'I don't like repeating myself'

Speaking FROM Heart

TV and film actor Sushant Singh, better known for his roles in movies like Jungle and The Legend of Bhagat Singh, can nowadays be seen hosting a crime-based show Savdhan India on the small screen. The 40-year-old actor is playing a host on a TV show for the second time after Wanted: High Alert, on the similar theme even as he ‘doesn’t like to repeat himself’.

“Wanted...did not do very well and went off air after five episodes. I kept questioning to myself whether the show failed because of me or I failed as an anchor. So, when the opportunity came again for me to play a host on a TV show which has a streak of social responsibility, I decided to take it up,” Sushant shares with Metrolife.

When it comes to choosing his projects, Sushant is very particular. Perhaps, that is the reason has done very few television serials and films, most of which remain unknown. For him, each of his new work should be radically different from the previous ones.
“I have never been very fond of TV as a medium as far as fiction is concerned. Nowadays, after 20 or 30 episodes, all TV shows become similar. They have different names but almost same story line. That is why I have done very few TV shows and left them when they started becoming repetitive,” says Sushant who has
done TV serials like Dhadkan, Gulaal and Virrudh.

Currently shooting in Pushkar, Rajasthan, for a film titled Dirty Politics, Sushant agrees that many of his films are not known to a larger section of people because more than anything else he chooses a project that excites him. “If a director is narrating me a script and it keeps coming to mind, what happens next, then it interests me. Then, if my role is interesting rather than the big director or big banner, I take a call. I don’t like repeating myself. That is why most of my films are not well-known,” he adds.

A disciple of theatre veteran Ibrahim Alkazi, does Sushant believe that the films he got did justice to his talent?  “I got some very good roles in films like Jungle, Legend... 16 December and many other. So some films have done justice to my capabilities and vice versa. One cannot get film offers always that do justice to his talent,” he replies.
Sushant will be seen as an honest cop along with the star cast of Atul Kulkarni, Anupam Kher and Mallika Sherawat in Dirty Politics, being directed by K C Bokadia. “The film is inspired from Bhanwari Devi murder case,” he informs.

Originally from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, the actor did his graduation in English Literature from Kirori Mal College and was involved with the fine arts. He has fond memories attached with the City. “It was a lovely time that I spent here. Bengali market, Mandi House, Connaught Place; I have nostalgia attached with all these places. I met my wife and my acting guru here,” he signs off.