Abhishek Banerjee on twin releases ‘Stree 2’, ‘Vedaa’ on August 15: It’s win-win situation for me

New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) Actor Abhishek Banerjee says it is a “win-win” situation for him that two of his most important films — “Stree 2” and “Vedaa” — are releasing on August 15 as they both feature him in different avatars.

In “Stree 2”, Banerjee is reprising the role of Jana, a simpleton who is studying to become a civil servant, in the sequel to the 2018 Amar Kaushik-directed horror comedy, which was hailed for its feminist overtones. Nikkhil Advani’s “Vedaa”, starring John Abraham and Sharvari, features the casting director-actor in the role of an upper caste villain.

“Honestly, an actor should never worry about the business, it’s the producer’s space. For me, it’s a win-win situation because I get to show two sides of me to the entire country. August 15 is a big day. With ‘Stree 2’, fans can expect a bigger, better version of everything, it is like an epic saga.

“‘Vedaa’ is a much needed film in India. We can’t just be making entertainment films. I enjoy my characters more when they are woven in the socio-political context. I don’t know how well I will do with just slapstick comedy. But comedy with purpose and a villain with a responsibility, I think I will try to do more such characters,” the actor told PTI in an interview.

“Stree”, which was made on a small budget and went on to earn more than Rs 100 crore at the box office, revolved around a group of friends, led by Rajkummar Rao’s Vicky, who is a tailor. Their town of Chanderi is terrorised by a female ghost and as they try to solve the mystery, Vicky falls for a mysterious woman (Shraddha Kapoor).

Banerjee initially rejected the offer to play Jana, a character crucial to producer Dinesh Vijan’s horror universe that connects the worlds of “Stree”, “Bhediya” and “Munjya”. The team moved on with another actor but with a twist of fate, Jana fell back into his lap, he recalled.

“When you are dreaming to be an actor, you are always manifesting and dreaming about a character that will make you a household name and that will give you the love and respect from the audience and Jana has done exactly that,” said Banerjee, who runs Casting Bay, a casting agency, with Anmol Ahuja.

“Stree” was a film that the audience instantly lapped up because it came at a time feminism as a movement was shifting from academic discussions to popular culture, he added.

“I remember telling Aparshakti (his co-star from ‘Stree’) that the film is going to be a huge hit. Those days Rs 100 crore club was a big deal and only superstars could enter that club. I don’t think any other film, other than ‘The Dirty Picture’, had entered that club without a superstar.

“But 2018 was a game changer for the movie industry with the success of ‘Stree’, ‘Andhadhun’ and ‘Badhaai Ho’… I felt that the audience would definitely connect because it comes from folklore. And it works like magic in India. If you begin your story with words ‘Once Upon a time…’, audiences are immediately gripped,” Banerjee said about “Stree”, which was based on Karnataka’s popular folk legend of Nale Ba.

Over the years, the roles have been interesting and of varying shades, and the actor said it is all because of the directors he has worked with, whether it is Devashish Makhija, who had cast him in a negative role in “Ajji”, Kaushik of “Stree” or Sudip Sharma, who gave him one of his career’s most memorable roles as Hathoda Tyagi in “Pataal Lok”.

“When I was doing ‘Ajji’, I remember Makhija said he sees a demon in my eyes and here I always thought that I had innocent eyes. Amar bhai felt I had innocent eyes and cast me as Jana.

“Sudip Sharma saw ‘Stree’ and told me I had demon eyes and should play Hathoda Tyagi. I was like, ‘How can you see a comedy (film) and think of me as Hathoda Tyagi?’ Then I realised it is about how people look at you,” the actor said.

In future, Banerjee wants to work with directors like Anurag Kashyap, Shoojit Sircar, Hansal Mehta, Abhishek Chaubey, Anubhav Sinha, and Sandeep Reddy Vanga.

“I will keep approaching them and they will have to cast me someday. I am taking their names because I want to be a part of their cinema… It is not like they are not kind to me. Anurag sir has been the most kind, they all have been.

“I want to work with them because I want to learn from them. I really chased Nikkhil Advani for ‘Vedaa’. He doesn’t remember it but I do. He must have fought to cast me as the villain opposite John Abraham. He also must have fought the notion that an actor like Abhishek Banerjee can stand opposite John Abraham. I remember the character was an older guy and I told him why don’t you make him younger and he did that.”

According to the actor, “Animal” director Vanga is a man who has a different wavelength.

“He definitely has a different vibration. Good, bad, I am no judge. As a performer, rules change because it is important to get into different wavelengths and minds,” he said.