Abhishek Banerjee: It's the character that makes an actor

The success of Abhishek Banerjee runs parallel to the rise of a new aesthetic in Indian entertainment. Paatal Lok’s Hathoda Tyagi, has come a long way from small roles in multiple films to becoming a household name with his versatile performances in his films.

In a recent chat, he shared the struggling time of how he worked behind the scenes as a casting director and did small roles. Abhishek's first experience with films was on the sets of Rang De Basanti where he played a small role in the film, and got to know what goes behind the scenes.

In an interview with a leading newspaper he expressed, “Rang De Basanti was the first film set I had been on and I realised that there are so many other things to do on a film set apart from acting. But I wanted to become an actor “

Apart from Rang De Basanti, where he played the role of a DU student, the actor also had a small role in Bombay Talkies and played a pickpocket in No One Killed Jessica.

He adds “When in Stree I was given the role of Rajkummar Rao's friend, I was not convinced. But Amar sir (Amar Kaushik, director of Stree) told me that it is a film which features three guys.

He said my role was also an important role. But what I think the role after which people started noticing me was Hathoda Tyagi for which I received massive response.

And then audience would also connect Stree and Phillauri and so on. It's the character that makes an actor."

Abhishek shares that while he did not go to FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) or NSD (National School of Drama), he learned from his experiences on film sets, where he started working as a casting director. He has 90 credits on IMDB as a casting director, which includes films like Secret Superstar and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha.

Whether its comedy, playing a dark character or that of a sissy boy, acting is something that reflects naturally on the actor.

On the film front, Abhishek will be seen in 'Nazarandaaz' ‘Bhediya’ and 7 new projects, Abhishek also has an interesting lineup of different genres of films.