Size of screen doesn’t matter for actor: Kay Kay Menon

The actor will be seen in web series ‘Special Ops’ which will release on March 17

Kay Kay Menon isn’t a name one isn’t familiar with. He’s given the audience characters to remember with films like ‘Life in a... Metro’ and ‘Haider’. Be it the role of a bad guy or a supporting one, he does it with ease. The latest project that’s been keeping him busy is Hotstar Specials ‘Special Ops’, a spy thriller directed by Neeraj Pandey.

With an ensemble cast including Divya Dutta, Karan Tacker and Vinay Pathak, among others, the story is inspired by the real terror attacks India faced over the last 19 years. Metrolife caught up with Kay Kay Menon for the trailer launch where he spoke about the show and more.

Tell us about your role in ‘Special Ops’?

I play the role of Himmat Singh who is a chief analyst. Himmat has a theory in his head which could lead to the attacker but no one believes him – they think it’s just one of his fantasies. But he continues to believe it and 19 years later, he tries to prove it.

You’re working with a lot of young cast in the series. What was that like?

It was wonderful. They are very focused, enthusiastic and dedicated to the job. They were all clued in on the story and that was quite helpful.

Did working in a web series make any difference to you?

Not at all. The actors’ job is to play the character, the screen doesn’t matter. Maybe it matters to the writers, directors and producers but my job doesn’t change with the size of the screen.

What were some of the things that you had to learn or unlearn during the process?

I don’t think I need to learn much because I don’t carry the baggage of my genius as others (laughs). I try to play the person that I’m supposed to and that’s about it.

So you’re the actor who gets into the character only when you’re in front of the camera...

Well, when I’m working on a project, my character is always there on the back of my head. That’s why I do only one project at a time. But once I’m done with it, I kind of bid adieu and move on to the next thing.

Do you take breaks in between the projects?

No, I don’t take breaks. I’m already working on the next one, but I can’t talk about it. The modern days we have contracts where we are ordered to speak and not to speak (laughs).

Will you be working in South films soon?

I don’t know. I just have one condition – my dialogues will be in Hindi. I find the language quite hard to grasp.