Ask actor Amit Sadh what makes him sign for a character, and his answer is unexpected. “I don’t have the liberty to choose the scripts. I’ll be out of work if I do that. I just get two or three movies a year, I cannot be choosy. I am not complaining. I am grateful,” he says.
Sadh seems to take a bit of this intensity and honesty to his much-loved character of Inspector Kabir Sawant on Amazon Prime’s Breathe: Into the Shadows. The series was renewed for a second season in October 2021 and Sadh’s reprisal of Sawant continues to earn him applause. Also, the actor has completed a milestone year in his career. “I’ve turned 20 as an actor,” he states.
Sadh cannot complain about not getting movie roles as the opportunities he has got in the OTT space seem to offset that. His stunning performance in both the seasons of Breathe (on Amazon Prime Video in 2018 and 2021) helped him showcase his skills as an actor like never before. Avrodh: The Seige Within (Sony Liv), Jeet Ki Zid (Zee 5) and 7 Kadam (Eros Now) assured the fans that the actor is unstoppable.
Sadh made his debut on TV with the 2002 Star Plus series Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr and in Bollywood in 2010 with Ram Gopal Varma’s Phoonk 2. But this Delhiite is best remembered for reprising Omkar Omi Shastry in Kai Po Che with Rajkummar Rao, and late actor Sushant Singh Rajput eight years ago.
The medium of storytelling never bothered the 38-year-old actor and he has managed to rule the OTT space like no other. “Cinema fascinates me, but there has to be a greater purpose to the story. I am blessed that I have found some stride. This world doesn’t need superstars anymore. It doesn’t need kings.
The world needs people who can teach empathy and can be compassionate. Acting is just a job—which we do to entertain people. OTT platforms are a game-changer and have given opportunities to a lot of people, there is better content, for sure. Art has no boundaries or limitations,” Sadh says.
About Kabir Sawant in his upcoming series Breathe and the sequel, he says, “It was not easy to play Kabir Sawant but the credit goes to the creators, my director Mayank, and Vikram Tuli. Sawant is very much like me and that helps me in connecting with the character. I have given my heart and soul to these characters.” That netizens are curious about his work is evident from questions in Google. “What happens to Kabir Sawant in Breathe? Will there be a next season? What happens in the next season of Breathe? Where is Amit Sadh from?”
Sadh doesn’t believe in turning points in life but feels that hard work is the key to success. “You keep digging to find your spot and you learn with every move. I want to explore. I get bored and I don’t want the audience to get bored. I am not acting just for money, but because it gives me happiness.”
Those who have seen Sadh in Bigg Boss in 2007 would remember him as an angry lover boy, but the actor has come a long way in life. “I have learned to channel my emotions in a better way. I know that success should not reach my head. I am blessed to have people around me who support me without any expectations.”
Sadh didn’t get to watch films till he was 22 as the maahol (circumstances) in his house didn’t allow him to do so. His father was a national-level hockey player and a disciplinarian. “My upbringing was very military. I never got a chance to watch films. You’ve seen my journey—between 2016 and 2018, I was living on the streets, and I did many things to survive. But when I now look back, I don’t remember many things and I believe in looking forward.”
Putting his best foot forward in 2022 too.