I don’t take load of fame as it impinges my performance, says Kay Kay Menon

Mumbai, Aug 10 (PTI) Seasoned actor Kay Kay Menon doesn’t let fame or external pressures affect his performance as he says that it can hinder an artiste’s ability to deliver a genuine performance.

Script is the ‘summum bonum’, the Latin phrase which means the ultimate goal, for Menon, who is coming out with his series “Shekhar Homes”, inspired by the literary works of British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, best known for creating the detective character of Sherlock Holmes. 

“As an actor, I don’t take the load of fame or of anybody for that matter because that impinges on your performance. For me, the truth lies in what is there as a text in front of me. That is my ‘summum bonam’ as far as acting is concerned.

“And of course, the director’s inputs and writer’s inputs. That’s my world and I don’t really go beyond that,” Menon told PTI in an interview.

The actor, known for delivering memorable performances in films such as “Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi”, “Black Friday”, “Sarkar”, “Life in a… Metro”, “Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd”, “Shaurya”, “Gulaal” and “Haider”, stressed that going beyond the script and the director’s vision introduces unnecessary pressure.

“I don’t really care as to where it’s taken from or what inspiration, unless it’s specific that something needs to be added on because of that, then it’s a different issue.

Otherwise, the script does it for me. That makes my life easier as an actor and I have all the facilities of just being there and performing,” Menon added. 

In “Shekhar Home”, Menon essays the titular detective character who is both eccentric and brilliant.

Fate makes him cross paths with a middle-aged bachelor, named Jayvrat Sahni (Ranvir Shorey), who goes on to become an unexpected ally, and together, they embark on a journey of solving mysteries.

The show marks yet another OTT outing for the actor after he previously appeared in series such as “Special Ops”, “The Railway Man” and “Farzi”.

He believes the digital space has provided scope for many actors to display their skills.

“OTT definitely has provided a scope for actors to kind of display their skills. All that stuff has helped. There are so many actors who have come in suddenly because of OTT, and they become stars. That’s one thing. Secondly, most of it is in the format of a series. You have the additional benefit of juicing out the screenplay. It’s a different medium altogether in terms of a craft,” Menon said.

However, the actor also believes that small-budget movies still find it difficult to access the OTT space.

“It has not really helped small films because they are still finding it hard to release on OTT. That disparity still exists. But otherwise for actors, it’s been quite a boon,” he added.

Directed by Srijit Mukherjee and Rohan Sippy, “Shekhar Home” also features Rasika Dugal and Kirti Kulhari in pivotal roles. Produced by BBC Studios Productions India, the show will release on JioCinema on August 14.