Aarya Babbar: ‘People assume that if an actor is rich, he won’t do TV’

Aarya Babbar

It takes a lot for an actor to be self-aware of his strengths and shortcomings. At this point, Aarya Babbar believes his biggest strength is his ability to perform with complete abandon. This lack of inhibition came from stand-up comedy. While he enjoys stand-up comedy, acting is his first love. In conversation with mid-day, Babbar discusses how his new show Jagriti - Ek Nayi Subah helps him fulfil his passion for acting, finding his place in the industry and his learnings over the years.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

When did you start doing stand-up comedy?
I started doing it one-and-a-half years ago. At that time, I was doing a lot of work in Hindi cinema, which was financially great, but it was not giving me creative satisfaction. For instance, I would do a film because I had bought a new house and needed to get the interiors done. I had become that person. I was in a rut mentally, until one day, I decided to try stand-up comedy on open mics. There were about 10 to 15 other comics, who were shocked to know that I was performing. The satisfaction I got that day was a high. Then, I kept going back as it made me happy. It helped me let go of many inhibitions, and the more uninhibited an actor is, the better he performs. One of my biggest opening jokes is about how I started my career with Ab Ke Baras [2002], which was about two births, and not even one could save the film!

Laughing at oneself is never easy.
It's something I learnt from Shah Rukh Khan sir. He once said that if you can laugh at yourself, you will be the most confident person.

Looking back on your career, did you ever believe the negative chatter surrounding you?
When you have self-doubt, you believe in a lot of negative things said about you. It compels you to hear more negative chatter unconsciously. It happened in the initial years of my career because I thought I wasn't getting the kind of roles I was expecting. Over the years, I realised that the industry is very kind [to me]. It will always give you the work you deserve at that particular time. If over the past few years, I was getting work that gave me money but no creative satisfaction, the industry perhaps believed I deserved that. [I realised] that getting work was the important thing. It is pointless to only get papped; I am an actor, not an influencer.

How did Jagriti - Ek Nayi Subah come to you?
The show's casting director asked me if I was open to doing television. A lot of people assume that if an actor is rich, he won't do [television]. You can't fight that thought process, and sometimes you don't wish to fight it. If someone believes you are wearing a real Rolex, even when it is fake, why correct that notion? But I was keen to work. When they sent me the scene for the look test, I wore a black salwar and kurta and performed. It was an instant yes from the makers.

What was your discussion with the makers about the fictitious Chitta tribe?
After reading the script, I had several meetings with them where I tried to understand the nuances they wanted from my character, Kalikant Thakur. I worked with a dialect coach too. We worked on my character's body language, style and personality. We now have a bank of seven to 10 episodes. I irritate my co-actors by rehearsing a lot. While shooting for TV shows, you cannot go on set and rehearse for an hour or two. But when the crew is fixing the lighting, I keep doing my lines.

The show sees you teaming up with Asmi Deo. What is it like to work with an eight-year-old?
Every kid is annoying until s/he is on camera [laughs]. When Asmi is facing the camera, she is a complete professional. I have never felt that I am working with an actor who is not serious about their work. She knows what she is there to do and performs well.