Despite being the son of talented actors like Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampat, Aditya Rawal never expected his parents to provide him everything on a silver platter. The budding actor-writer has been trying his best to carve his own path in the entertainment industry, and his recent performance as an actor in ‘Faraaz’ is proof! In a freewheeling interview with ETimes, the young actor opened up about working with Hansal Mehta, not being the typical star-kid, actors he looks up to in the industry, and more. Excerpts…
'Faraaz' has been receiving positive reviews from all sides. How does it feel?
Honestly, it feels great. It is overwhelming and humbling at the same time. We made this film with a lot of love and affection. Hansal Mehta, Zahan Kapoor, Bhatt sahab and all the others involved in making this film have fought very hard to make this happen. People are loving it and it is very heartening.
Unanimous positive reviews are something that will make you feel very happy but also a bit nervous because now people will hope that you do a better job going forward. So it is great.
Were you sceptical when you were approached for the role?
When I met Hansal Mehta sir for the first time, he narrated the story, and I was completely hooked by the character and the willingness he had to dive into this journey. From the get go, I wasn’t sceptical at all. Hansal sir's vision for the story and the character I play was so clear and novel to me that I could almost touch and feel it. I knew that I had to grab this opportunity with both hands.
How was it working with an ace filmmaker like Hansal Mehta?
Working with Hansal sir was a dream. He is generous and calm, both on and off the set. He has a vision and knows what he wants, but at the same time, he is eager to discover new things on set. It helps keep things alive while shooting. The result is evident on the screen too. He gave us the freedom to explore. However, that comes with a responsibility as well. All of us were trying to execute what he was looking for. I am really eager to work with him again. I will give you an arm and a leg to do so. I really do hope that it happens soon.
As a budding actor, does screen time matter to you?
When I audition for a part and I land the job, the three things that I look at are – if the script is engaging. Does it have anything to say? If my character is giving me something new to explore? Does it have an impact on the story? Is the director somebody that I want to work with? I am not bothered by how much time my character spends on the screen because I feel that is a bit of a trap that a lot of actors fall into. I have never seen filmmaking or theatre in that way. I hope I don’t do so in the future either.
Growing up with fabulous artists as parents, was it obvious for you to lean towards acting? Or did you have other aspirations?
I have been doing plays at schools and colleges. I have enjoyed writing, whether it was a story or poetry. I was deeply into sports as well. At the age of 15, I was playing cricket seriously. Then I started playing football professionally. I was the captain of Mumbai University, and I went to the national camp. I had a flourishing football career until my late teens and early twenties. But at the same time, I was creating stuff and acting on stage as well. There came a point where I really had to decide. I couldn't have pursued a career in film or theatre while playing football every day. I decided to focus on acting and writing. I am really glad that I did because this journey of self discovery and learning, exploring, and creating new worlds will go on till the day I die. I am terribly excited about that. However, I still play football.
Do you recall memories of visiting film sets with your parents?
You know it is actually funny that my brother Aniruddh Rawal and I have never visited our parents on the set when we were kids. That was not something that we were particularly interested in. We attended a lot of their rehearsals, though. In fact, we even accompanied them to their theatres. We used to assist them in the backstage area. I remember the first time I was on a film set was when I was assisting director Umesh Shukla in ‘OMG: Oh My God!’ Of course, I was as good as an intern then. That was a wonderful experience for me. When you don’t have any work to do, film sets are the most boring places to be in. However, if you have work to do, it is full of excitement, challenges, and nerves. I just loved being in that environment.
Unlike other star kids, your father did not launch you in the industry...
As a family, we have never had this thought of using or leveraging our parents’ stature or success to get our own breaks. We always knew that we have to create our own way. That is what it has always been like. It was never really a surprise to us. Honestly, it is not something that I want also because I think success or failure when achieved on your own is always sweeter or more tolerable. Being the son of my parents had a lot of advantages. There is greater reliability. I can rely on their astute guidance. But I never expected to be launched.
Writing or acting - what do you enjoy doing the most?
I think being an actor makes me a better writer, and vice versa. As an actor, I know what the writer is trying to say, and I am able to bring that out in my performance. When I am writing, I know what makes for an interesting scene for an actor to perform. I am working as a writer in one project and the next time I land on a set as an actor, I feel like I have added one more string to my bow. I think it's fantastic that you can track how you're changing project by project. I am really glad that I am able to do both. I will make sure I can keep doing both in the future as well.
One thing I am very clear about, though, is that when I am acting, I keep my writer’s hat far away. The project I am a part of already has some wonderful and talented writers who worked hard to bring their vision to life. I don’t want to interfere in their process either. My work there will be to bring their vision to life through my acting.
Apart from your parents, is there anybody from the industry whom you idolise?
Apart from my parents, there are a lot of people whose work I find immensely inspiring. I have watched their work growing up. The names that come to my mind right now are Rajkummar Rao, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Irrfan Khan sahab, and Vicky Kaushal. Their journeys have been very inspiring. I admire their versatility that they brought to the diverse characters they played on screen and how they have gone from strength to strength. I aspire to have a career like theirs or even close to what they have done. They are truly very inspiring to me.
What's next?
A lot of exciting things are coming up for me this year. I begin rehearsals on an English play produced by Aadhyam, which will go up in April. I have acted in an OTT show, which will be out in mid-'23. The same goes for a film I wrote for a popular studio. I am very kicked about both of them. Zahan and I are also working on a play that I wrote, which we plan to stage around June. In addition to the above, I have begun meeting people, auditioning, and reading scripts for films/shows that will begin shooting this year.
