keep it at that and let people call it whatever they want to.
DIRECTORSPEAK
Barun is perfect for the role of sports agent Ron Sen. He plays a Bengali and he is a very good actor.
In Calcutta, we will shoot at Maidan, Esplanade, Theatre Road and Novotel, among many other places. We will go to Lucknow and Nagpur for the main outdoor shoot.
Contrary to what people think, 22 Yards wasn’t stalled. We did a prep shoot in 2013 and then pitched it to producers and distributors, which took a while. I have plans to release the film in 2017 — Mitali Ghoshal,
director of 22 Yards (22 Yards also stars Amol Palekar, Tisca Chopra, Rajesh Sharma, Panchi Bora, Chaiti Ghoshal, Amartya Ray)
You have a huge fan following but aren’t active enough on social media to connect with them regularly. Isn’t that something you want to change?
I am bad at it... it’s just that I am socially awkward. I can’t put out a picture of mine because I am like, ‘Who wants to see my picture, ya?’ I don’t take myself seriously... I am not very active on social media and no one has my email address so I don’t get fan mails! (Grins) I respect the fact that people want to see more of me but at the same time, they would not if I was doing every other crappy show that was coming my way. That’s why I am taking my time and doing my thing. Hopefully when this (22 Yards) comes out, people will like it and trust in my patience.
But isn’t being as reserved as you are a disadvantage for an actor?
I am a people’s person! I just don’t believe that I have to flaunt and tell everything to everyone. I am not on Facebook because I have the phone numbers of those who I want to talk to... I meet them. Being an actor, it is not my social responsibility to be on Twitter. If I was a politician, then maybe yes. Actually, I am lazy... and I don’t think too much of myself. It’s about cause and effect. The cause is the portrayal of the characters that I have done. The effect is the adulation. If I confuse the adulation as the cause, I will fail. My real cause is acting and I want to continue it. I want to be honest to my job because it’s this honesty that has got me to where I am today.
Don’t you feel bad that some of your fans have moved on?
Why would I feel bad? I would have felt bad if my mom or wife would have moved on! These people are watching entertainment (shows). This is a democracy and they can like whoever they want to.
Do you still get mobbed?
In foreign countries yes, but not so much in India because I don’t travel with an entourage. I recently went to Dubai, Turkey and Uzbekistan. People love Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? like crazy in those countries because the show is running there.
Now that you are back to facing the camera, how do you think you have evolved as an actor?
Initially, I was a horrible actor! By the time I did Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? I had opened up. An actor has insecurities about looking good on screen because people want you to be picture-perfect. And that limits the actor in you. Once you start opening up as an actor, then you start doing things from the heart.
What after 22 Yards?
I am doing Tanhaiyan, a 13-episode romantic web series. I am looking forward to it. We will start shooting in September. It’s produced by the same production house (4 Lions Films) that made Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?.
Ratnalekha Mazumdar
What is the first thing you will do if you meet Barun Sobti? Tell t2@abp.in
