Iss ka time aa gaya

Vivek Gomber

I think it was only because the character was written in a certain way that women found him attractive. He was a good guy," says actor-producer Vivek Gomber of Ashwin, the character he played in Rohena Gera's Sir, which pitted him opposite Tilotama Shome. The quiet and sweet film is about a man of privilege, who after breaking up with his would-be wife, who cheats on him, falls in love with his househelp, Ratna. It could be his soft portrayal of a man who sees a woman beyond her circumstances, or just that he comes across as a genuine and good looking catch, but he has left most female viewers say, "He's dreamy".

Gomber says, "I think it was because of how the character showed his vulnerabilities." It could also be the nice shirts he wears, we tell him, and he laughs, "Yes, I want to thank everyone who made that role such a hit. And my parents!"

Ever since, it seems as if the 41-year-old is everywhere. We first noticed him in 2014 in the award-winning indie film Court, where he first worked with director Chaitanya Tamhane. In the past few months, he has entered our lives repeatedly, in Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy, Pooja Bhatt-fronted Bombay Begums, and now of course as producer of Tamhane's critical success, The Disciple.

A still from Bombay Begums, where Gomber played Shahana Goswami's husband

But he has been at it since 2004. Gomber studied acting in Boston, but came to India to be a "working actor". "I have always just wanted to be part of a conversation. There are many reasons you make it when you make it - you first have to arrive here, and hope to God, that the city is kind to you." The actor says like so many others in India, he grew up watching Amitabh Bachchan movies in Jaipur, where he spent his childhood with his banker father. His mother worked in the judiciary. He clarifies that when he says he wanted to be a working actor, he doesn't mean that he needed a release every year. "It just means you have to be acting, and going for auditions, and meeting people in the know - like directors and casting agents, they need to know who you are. I am just grateful to be part of the conversation. And to be working with someone like Tamhane. Because you can't work alone." Gomber, who started his journey in theatre, went on to act in television, including the popular Zee TV show Astitva - Ek Prem Kahani. "Maybe I didn't do auditions as well before. I got offered too many best friend roles. In my 20s, all my auditions were for a best friend! How long can you do it?"

It's finally his time. He says, "When I read Court, I thought it was a great film to engage with. It was very relevant then, and it is even more relevant now. I had thought of nothing except that it could be a way we could learn. And he [Tamhane] is a great director; I wanted to help him," he says of the film that picked up a National Award and another at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. For now, he is happy that The Disciple is out there for viewers to see, because he thinks that the film is addressing an important issue - celebrating our own music, and showing people the nitty gritties of Indian classical tradition. "I didn't know much about our music, and now I do. The worlds and the themes Tamhane explores are endless. It's very important that the movie exists."

He almost sounds relieved that it's going to be a while before the audiences see him again. The entertainment industry is on pause, and wants to be safe and take care of its people, Gomber thinks. "We need to recover health-wise, focus on the lockdown, and just get out of the pandemic. But I hope there will be more work. And of course, maybe another Tamhane film, if he will have me."