Neeraj Kabi Sheds Light On The Thin Line Between Actors & Entertainers, Shares Acting Secrets!

Before becoming a superstar, Nawazuddin Siddiqui was a security guard in a toy factory, Shah Rukh Khan owned a small shop in Delhi and Akshay Kumar was a cook in Bangkok. Of course, one doesn’t become a star overnight. These stories often inspire thousands of aspiring actors who throng everything in pursuit of becoming an ‘actor’.

But, what is the exact definition of an actor? Is it an Irrfan Khan who wins audiences over with his ‘act’ or Salman Khan who does everything but ‘act’?

In a world where box office numbers and popularity determine the relevance of an actor, Neeraj Kabi says that it is important to find the growing divide between an actor and an entertainer. The two terms, he says, are often confused with each other.

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Only a few people know that Neeraj Kabi’s acting career began way back in 1997 with A.K. Bir’s National Award-winning film The Last Vision. He didn’t do films thereafter but was constantly honing his craft, finding solace in theatre, growing, learning, inventing, reinventing and struggling to break through, all at the same time.

After a 16-year-long hiatus, he made a comeback to the world of films with Ship of Theseus and that is the film that made people sit up and take notice of him. And from there on, his journey as an actor began in the industry. With films like Talvar, The Hungry, Byomkesh Bakshy and Sacred Games among others, audience witnessed different shades of this talented actor.?

In a tete-e-tete with Indiatimes, Kabi spoke at length about the expertise and gravitas that he attained in his fairly long acting career. From theatre to silver screen, his journey has had some interesting turns and bumps, but the only constant that kept him motivated was his unyielding passion for acting. Read on...?

#1 ‘An actor doesn’t go to a gym, an entertainer does.’

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For long, people believed that to act in a movie in a lead role, all you need is a perfect physique and “hero-like face,” which nobody has been able to define till date, mind you.

Neeraj Kabi says that if you want to become an actor, gym should be a strict “no”. “Gym shall not be a regime for an actor. It is going ruin your sensibility. Gyms and spas are meant for entertainers who do commercial films and not for actors.”

#2 ‘Acting is the art of transformation’

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A lot of the actors try to live the life of the character they are playing. For instance, Ranveer Singh locked himself up in a room to prep up for his role in Padmaavat. And so did Nawazuddin for Raman Raghav 2.0. Leonardo DiCaprio, for The Revenant, slept inside an animal carcass and ate raw bison. It’s all about transformation.

“A lot of people think that acting is only about feeling the emotions. However, that’s not what it is. It’s a physiological transformation. Not only of the body but of the mind, thought-process and emotional quotient.”

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Not only has Neeraj Kabi transformed himself physically in films like Ship Of Theseus or Gandhi Of The Month, he does everything that it takes to feel closer to the character.

“For the role of DCP Parulkar in Sacred Games, I have spent time with the cops. I even started eating Samosas. For Ship Of Theseus, I would stay hungry, wake up early and would walk barefoot. It takes a lot to play a character that has different shades. But also, it gives you a lot. Like, I understand the psychology behind walking barefoot – you don’t want to kill ants. That has changed my perception too.”

#3 Theatre will teach you about the craft is acting.

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“Train yourself in the method of acting. Acting is not about feeling the emotions. Theatre gives you a linear understanding of the script. It helps you understand a character better.”

#4 Train yourself! Invest your time in learning an art form.

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Neeraj Kabi has learned martial arts, yoga and classical dance. And he says, they are a part of his daily regime. He says learning an art form will help you prepare for the better. And it could be anything, an instrument as well. "It makes you more adept as an actor.”

#5 There are different shades to a character.?Spend time understanding that.?

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“It is important to understand the context of a character. Why is he here? What is he doing? Why has this character been created? What is his relevance to the story?”

?“Dr. Anukul Guha from Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, for instance, wasn’t only a villain, he was a gentleman, a strategist and so much more. He killed people because of the necessity. He wasn’t a bad man. In Once Again, this man I play, is not only romantic, he is lonely too. There are different shades of a character, and once you understand that, you get to understand the character better.”

#6 'Playing negative/violent characters doesn’t impact me, they rather make me feel relieved'

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In one of the interviews, Nawazuddin Siddiqui had said some characters give you something to cherish for a lifetime and others takes away something from you. To get back into a good space and lead a normal life, he said, he goes back to his village and spends time with his family.

Also, it is said that Ranveer Singh had to consult a psychiatrist after completing Padmaavat because he just couldn’t get out of the role of Khilji.

Kabi, on the other side, says he has never experienced the same. He says that each character is, instead, a learning about life.

“I don’t feel that characters take away anything from you. They always teach you something or the other. In fact, I feel more relieved after playing such intense or violent roles. I feel empathised. I get a better understanding of humans. I get a sense of where that violence is coming from. In fact, after my role in Gali Guleiyan, I feel empathised with people who shout, because now I understand where that anger is coming from.”

#7 'Don’t sympathise with other characters. '

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Don’t sympathise with other characters, especially when you are playing a negative role, says Neeraj Kabi. The actor who played the role of an angry father who beats his own child in Gali Guleiyan, says “If I would sympathise with the other character, I wouldn’t be doing justice to my role.”

“If you understand why the character is the reacting in this manner – why is he violent and angry, you would never sympathise with other characters.”?

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Neeraj Kabi chooses excellence and perfection over choosing to be seen by a large number of people. When asked if he is envious of any actor, he said he is not envious of a person but is sometimes envious of the role that they do. For instance, he says, “I would have loved to do a film like Manto. In that sense, I am envious of Nawazuddin.” What is the kind of films he is looking forward to doing? Neeraj Kabi says he would love to do a comedy film, “perhaps with Nawazuddin Siddiqui”. It would be fun, don’t you think??