From the adorable school boy in Hip Hip Hurray to the Killer Drummer in Rock On!!, Purab Kohli has a number of avatars. Armed with a cool sense of style and an easy manner, he straddles the worlds of film and television. And now, with a capsule collection of shirts to his name, he adds another feather to his cap. We caught up with the actor turned designer for a carefree chat. Read on…
Q. You’ve associated with the Bombay Shirt Company for their capsule collection. What makes BSC the ideal collaborator?
I'm not really a designer but often I like to suggest detailing for my clothes. Getting a shirt made at BSC makes life so easy. They have a great collection of material to choose from and you get to choose from a range of cuts, collars, buttons and more, which helps putting together the perfect shirt. My collection with them has shirts that I would enjoy wearing and that would complete my wardrobe.
Q. What’s your personal style statement like and how does that reflect in the designs of the shirts?
My personal style is relatively relaxed and I enjoy well-tailored clothes. I've always preferred to custom-make my shirts than to buy them readymade. I like my shirts simple with subtle detailing or maybe one or two with summer prints. And I think, this reflects in the shirts I've done.
Q. When it comes to picking out the right outfit, what takes precedence – style or comfort? And why?
Comfort first, always. I feel if you’re comfortable in the clothes you wear, you will carry them off well and they are bound to look good on you.
Q. We last saw you on screen in Jal. What’s next?
Next is a series I've done for NetFlix called 'Sense 8', which releases worldwide in June. It's an exciting project that's being produced and put together by The Wochoskis who directed The Matrix series. The India episodes of Sense 8 have been directed by James McTeigue (director, V for Vendetta).
Q. Rock On 2 brings back the original trio – You, Farhan Akhtar and Arjun Rampal – along with Shraddha Kapoor in the lead. What’s different about the sequel?
It's still too early to speak about Rock On as we start shooting the film only towards the end of the year. But the storyline is very interesting and the music will surely be amazing as it was in the first one.
Q. Looking back now, it’s been 10 years since the release of My Brother… Nikhil. What’s the most memorable moment for you from the film? And what do you think has been the impact?
I think My Brother… Nikhil was the start of a movement within the LGBT community. People started coming out and discussing it and from then, we've seen many more bold attempts in addressing the topic. I feel good that I was involved with a film that started the process and it's a fantastic piece of cinema. There are so many memorable moments for me from the film! But one that comes to mind is when Nikhil (Sanjay Suri) and Nigel (Purab Kohli) are on the beach and Nigel takes Nikhil into the water supporting him on his shoulder. It's a very moving moment.
Q. Jal is a National Award winning film and was even in the running for the Oscars. What made you pick the film?
Kutchh has always fascinated me and when Girish (Malik) told me the story, I loved it. Girish and I were discussing another film when he told me that this was an idea he was working on. When Jal got green lit, the actor who was to play Bakka (the lead character) didn’t have the dates, so Girish asked if I would play it and I jumped on to the offer.
Q. You returned to television with a short stint on Jhalak Dikhla Jaa as a contestant. Is there an intention to get back to the medium?
The kind of films I usually do don’t get an opportunity to reach all over the country. Also, I'm learning it's difficult to survive in the business if you don't have a big film every now and then. People forget you. Luckily for me, television loves me and I keep getting good offers. And I like to take them up once in a while so audiences remember me. Jhalak was perfect because I love to dance and people were surprised to see me perform. Remembering the difficult steps that Mohena (choreographer) tried hard to drill into me, was the only problem. I wish I had lasted longer in the competition.
Q. You’re man of many interests and it’s a lesser-known fact that you’re an absolute tech enthusiast. What’s your current favorite gadget and why?
My current gadget is the iPhone 6 plus. I use a lot of Apple products so I'm looking forward to exploring the phone better. Also I love taking photos and post regularly on my Instagram account.
Q. You also recently dabbled in theatre with Atul Kumar’s play, Trivial Disasters. What was the experience of performing live like?
It's very scary in the beginning, but it became a high very quickly. It was a mad run of 17 show for Trivial Disasters and now it's on a long breather. Let's see if Atul (director) can manage to get us all back together for another run.