Having completed the shooting of his web film Kaavya (now in the post-production phase), Delhi-based actor Amitt K Singh is set to take on his next project lying in his bucket list. Having been a part of shows like Dil Sambhal Ja Zara for Star Plus, Shapath for Life OK, Police Factory for SAB TV, Yeh hai Aashiqui for UTV Bindas, Shaadi Ke Siyape for &TV, Singh is trying out the waters of the world of digital platform.
Produced by Brand Box Entertainment and Vara Production, Kaavya is a horror film with Singh as the protagonist. “A couple of shifts to a new house which is haunted. I’m playing the husband who is an interior designer by profession. He comes home and finds his wife possessed. Though my character is scared by the situation, he doesn’t reveal it to his wife. However, when alone he does have instances where he completely breaks down,” shares Singh, who debuted on the digital platform with his first web series Bhaukaal.
Kaavya is a breath of fresh air for Singh as he has never played the role of a husband or tried the genre of horror. “When I was approached for the film, the genre and the script really intrigued me. Also, the director Elvin Raja is really talented and this is his first web project, and I was glad to be a part of it,” says Singh. Given that horror flicks, if not done right, can fall into the danger of appearing caricaturish and comic, Singh went through a month-long acting and reading workshop to work on his character. “This preparation period was longer than that of filming, as we finished the shoot in two weeks,” adds Singh, who also watched 60 per cent of the horror films on the OTT platforms, including The Shinning.
For Singh, who has played a pivotal role in R Balki’s blockbuster hit Mission Mangal, another interesting aspect of the project was it being shot on an iPhone (something that has been experimented by filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh). “This has been tried in Hollywood, but it’s something new at home. As an actor, it was definitely a challenge as acting in front of a camera setup has its own feel. And this was something really new for me.”
Having worked on both on the silver screen and the online platform, Singh believes that the latter gives an actor more freedom to experiment. “In TV, there is a pattern that needs to be followed as the channel decides the look and feel of the project. But with web series, we have a lot of freedom. For Kaavya, we shot one scene in a number of ways and we also had the freedom to develop our character. With the approval of the director.”
While aspiring actors move to Mumbai, Singh moved back to Delhi after being in Mumbai for a few years as he believes that the film industry in the Capital is on the rise. “Recently, Mukesh Chhabra opened his casting agency in Delhi and Chandigarh. With web films, many of the stories that are from north India ask for actors from the north. While it depends on project to project, from last two years is now becoming the casting hub after Mumbai,” concludes Singh.