One could say that Sumeet Vyas’ first brush with stardom was as Mikesh Chaudhary, the funny naive guy, in the web series, Permanent Roommates, by The Viral Fever. After several other web projects and a minor role in the blockbuster English Vinglish, Vyas is now ready for his big break. Set to star opposite Kalki Koechlin in the Hindi film Ribbon, directed by Rakhi Sandilya, the 33-year-old tells us how he always wanted to be an actor. “I started doing theatre at the age of 17. I have been very passionate about that.” The actor, who recently turned writer with his new web series TVF Tripling—about three siblings who go on a road trip—says, “Writing was accidental. But it is a good break from acting.”
Close to reality
Vyas, who will be playing Koechlin’s husband, says he has immense respect for the Dev D actress and is excited to start shooting in October. “I have been doing workshops with Kalki for the past 10-15 days and it has been a fulfilling experience so far. She is a spontaneous actor and so am I,” shares Vyas, whose character is a boy from a Delhi middle class family. The plot follows his marriage and initiation into parenthood. Vyas says that he relates more to his character in Ribbon as compared to Mikesh or Chandan, an organised, serious guy in Tripling. “This guy (his character in Ribbon) is smart and shrewd and knows how to work things out, whereas Mikesh is a fun character. I am not that fun in real life but I am not as organised as Chandan either,” laughs the Mumbai-based actor.
Net fix
The actor who has worked across three mediums—short films, web series and feature films—feels that though his acting is not different for any medium, web offers a more personal experience to a viewer. “Web is here to stay, it is so accessible, and it brings the story right to your phone,” explains Vyas. The actor who wishes to work with directors like Imtiaz Ali, Vishal Bharadwaj and Anurag Basu, signs off saying that he is bored of playing the ‘nice guy’ and would love to trade places with the villain if the right project comes along.
Ribbon is set for a 2017 release