'Failures are the best eye-openers'

There is really nothing that Bengaluru boy Vinay Rai hasn’t tried before entering the film industry. Banking, breweries and the corporate sector, Vinay’s experience in the theatre of life was as wide- ranging as it could get when his portfolio shots were spotted by a director from the Tamil film industry and he was asked to get on board a project. Vinay hasn’t looked back since his debut in ‘Unnalae Unnalae’.

He feels that it is his openness to trying all kinds of things that has got him thus far. He is working in 4 Tamil movies and although he has got offers to act in a few Kannada films, the actor says he’s waiting for the right script to come by.

Visiting the city on work, Vinay talks to Nina C George about his love for rugby and his future plans.
 

There was a time when you played rugby actively. Tell us about it.
My first brush with rugby was in 2000, when I joined a bunch of boys playing rugby in the compound of Holy Ghost Church. I didn’t know anything about the sport but began liking it. And soon, before I knew it, I was one of the two Bengalureans to play for the Indian Rugby team on an international level. I’ve had a broken nose and was hurt on several occasions, but I’ve loved every minute of my association with the sport. However, when I had to choose between rugby and cinema. I chose the latter.

Was it hard to choose cinema over rugby?
Yes, I felt terrible when I had to leave rugby, a sport I played for 8 years, but I yearned to do something different and my character in my debut project ‘Unnalae Unnalae’ gave me the perfect break I was looking for. Tamil was an alien language but I believe that one should try everything because one never knows what will work in their favour.   

You seem to have rejected a lot of offers after ‘Unnalae’ and ‘Jayamkondaan’. Why?  
I would have rejected at least 100 scripts because I didn’t want to be typecast and
wanted to try all kinds of genres. There’s a tendency for actors in the Indian film industry to be stereotyped. I didn’t want to be in that category, so I made it a point to go slow and choose my projects carefully.  
 
How do you handle failure?
Failures are the best eye-openers. There are several projects that didn’t do well and I was also out of work for a few months but all these experiences have enriched my learning curve.
 
What are you working on now?
I have 4 projects in hand and all the 4 characters are different. I am also playing a negative role for the first time and
I am more than looking forward to start work.
 
Any offers from the Kannada film industry?
I was an introvert and there were times when my shyness was mistaken for arrogance. I think that’s one of the many reasons why I didn’t get too many offers from the Kannada film industry but now I have a few coming my way. I’ve always wanted to be a part of this industry.

Is marriage on the cards?
I am single and I am enjoying every bit of it. I would like to focus on my career at the moment and if I come across the right person, then I will certainly give a thought to marriage.

If you weren’t an actor...
I’ve tried a lot of things but flying and surfing are two of the things that I’ve always wanted to do but never got a chance to. I don’t think I am the kind who likes to settle for just one thing. I would like to explore as much as I can in the world of cinema and adventure. Failures are the best eye-openers. There are several projects that didn’t do well and I was also out of work for a few months but all these experiences have enriched my learning curve.
 
What are you working on now?
I have 4 projects in hand and all the 4 characters are different. I am also playing a negative role for the first time and I am more than looking forward to start work.
 
Any offers from the Kannada film industry?
I was an introvert and there were times when my shyness was mistaken for arrogance. I think that’s one of the many reasons why I didn’t get too many offers from the Kannada film industry but now I have a few coming my way. I’ve always wanted to be a part of this industry.

Is marriage on the cards?
I am single and I am enjoying every bit of it. I would like to focus on my career at the moment and if I come across the right person, then I will certainly give a thought to marriage.

If you weren’t an actor...
I’ve tried a lot of things but flying and surfing are two of the things that I’ve always wanted to do but never got a chance to. I don’t think I am the kind who likes to settle for just one thing. I would like to explore as much as I can in the world of cinema and adventure.