Ishwak Singh on A-list male actors not taking up female-led films: Every actor has the right to choose their roles
Many A-list male actors shy away from taking up female-led projects like Gandhari. With him being a part of it, ask him of his opinion and Ishwak Singh says, 'Every actor has the right to choose their roles and they can have a whole lot of reasons. To be number one on the call sheet can be for some. I don't know what those dynamics are. I am also headlining projects, so I know the difference in being number one and number two.'
The actor adds, 'Creatively, if you've got a larger arc, you get the biggest canvas and you get the opportunity to not just get more eyeballs, but also to improve and showcase your craft. Of course, it comes with other benefits of remuneration but also the risk of good and bad fingers all pointing at you.' He says that he wouldn't have said no to Gandhari, irrespective of his position: 'It's also about the director. I wanted to work with Devashish Makhija for the longest time. If Anurag Kashyap or Vidhu Vinod Chopra also call me tomorrow, I would say yes without any second guesses.'
But does the insecurity of being second to another actor hits him? 'On stage, I have seen actors with just four scenes turning out to be scene stealers. Good writing and good storytelling expands your thinking too. You think about the experience you will have and not these other factors. With this approach, I don't get trapped in that mousetrap, and then it also opens me to big makers,' he responds.
Ishwak gained widespread acclaim for his work in the 2024 release Berlin, which made rounds at international film festivals and even bagged him awards abroad. However, the film eventually skipped a theatrical release in India and the actor admits that he was disappointed by it. 'I've seen Berlin six some times on the big screen and thought it was an excellent theatrical experience. But it found its way on OTT and it really saddened me. It's not every day that you get an award, out of all the places, in LA, with legends on the jury giving you an award out of all the Asian films as the best actor. Berlin also won the best screenplay, that means it is a special film,' he says, adding, 'You develop a sentiment for the film that it will get its due and larger audience, but it wasn't meant to be. It saddens you deeply but it's not the end of the world. As my mentor says, if you can do it once, you can do it 10 times.'
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