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Actor Vikas Mankatla has made her debut on OTT from Web Series Special Ops 2. In this, he is seen in the role of Abhay Singh. In a conversation with Dainik Bhaskar, he told that it was his dream to work with director Neeraj Pandey. He also talked about taking a break from the industry.
You have made a comeback after a long time. How is it feeling?
Feel very good. Even though I took a little break, but the love of the audience, especially from the beginning, has received from the left right left, it is very special. The affection and compliment I am getting even after Special Ops 2 makes this return even more special.
Why did you choose special opes for debut on OTT?
To be honest, I am a big fan of director Neeraj Pandey sir. I am not only a big fan of his direction, but also his content. When I first saw A Wednesday, I was surprised that even with such simplicity, a story can touch the heart so deeply. Seeing that film, I was not just as an audience, but also as an artist and learned. I wanted to work with Neeraj sir for the last 14 years and now I got this opportunity. So when it came to OTT debut, working with special opes and Neeraj sir was like a dream for me. I am very happy that my digital debut was with him.
What was the preparation for Abhay Singh, agent of Special Ops 2?
Abhay Singh’s character is quite powerful, so I had to increase weight by 8 to 10 kg for him. There was action, but had to do more physical training. Although I had already done training like martial arts and wrestling during school days, I had to do trains like flexibility, stretching and little MMA for this role. Along with physical preparation, the most important was to understand the character’s mindset. When I grabbed his thinking and mood, everything else became easy.
Have you ever played a character in which you have entered so much that it has become difficult to get out of it?
Yes, there was a character Veer, which I played in a slave. He was a very intensity and a little med type character. The aggression in it was largely internalized. Something similar is also in the role of Abhay, there is a lot of pain and regular within him. Sometimes such emotions begin to affect your real personality. You do not understand where the shift button is, how to separate from yourself. The effect of Veer was so deep on me that when I returned home, my wife Gunjan used to say leaving Veer on the set. Such characters settled in the heart and mind. Come out of them sometimes becomes really difficult.
During his career you took a 3-4 year break. This was a risky decision as an artist. Ever regretted?
The journey of an artist is very lonely. When you are doing TV, at that time you are not very strong financially. But still it is not easy to leave TV, because you also have many responsibilities. Even when I left the left right, I took a break. However, during that time I kept doing something, such as learning the work behind the camera. Because I love my profession very much, then learning always loves.
We all had to stay at home during Kovid. That phase was going to change very much for me. At that time I got a chance to understand myself and learn new. There is no regrets, because even when I made a comeback, people gave the same love. This is the biggest thing for me.
You took many training for Abhay’s role. Fans are asking on social media, what to do if they want to learn all that?
The most important is to edit ie to be disciplined and selective. Whether you are learning technic or training, it is important that you understand what works for you and what not. Everyone’s body, mindset and learning ability are different. Therefore, while working on yourself, choosing the right things and editing the rest is the real secret.