From Sultan's coach to a media magnate in Rustom, Kumud Mishra's journey has just begun

In an exclusive interview with IndiaToday.in, actor Kumud Mishra talks about his journey from the world of theatre to becoming Sultan's coach.

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Left: Kumud Mishra in Sultan, Right: Kumud Mishra in Rustom
Left: Kumud Mishra in Sultan, Right: Kumud Mishra in Rustom

Kumud Mishra has been in the Hindi film industry for only a few years. But in a matter of just five years, he has been seen doing pivotal supporting roles in Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar, Aanand L Rai's Raanjhanaa, Sriram Raghavan's Badlapur, the recently-released Sultan, Akshay Kumar-starrer Airlift and his upcoming film Rustom.

IndiaToday.in in conversation with the thespian who is on his way to become one of the most dependable actors in the business.

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In a 2012 interview, you lamented that you stood outside a theatre that was playing Rockstar, yet no one recognised you. After Rockstar, Raanjhanaa, Badlapur and Sultan, that doesn't seem to be the case...

I'm terrible at giving interviews and I talk a lot of nonsense. It was embarrassing for me if that was printed but I didn't mean it. I was just being tongue-in-cheek.

As far as journey and recognition is concerned, well, I never wanted to be in films. I was, and still am a theatre person. I began doing films to light my kitchen. The journey has been fascinating so far, as I have had the opportunity to play good characters in interesting films.

Kumud Mishra on stage
Kumud Mishra on stage

But I have not received a satisfying character to play yet - one with his own story arc, ups and downs, etc.

I have done some interesting work in between the big films, one being Nitin Kakkar's Ram Singh Charlie for which I had to lose 24 kg to play an impersonator of Charlie Chaplin.

Speaking of losing weight, locking yourself up in a room for the role, going extra miles to play a character and so on, Akshay Kumar recently said that he only takes 10-15 minutes to get into a character. Do you think the word 'method acting' is thrown around loosely?

See, different actors have different methods. For me, my method differs from project to project. Besides, losing weight, gaining weight, etc. are related to the look of the character, rather than performance. If I weigh 100 kilos, how can I accurately impersonate Charlie?

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Nobody's method is wrong, per se. Randeep Hooda, Vicky Kaushal etc. put a lot of effort into the role, so very good. On the other hand, Akshay Kumar is instinctive.

At the end of the day, a performance is perfect when you cannot see through the craft. The moment the effort shows, something is wrong.

Kumud Mishra in Filmistaan
Kumud Mishra in Filmistaan

What are your comments about Salman not being considered a 'serious actor'; the way the general perception is, that one is bound to be a serious actor and that no talent goes behind a raw performance fuelled totally by star power?

The life of a star is not just. When a star gives a good performance, he is slotted away as a "star" and his work is overlooked. In the case of a character actor, his everyday average work is seen as something extraordinary.

Take the example of Salman Khan. Why do people watch his films? Because, he has something in him that pulls the audience to the theatre. You cannot explain it. When you look into his eyes, you can see through him. The entire goodness of his personality comes across through not just his eyes, but his physicality, which was put to great use in Sultan.

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Or for that matter, Akshay Kumar. Only with Airlift's release did everyone start saying ki yaar, Akshay Kumar's best performance. Akshay Kumar has arrived. But how can you ignore his incredible, natural work in his comedies? Akshay Kumar is a pure performer.


Let's talk about your work on a film-to-film basis: That Girl In Yellow Boots

Kumud Mishra in That Girl In Yellow Boots
Kumud Mishra in That Girl In Yellow Boots

Though Anurag (Kashyap) was happy with my performance, I was not. I wish I had done it differently. I was too insecure for not having performed for long, and I wanted to impress Anurag. I wasn't good.

Rockstar...

Kumud Mishra in Rockstar
Kumud Mishra in Rockstar

The process was amazing. I was disturbed for three months thinking of my bad work in Yellow Boots. But Imtiaz was brilliant; a very actor's director, like Sriram Raghavan. I had a great time.

Working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Badlapur, who has developed a myth around him...

Nawaz was my junior in National School of Drama (NSD). I have seen his initial work and he was always as competent as he is today. However, when cinema discovers somebody like that, they make a star of him. We make a star on our own values and tear him down on the same values. But Nawaz is focussed and doesn't care about these things. He only wants to do good work.

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Do you feel lucky not being a star?

Yeh toh do dhaari talwar hain. Honestly, end of the day, everyone is an actor. These Khans consider themselves actors, not stars. We make stars of them. But our internal struggles are the same. To perform better every day.