By Nabanita Dutta
Almost a fresh face of the industry, Shiv Pandit is undoubtedly a strong and eminent personality of Bollywood. He rose to fame with some of his popular films of Bollywood like Shaitan, Boss and even experienced the OTT platform through works like Selection Day, Chargesheet, and many more. Finally, he appeared in Applause Entertainment’s Chakravyuh. In a candid chat with Expresso Magazine, this 36 years old man opened up about how Chakravyuh changed his life.
Expresso: How was your experience of working on this project?
Shiv Pandit : I had a great time working on this project. Moreover, here I met one of my good friends Pratik and I have known him for quite some time. We used to go to the same gym for working out. He is one of the best personalities. Finally, I got the opportunity to work with him as working with your close ones is always a treat. Then, when it comes to Simran, she is yet another one of talented actor and I am happy to make a new friend. I had a blast working with both of them. All in all, it was an amazing experience as I got the opportunity to work with Applause Entertainment as well as got MX Player as our platform to showcase our talent.
Expresso: How did you decide to be a part of this show?
Shiv Pandit : Honestly, I did not decide to be a part of Chakravyuh. I received a call to join the show since I was not sure if I want to be a part of it. I faced dicey thoughts. You see, I have not worked for such a character earlier so it was quite challenging. But, as they say, variety is the spice of life so I thought of giving a try to something different. Surprisingly, the character turned out to be great since people are liking it.
Expresso: I saw your character in Chakravyuh. As an actor how did you find the empathy to just be him and believe that you could do this role very well?
Shiv Pandit : Human beings always get trigger by the same problems. But, the only difference is, they use different methods to hide them. We as human beings simply try to overcomplicate things. As a result, problems appear different. Moreover, both happiness and joy appear different to each other. Similarly, Roy in Chakravyuh is an empathetic person but it is for Simran’s character. You might call it single-dimensional focus or just selfishness, but due to this reason, he does not give a damn about others. Roy both have a dual side in him. Like even if things fall apart around him, he is only worried about Simran and her demands. So, I had to focus on a dual side and I don’t know how I did but the show is now live and people can watch it to judge my character.
Expresso: Do you relate yourself to this character? How did you groom yourself to get into this character?
Shiv Pandit : Well, I do not particularly relate with the character. Roy, as I mentioned bothers about only one thing, which I don’t. I do not relate myself to the objective nature of Roy. You see, when acting for a character, we do input a few things that do not match with our character. When it comes to grooming, my character is quite tech-savvy. I have used many technical words and terms in the show and my dialogues are technically heavy. Mugging up the dialogues and using them in the show would not have helped so I had to know about everything. Before entering into the show, I worked with few people who dealt with the dark web, crypto, etc. So I had to groom myself like that.
Expresso: I loved to watch Selection Day, Loev, Boss and Chakravyuh also, so I wanted to know what is your process of choosing a project?
Shiv Pandit : Firstly, I would like to thank you for loving Selection Day and Loev. I honestly do not have any such major process of choosing a project. You see, if a project moves me, then definitely I accept it. At times, it depends on my interest too like if any project comes to me unknowingly and creates excitement like what if I can pull off the character, I accept it. As a result, I think it gave immense versatility to my carrier. For example, in Selection Day I played a god, a funny and humorous character. Similarly, in Love, I played a homosexual character and in Shaitan, I played a grey kind of character. So, as an actor, I keep trying different shades, which eventually enhances my performance.
Expresso: How do you look at the evolution of OTT platforms over the last few years especially after 2020?
Shiv Pandit : In my opinion, the OTT platform experienced a massive overhaul. I think that many people shifted to the OTT platforms after giving up on cable connections and why would not they do that. I mean OTT platforms provide such amazing content. Besides, the audience has also changed nowadays. With sharper and fulfilling content, people now demand interesting content. While television contents had to be censored, web shows offer more versatility and opportunity to the makers. Moreover, the budget is bigger here. So, I think that the OTT platform is a huge revolution in the world of entertainment as it gives a better opportunity to the makers as well as the actors.
Expresso: Finally, wrapping up the interview, I wanted to know do you find that today’s time is more challenging for you as being an actor.
Shiv Pandit : I think it is challenging since I am not accustomed to social media platforms. Chakravyuh is all about a fake digital persona and everything is so relatable in the show. People these days take interest in actors who are not only savvy on social media but also have the talent to show a smooth performance. So, when it comes to acting, I feel challenging since I am trying to get my bearings. I like to keep things simple when the camera comes upon me. At times, things become tricky, but I am trying to wrap things up.
