Swwapnil Joshi: Actors don’t make images, audiences do

Swwapnil Joshi

Leaving behind the candyfloss romantic stories of Marathi cinema, Swwapnil Joshi chose the dark and compelling 'Samantar' for his web debut. The actor is back with the second season, which he describes as a "pacier thriller". In a chat with mid-day, he opens up about the pressures of doing a sequel and how it has opened more doors for him.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

It has been a long wait for the second season.
The first season premiered in March 2020. The second instalment was slated to premiere much earlier, but we had to push the shoot due to the pandemic. I had to put on weight for the second part. We had taken a logistical break, which got extended because of the ongoing situation. We finally shot between October and December 2020.

Was it challenging to revisit the character?
I have revisited characters in the past, including in Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai [2010]. In the film, I played the boy-next-door, which was a character that the audience could relate to. But here, it was difficult to imbibe the characteristics of Kumar Mahajan [his character in Samantar] again.

Sai Tamhankar-Joshi in Samantar

Did you feel the pressure of matching up to the first instalment?
I would be lying if I said there was no pressure. But, after a point, the pressure takes a backseat, and you concentrate on the work at hand.

Also Read: 'Samantar 2' new promo released; Is Sai Tamhankar playing a double role?

How has your first brush with digital entertainment been?
When you do television or films, there are many external factors that [influence] how you depict your story. But on the web, you have the liberty to tell stories as they are meant to be told; [the narratives] have realism to them. That attracts me to the web, as an actor.

You've been in front of the camera since you were a child artiste. What do you think was the turning point in your career?
There have been quite a few. I did [a spate of shows] like [Uttar] 'Ramayan', 'Krishna' and 'Amanat'. Then there was a phase when I ventured into comedy with Comedy Circus. Post that, I did Marathi films, anchored musical reality shows, and now [have graduated to] the web. I believe my career has undergone a transition every four to five years.

Do you feel you got bracketed as the romantic hero? Did Samantar help you shed the image?
Actors don't make images, audiences do. Those who like my romantic performances prefer seeing me in similar roles. Now, a lot of people tell me that I should do more [projects] like 'Samantar'. It changed people's perception of me, and I am being approached for genres that [makers] earlier didn't consider me for. [The show] has opened a lot of doors for me.

Samantar has been dubbed in other regional languages, thus transcending language barriers.
[By dubbing], I think the linguistic charm goes away. That said, I also feel gratified. MXPlayer never treated 'Samantar' as a Marathi series, instead promoting it as a big show. When I saw people lapping up 'Samantar' in Telugu or Tamil, it felt good to know that finally my writers, technicians, directors and authors in Marathi are getting a wider audience. A lot of non-Maharashtrians would now be able to consume the material, and I am proud that I was one of the mediums to enable that.

Also Read: Swwapnil Joshi: My children refuse to believe it's me on screen