Standup comedian and entrepreneur Appurv Gupta who made his Bollywood debut with Afwaah, speaks exclusively with SpotboyE on his experience while shooting for the film and future projects. Here are excerpts from the interview!
What inspired you to make the transition from stand-up comedy to Bollywood?
As an artist, I always like to explore new role and definitely acting was in my mind since quite some time. . I wanted to do a Bollywood movie for quite some time but I always wanted to debut with a non-funny movie because people have already seen funny side of me so I was very keen to do a serious movie so that people can see a different side and when I get a chance to work under the direction of Sudhir Mishra Sir then it's like a dream come true and the role is very appealing to me so all these things helps me to debut with #Afwaah!
Can you tell us about your experience working with Sumit Vyas and Sudhir Mishra? And would you like to share any memories with Nawaz and Bhoomi Pednekar on sets?
Sumeet Vyas was amazing. I saw him in 2013 in permanent roommates and since then I am a fan of his acting and now shooting the scenes with him was a great experience. Since its my first movie so I was very nervous but he made sure that I am also comfortable while shooting with him. And what should I say about Sudhir Mishra Sir, He looks for perfection. He wants the artist to give their best shot. He knows how to take the best from an actor. I am blessed that i got a chance to begin my acting career under his direction. It was a dream for any artist to work with him. I am a fan of his work since I got to know that he is the writer of Jaane bhi Do Yaaron. I don’t have any scene with Nawaz and Bhumi in the movie but last night in premiere I met Bhumi, She liked my work so am happy.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while making your Bollywood debut?
I got a call from a team member of Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company for an audition for this role, they have given me a 6 page script and asked me to given an audition. I gave it and got selected. This part was not very difficult.
Challenging part was doing acting on set. I felt it would be easy to work in front of camera as I keep performing on stage and am not camera shy but the reality was different. Acting as per the role and director is not an easy job. In stand-up comedy, I can play the role as per my comfort zone but in acting I have to deliver the role in such a way that it should sync with the thoughts of writer, dialogue writer, co actors and director.
What message do you hope audiences take away from watching the film?
Social media is a powerful tool so using it wisely is very important. When the information which we are receiving on daily basis is humongous so it’s very important for us to do the fact check before sharing with anyone otherwise any #Afwaah because of our carelessness attitude can harm the life of many people.
Are there any other projects in the works for you in Bollywood and standup?
I don’t have any upcoming project in Bollywood. At present, I am little nervous and excited. I just want to see the reaction of audience on my performance, I am waiting for their feedback. But in stand up comedy, many things are in pipeline. I am travelling with my show GENUINELY in June. I am covering 12 cities in June. Other than that I am working for a finance show which will be up on my youtube channel soon and along with that I am starting a news-based show which is very similar to late-night comedy shows.
How has the response been so far to the release of "Afwaah"?
The movie is getting released today but those who have seen the premiere, they are appreciating it a lot. I am getting a lot of messages on social media about the movie and my acting so I am hopeful that everyone will watch the movie in the upcoming days.
As a comedian, how do you think your unique perspective and sense of humor will continue to influence your work in the film industry?
I feel as a comedian, we keep observing a lot and because of our daily stage shows, we have gained a good experience so definitely we can add a great value in the project along with an acting. Also, because of the fan following, our distribution on social media is very strong so definitely there is a certain audience which might come to see the movie only because of our presence on screen so definitely we have an added advantage as compare to those who doesn’t have a strong distribution on social media.
How do you balance your work as a comedian when you work in a movie as an actor?
Generally, these big budgets movies are planned well in advance so most of the dates are locked 2-3 months before so till now I hadn’t faced any issue while working in #Afwaah. So managing comedy shows or acting was not an issue till now but I really want that the dates would be jam packed that I’ll start facing issue. It would be a good problem but I would love to face it.