Actor, comedian Namit Das has carved a niche for himself across all three mediums namely films, television, theatre, web and TVC's (commercials on television). Known for his on point and crisp comic timings, Namit will be seen in an all-new avatar in Disney + Hotstar's Aarya, which marks the digital debut of Sushmita Sen and Chandrachur Singh. Namit will be seen essaying a dark and intense character Jawahar in the series. Adapted from a Dutch series Arya will stream from June 19.

namit das

In an exclusive conversation with International Business Times India, Namit Das candidly spoke about his role in Aarya, what made him opt for an intense and dark role, his take on comedy and comedians in Bollywood, and what makes the YouTube and TikTok feud a walk in a park during the lockdown.

Excerpts from the interview:

About his character

I play the character of Jawahar, and he has a lot of complexities in him he is one of the most greyish characters I have ever played in my career. Only after the completion of the shoot, I understood that he (my role) has a lot of prominence in the show. There are so many layers to the character.

On why he opted for a dark and intense role

I have played a goofy and awkward guy and have created humour in many situations on-screen. However, Jawahar in Aarya is very dark and intense. He is not funny at all. I wish I could have said that my character has a comic relief in Arya. but that's not the case, Jawahar is intense and dark. In fact, he is one of the prime suspects in the crime thriller. It was a Ram Madhavani project, there was no way I would have said 'no' when I was offered, I was actually thinking if he (Ram sir) sees me in this space and I am so happy I did this. You are an actor, and this kind of opportunity is not one would ever let go of. I believe that going out of your comfort zone is what makes you an actor.

On 'Arya' being adapted from a Dutch drama series Penoza

Its an adaption from a Dutch show, however many scenes in the series are Indianised because the original series had a reflection of the Dutch culture. Arya is shot in the Mewad belt in Rajasthan, the characters in the series had to be cultured in that way for the Indian audience. 

 On YouTube Vs TikTok feud

YouTube and TikTok are one kind of entertainment that exists, and during this current pandemi,c people are consuming a lot of social media videos. Having said that this kind of viewing is not something I vouch for. It is not I don't have any stand, I am oblivious to these things. I watch it if it interests me or comes on my feed. But I don't go hunting for it. That is not the kind of entertainment that I would consume. People who get entertained or get tickled, social media and the internet are like walking down the bazaar (market), you get to see so many things and its upon you what do you want to watch.

On how comedy has evolved in Bollywood and the social media space

The definition of comedy in our industry is very muddy, what we call 'slapstick' is not 'slapstick'. I don't like making fun of someone, I don't like derogatory humour. I am not a person who likes to roast. And in 2020 people have become aware and sensitive and that is something very good, comedy has come of age, all the comedians including Tanmay Bhatt, Rohan Joshi, are doing good.  I think comedians should be clever and not mock about people's apprehensions, colour or bice or caste to make others laugh.

On how he is spending his lockdown time

Well, we finished shooting for the show Arya on March 8th and then after few days lockdown was announced. All of us are dubbing from home. Doing small work and we are yet to complete some stuff. This keeps me busy and apart from that, I do the cooking, cleaning, and I am reflecting more on life. I don't watch films, TV and ideally, Arya is the first web show that I will be seeing after a long long time.

 Upcoming projects

By God's grace, I have my film A Suitable Boy coming on BBC One, followed by Mafia on Zee 5. So that way I am blessed. And Arya's releasing on June 19.

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