Actor Vineet Kumar Singh is currently in the news for his film ‘Superboys of Malegaon’. In a conversation with ‘Navbharat Times’, Vineet Kumar talked in detail about his film, career struggle and upcoming powerful projects:
Acting is his passion. His first love, for which despite having a prestigious medical degree, he chose the path of long struggle in Mayanagari. His hard work paid off and today he has a list of famous films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Mukkabaaz’, ‘Gold’, ‘Saand Ki Aankh’ in his credit. We are talking about actor Vineet Kumar Singh, who is in the news these days for his film ‘Superboys of Malegaon’ which won accolades at the Toronto International Film Festival. Here is this special conversation with him:
Your films have always been festival favourites. ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ was appreciated at Cannes, ‘Mukkabaaz’ got a lot of applause at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and now ‘Superboys of Malegaon’ also got a lot of applause at TIFF. How was the entire experience of this film?
It was a very good experience. You are right, film festivals have played a very important role in my life and films. ‘Superboys of Malegaon’ had its world premiere at TIFF, where the show was a full house. It also received a very long standing ovation. People kept clapping for a long time. Being a part of this film is also very special for me. I had done the film Gold with the film’s director Reema Kagti, so we had a good bonding. Reema is a very good director as well as writer, when you watch the film you will know that it is really special.
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In the film, you become a friend of Nasir Shaikh, passionate about cinema, who established a film industry in Malegaon. You yourself are so passionate about cinema that you left medicine and took up acting. How much did you relate to this film?
This is a very good question. With this you again turned the pages of my past. You are absolutely right, I felt connected on so many levels. For example, I had written ‘Mukkabaaz’ as a writer, but then I did not know that I would ever play the role of a film writer in the future.
Similarly, I have been an assistant director in five-six films with Mahesh Manjrekar sir, at that time I did not know that I would have to live the world behind the scenes in a film, so all these experiences came in handy for me in this film. You are right, like Nasir, I too have love for cinema. There is a passion. I feel a sense of belonging here. This world attracts me from the beginning. Because of this, despite having many options after medical studies, I got involved in acting. I struggled for a long time and there was only one reason for it, my love for cinema.
I struggled for a long time and there was only one reason for it, my love for cinema.
Vineet Kumar Singh
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While talking to you, it seems that the actor within you is restless. How right or wrong am I? If yes then why?
You are absolutely right. Just like a doctor understands the patient, similarly you have also understood the right feelings. Yes, I am restless. The reason for that is that I want to do better work. I want to do good roles in good films. I feel this uneasiness when I want to work with good directors and producers.
‘I am shameless in asking for work’
I keep searching to find some better stories, better films, because it is not in my hands whether the director with whom I want to work also wants to work with me. However, I don’t hesitate in approaching directors. I am shameless in this matter, because I believe that if I don’t say that I want to work with you, then how will they know my feelings.
Well, I am lucky that I have been getting love from directors. I feel good when he repeats me in his films. Actually, to be honest, even after ‘Mukkabaaz’, Covid came and things did not happen for me as it should have been. After ‘Mukkabaaz’, I got only one and a half year’s time in which I did different kinds of experiments. Then, in 2020, Covid arrived. After that the films were not playing. It was a period of uncertainty. Now since last year some films have started running, I am also shooting continuously. There are many things in the pipeline so hopefully the times to come will be even better.
I don’t hesitate in even approaching directors. I am shameless in this matter
Vineet Kumar Singh
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You have a special bonding with Anurag Kashyap. You haven’t done any work with him for a long time. Why so?
We are doing a film together. I have made a schedule for it. Like you said, absolutely Anurag sir has a big role in turning my life and career around. I met him for the first time at the MAMI Film Festival in 2009-10. Before that, I tried hard for 8-9 years, but could not meet, but I met Anurag Sir at MAMI Film Festival.
‘The film festival was lucky’
Coincidentally, at that time he was going to Banaras and I am a resident of Banaras. When my brother showed him my CD, he said that the boy is a very good actor, tell him to meet me, I am making a film. At that time, preparations for ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ were going on and I got that film here, so you can say that film festivals have always been lucky for me.
You said that you were shooting continuously, so in which projects will you be seen in the coming time?
Like I said, I am doing a film with Anurag sir. Can’t say much about it right now. There is Kabir Khan sir’s show, ‘Rangeen’. Apart from that, I am doing a film with the makers of ‘Pushpa’. ‘Superboys of Malegaon’. At the same time, I am doing a high octane action film with Sunny Deol sir. Apart from these, the film is ‘Chhaava’ with Vicky Kaushal.
There is another film – ‘Match Fixing’, in which there are people from outside. However, this is not about the match, it is a different story. I am also doing an anthology. There are four stories in it, one of which is mine. There are a lot of different things like that.