“Salman Khan has good control over his craft” – Anant Vidhaat

 Newbie Anant Vidhaat is basking in the afterglow of the success of Sultan. Delhi-based Anant wanted to be an actor since he was in SSC. And thankfully his parents supported his decision. He attended the TIE (Theatre in Education) workshop at the National School of Drama (NSD) while doing his 10th standard, the NSD six-months club during the 12th standard  and went on to join the Players’ Society of the Kirori Mal College later. “I did plays during my three years in college. Director Ali Abbas Zafar, writer Himanshu Sharma, music director Raj Shekhar and actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub were my seniors,” he reveals.
He directed a play called Hawalat in his third year. Luckily, Satish Kaushik was present at the performance and the duo bonded. He came to Mumbai and joined Kaushik as an assistant in films like Milenge Milenge, Shaadi Se Pehle and Vaada. It was then that Anant realised direction wasn’t exactly his cup of tea and went to the prestigious Grotowski Institute in Poland to further his acting skills. He followed it up by going to Kerala to learn the nuances of Sanskrit theatre. “At the end of 2009, I did the world tour for about eight months with Grotowski teachers. I learnt as well as earned side by side.” He then came back to Mumbai in 2011 and met director Ali Abbas Zafar, who was casting for Gunday. He was selected for the role of Himanshu, who joins the Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh gang to seek revenge. “It’s important to be present at the right place, at the right time,
for the right character,”he smiles.

 He was glad that Abbas remembered his performance and cast him in Sultan yet again. It took some time for Anant to convince himself that he had actually landed a role with Salman Khan. Naturally, he has nothing but praise for the superstar. “Bhai is kind hearted and generous. He had suffered a wound during this film still he continued to work. In spite of being a superstar, he remains grounded and simple,” gushes Anant.Salman told him that as actors there should be mutual co-ordination as it would help them both appear good on screen. He adds that Salman made sure the atmosphere on the set remained jovial to foster a team spirit.  “After shooting a serious scene, Bhai would lighten up the atmosphere by cracking a joke. He has good control over his craft. You are able to learn a lot by watching him,” says he. He’s glad to have worked with Anushka Sharma too, whom he describes as being ‘a happy-go-lucky, bubbly girl and supportive of her co-stars’.

Anant’s happy that he’s been compared to Nawazuddin Siddiqui. “People said that what Nawaz was for Salman in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, I was to him in Sultan. There couldn’t be a bigger compliment than that,” he smiles.He says that actors like Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have been game-changers – the character actors have gone on to play strong protagonists. He'd like to be like them. Directors like Shoojit Sarkar, Rajkumar Hirani, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra are high on his wish list while classics Guide and Deewaar are his favourite films. “Deewaar is a textbook for aspirants.

I find Dilip Kumar’s acts in Devdas and Ram Aur Shyam and Bimal Roy’s films extremely engaging.” Apart from Irrfan and Nawaz, he holds actors like Balraj Sahni, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev  Kumar, Amrish Puri and Om Puri in high regard. “Shah Rukh Khan’s performances in Baazigar and Darr still give me goosebumps.” he adds.
His short stint in the industry has taught him many a lesson. Says he, “There are no double standards here. Everything is open. But newcomers should be aware that getting selected for a role is an uphill task. There’s no shortcut to move forward.” well said.

quotes

1.  Salman Bhai is kind-hearted and generous.
inspte of being a superstar, he remains
grounded and simple

2.  People said that what Nawaz was for Salman in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, I was to him in Sultan. There couldn’t be a bigger compliment than that’