‘Not just a hero’s friend’

It has been an uphill journey to get a foothold in the entertainment industry but the effort has been worth it

He is the familiar good-looking guy on screen, whom you have seen in countless commercials. Nowadays, he is making a mark on the silver screen with his unmissable presence in several blockbusters including Raid and Made in China. Meet actor Amit Bimrot of Bard of Blood (the web series produced by Red Chilies Entertainment for Netflix) fame.

“Theatre is the mother of all performing arts,” says Amit, attributing his ability to enact the most challenging of roles to his stint on the stage during his earlier years. “I feel it lends you that level of spontaneity and ability to improvise without any hesitation as there are simply no re-takes in this medium of expression,” he adds, having enjoyed a dip into the world of theatre for four years before his Bollywood break in Raid, “after thousands of auditions”.

It is tough to think of him in a mainstream commercial potboiler like Housefull 4, but then Amit brings with him his own matrix of sensibilities. “I want to balance out my spectrum of performances between commercial and multiplex cinema. It is the role and the script that matters the most to me, as opposed to simply the wattage associated with the filmmaker,” he confesses rather honestly. “I do not want to play the typical ‘hero’s friend’ role and get lost in the milling millions.”

Amit has just wrapped up work on the film Barkha Sarkar, where he plays the challenging role of a father to an eight-year-old. “My preparation for this role included putting on weight to age by eight years on screen, observing the mannerism of fathers around, and even growing a beard. It is an endearing story centered around a family and the challenges they have to face all of a sudden. The role is very well scripted and attracted me instantly,” says Amit. Why is he so choosy in picking his roles? “I believe slow and steady wins the race and want to do roles that excite, challenge and satisfy me,” he says candidly.

Born in Gujarat and raised in Rajasthan, Amit is adept with numbers and crunches them with finesse like a seasoned businessman. “I love the ghee and milk preparations from Rajasthan...that is the Rajasthani aspect about my personality,” he laughs, having made it in the big world of cinema, much against the wishes of his father. “It has been a tough, uphill journey for me,” he shares. “I have done freelance jobs, multiple ones at different points in time to support myself. From editing to shooting shaadi videos, I have done it all as my family was dead against my entering into movies. I stuck it out in Mumbai against all odds. As a matter of fact, I was beginning to lose heart and got ready to leave Mumbai when Raid happened. I had loans to pay, had done endless auditions and was yet to strike gold when I got a call that I had been selected for the role. That movie was a signal God sent to me to say ‘hang in there’,” says Amit.

“For all those aspiring actors out there, I only have one sincere advice to offer: Dream big but work even harder and consistently to realise your dreams. I worked for three years as a junior artiste and this gave me excellent insights into camera angles and a composite overview of technical knowledge when finally my moment arrived in front of the camera. Honestly, each year brings with it hundreds of aspiring actors and it is the survival of the fittest. Always have a back up plan. It is war out there on the film turf, especially if you do not have any antecedents to back you,” he signs off with a seasoned smile.