Interview | Angad Bedi: ‘You can’t show up in Mumbai, expect people to invest ₹100 crore in you’

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Angad Bedi has said that the modern age has made our lives robotic and less humane, thanks to technology and social media. Angad is currently seen in a short film The List that premiered on Amazon Mini TV on Thursday. Directed by debutante Gaurav Dave, the film also features his Pink co-star Kirti Kulhari. (Also read: Angad Bedi tells Neha Dhupia to come home soon so they can ‘spend her money’)

In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, he also talked about people cherishing stardom but seldom caring for the hard work that goes into building a star. He cited the example of cricketer Virat Kohli and said that the hard work he has put in is hardly talked about.

Talking about the lack of emotions in modern-day relationships, Angad said, “We are leading robotic lives. We are always projecting ourselves (on social media). And, our self esteem is always about success. It is not just the case in the industry but it is the way the entire world works. People want to be around successful people. The side effect of that is brutal. I feel success teaches you nothing and failure does.”

He added, “For example, there is someone like Virat Kohli, and so many others in our fraternity, young superstars are there. But the thing is that people need to identify with them when they are going through the grassroot (work). People only identify with the successes. Virat came from a certain region in Delhi, from a certain club of cricket and he worked his way up. People love his flair and the stardom that he has but it has been a lot of hard work behind it all.”

Angad then went on to say that an actor needs to prove his/her mettle each time and cannot expect producers to invest money in them without doing so. “Even in actors’ lives, nobody makes films for you. You cannot show up in Mumbai and expect people to start investing ₹20, or 50, or 100 crores on you. You need to prove yourself. Even after you have a successful film, you cannot sit back and relax. It is a new box office figure every day. We need to keep proving ourselves. I think I was lucky to be born in a sports family which gave me discipline. It taught me to continuously work on myself to stay relevant.”

Talking about his experience of working on The List, Angad said, “The best thing was that I met Gaurav Dave (director). He is an exceptionally sound technician and he understands my DNA as a person. He makes me feel secure and I am proud that I am a part of his first film. I value first films. Today, he made a film with us, next he will make a feature film and get bigger actors. I wish him all the best. The worst thing, I’d say, was that we had less time. Gaurav had so many avenues to portray the message that the film talks about but we were short on time. We could have spent time together.”

Asked about triggers that make him disconnect in a relationship, Angad said, “My triggers would be disinterest. A lot of times, people ask ‘how are you’, but they do not mean anything. The trigger is when you are genuinely not in it. You have to stay connected otherwise you drift apart. Apart from talking about yourself, you have to take time and listen to the other person as well in a relationship.”