Actor Amit Sial has mostly played negative, intense or aggressive roles. However, that changed with ‘Tikdom’. Sial plays a loving father, which adds the much-needed depth to his character. He spoke exclusively to IndiaToday.in and revealed what he had to ‘unlearn’ to play a softer role. Sial also shared with us his thoughts on ‘success’ and if he still feels the need to prove himself in the film industry.

Excerpts from the interview:

The trailer of ‘Tikdam’ is extremely heart touching. It is the story of a father and his children. Can you tell us a little more about it?

The film is basically the story of a father who is a widower. There is no mother involved in the film. So, he has to raise his kids on his own with the help of his parents. They have always lived with each other. They are a lower-middle-class, hand-to-mouth family, but are actually very happy. Until it is revealed that due to climate change, the hotel where the father works is going to shut down. For the first time, he has to leave his kids and parents and look for a job in the big city. And, this creates problems for the family because they never thought that this day and age would ever come, that the father would have to leave the kids behind.

Then the kids try all sorts of things. Tikadam He has many (tricks) to call the father back. So, it is a very nice slice of life with a good message about climate change, migration and its impact on the lives of millions of people in the country.

We have seen you play serious roles on screen. Did you have to unlearn certain tricks to play a softer character?

I have definitely learned from forgetting. In fact, I have to forget every character I play because it is very difficult to move on and play the next character. I have always been seen in very intense, aggressive roles. It was very important for me that a film like this came to me. I had to break out of it (from intense roles) in some way. I was really trying to manifest it and it happened. I was looking for something like this, and it magically came up.

I read the script and met the director, and I thought, ‘Thank God I’m getting a chance to do this.’ It was because I was tired of doing very serious roles. I needed to spread my wings in other genres as well.

After spending so many years in the film industry, do you still have to prove yourself to others?

I don’t think I have to prove myself. I’ve never really felt that way. It’s always about proving myself to myself. That’s because I want a kind of evolution from myself. I really want to explore myself in different aspects of life. Especially when it comes to being an actor. We all have many faces. We are not living in the same rhythm. It’s always been about proving myself and getting into different genres. As long as I am able to do that, I will be satisfied and it will attract the audience and people will like my work. It’s mainly about people liking my work, not me. I don’t care who I am (laughs). I want them to like my work rather than understanding or liking me.

Do you think you got the fame you deserved?

Fame is a very subjective thing. If I’m not wrong, fame can also be linked to success, right? If you’re doing something right, it will give you a certain amount of success. That success will eventually bring you fame. Fame is the ultimate by-product of anything. When it comes to success, I feel successful enough because I have finally found the path I love to follow – acting and creative arts. And I’m following that path, people are paying me for it, I can pay my bills through it. So, that’s a good amount of success. The rest, I think, is a bonus.

Has there ever been a time when you were almost certain to be selected for a role, but due to some privilege, that role went to someone else?

I don’t know about that. Nobody will tell you that they have excluded you and cast someone else because of privilege. They don’t dare tell you that (laughs).

For example, you were almost finalised for a project but suddenly it was given to someone else.

It happens all the time. But I don’t think it’s because of privilege. It’s because of many other reasons. There’s a new trend these days about how many followers someone has. But what difference does it make? What’s meant for me, I’ll get. If they don’t cast me based on what I can do, then maybe I have nothing to offer.

Don’t you think it’s a very shallow concept to cast someone for a role based on the number of followers the actor has?

The world is shallow, my friend. You just need to make the best of it.

Amit Sial’s ‘Tikdam’ released on Jio Cinema on August 23.