So meet Hippy Thakur from Kerry on Kutton! The charming, humble Shivam Pradhan, who after his last film Tere Bin Laden 2, would be visible in Ashok Yadav’s Kerry on Kutton.

Bollywoodirect had a brief conversation with the actor where he spoke about his character in the film, the challenges thrown at him on the set and various aspects of his life.

Shivam Pradhan_Kerry On Kutton_Interview_Actor_Ashok Yadav_Photo_Picture_Bollywoodirect

Q- Talk about your character in the film Kerry On Kutton! By whatever I have gathered through the trailer, the character looks spunky.

A- The name of the character is Hippy Thakur. He is like the ‘last mughal’. The story is set in Ballia, which is a small town and in such a small town Thakurs are said to be very powerful. But the truth is that it is all in the name and in reality, he has got nothing to show. The Thakurs used to have the ‘power’ but now it’s just in name. Hippy lives in his own world where his name means everything to him. He is also very sure of his words and is ready to die to keep his word because he is a ‘Thakur’.

Q- How did you get this role?

A- See, there was no casting director in this film and Shashank (Producer) happened to see me perform in one of my plays in Delhi. I think some part of that performance must have remained with him which convinced him to cast me as Hippy. I think they found ‘Hippy Thakur’ in me in the first instance. I received a call from Ashok (Yadav) and he briefly narrated the role and my first scene. I was not told about any other scenes or graph of character as such, so I just used to think about that “brief” in my spare time constantly till I reached the set which was just  one night before the day of the shoot and even by then I had no clear idea about my scene, dialogues. The next day, I was given the script and we rolled. The first scene was magic, everything fell into place, after that there was no looking back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRhlJUNx0R0

Q- Is there any other experience you would like to share from the time of shoot?

A- There are few scenes in the film where there were few dialogues but the scenes needed to be of longer duration. There was just a brief, and some ideas explaining those scenes and we had to play around it to pull the scene off. Such was the comfort level given by the director to his actors which was a great experience as we had a chance to break the monotony from scripted scenes to improvised ones. I was challenged to improvise impromptu which made me contribute my own lines to the scene and bring out the magic of our writer in more complementing manner. The scene that you must have seen in the trailer in which I am saying , “Koi zaruri nahi ki ghodi chadna seekh gaya toh thukaai bhi kar lega”. This dialogue was a result of the improvisation.

This scene has a story too. I was told that this particular scene was going to be shot in three days time as location was still not decided. Then, somebody came to me the next very hour saying that it is to be shot in the next half an hour. I had no option but do it.

Q- In your view, why do you think that audience should go and watch the film?

A- I think this film will serve every audience segment. This is a good film from every perspective. If you want complete entertainment, you can go for this. There are people who don’t want to see misery and sadness in a film, they go to watch films to destress themselves and not come out of the cinema hall with added stress. Even this set of audience has a lot to enjoy in this film. So, Kerry On Kutton’s speciality lies in its versatile content. 

Q- Is there any other experience you would like to share from the time of shoot?

A- There are few scenes in the film where there were few dialogues but the scenes needed to be of longer duration. There was just a brief, and some ideas explaining those scenes and we had to play around it to pull the scene off. Such was the comfort level given by the director to his actors which was a great experience as we had a chance to break the monotony from scripted scenes to improvised ones. I was challenged to improvise impromptu which made me contribute my own lines to the scene and bring out the magic of our writer in more complementing manner. The scene that you must have seen in the trailer in which I am saying , “Koi zaruri nahi ki ghodi chadna seekh gaya toh thukaai bhi kar lega”. This dialogue was a result of the improvisation.

Q- People are finding some similarities between Kerry on Kutton and Gangs of Wasseypur. It is the content which I guess is making people compare between the two. What is your take on this?

A- If Kerry on Kutton had released before Gangs of Wasseypur then there would have been a different opinion altogether. People are judging the film through its trailer. But the film is two hours long. When you will see the film, you will easily make out that there is no such reference point. There is no reference point whatsoever. I believe people should go and watch the film first and then give their feedback.

Q- Okay, last question, Shivam! And it is about your back ground. How and when did you want to become an actor?

A- My hometown is in Uttar Pradesh but I have not lived there much. I was brought up in Noida and attained my education from DPS, Noida and Ramjas College. I believe I was in 11th standard when I had realised that 9-5 job is not my cup of tea. It was after a school play. Later on, in my college, I joined Shunya my college theatre and did many plays and then pursued professional theatre.

The journey continued from there on. I have still not shifted to Mumbai, its more like a transit phase for me I still am very much into theatre only though while doing this. I have also dubbed for cartoons. I did a lot of short films as well. Then, this Tata Sky Daily Dillagi TVC campaign happened which gave me a lot of recognition. It was followed by Tere Bin Laden 2 and now Kerry on Kutton. That’s about it. The journey goes on. 

Interview By:- Shubham Pandey

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