Comedian and improv trainer Neville Bharucha on The Ba***ds of Bollywood, working with Aryan Khan, and more

Who would say ‘no’ to that! But honestly, I was a schoolteacher at the time, so my first instinct was to say no. But my wife and friends encouraged me to go audition; ‘What’s the harm?’ they said. I still remember it was a Monday, and I had a flight to Singapore that night and just barely squeezed in time to go to the casting director’s office. I read the script, and the second I did, I was like, ‘I love this.’ It was so charming, so fresh. I walked out and told my wife, ‘I feel really good about this one.’

Always! My Hindi is… let’s just say not very good, and that’s being generous. I have always had a stronger command over English. So being able to act in English always felt like a far-fetched dream. When this opportunity came, I thought, ‘Wow, I guess it’s happening.’

Way back, I did a Disney show called Ishaan: Sapno Ko Awaaz De, and while it was fun, I knew I didn’t want to pursue acting seriously at the time. I didn’t think I had it in me to live up to my own expectations. So, I shifted to advertising, and from time to time I’d do small one-off shoots, easy stuff like one-day shoots. But this was different. You had to build chemistry, and a rapport with your co-stars and with the crew. It felt like a real family. That was new for me and incredible.

Aryan is fantastic. He is genuinely one of the nicest, warmest, and most fun people I’ve ever met. He had a clear vision, but he was always open to hearing your take on things. What stood out was his excitement about everything! And that excitement is contagious. Working with him was a wonderful experience.

Everyone was so approachable and down-to-earth. We’d all hang out during the shoot. It was such a chilled-out vibe. And I have to give a special shout-out to Manoj (Pahwa) sir, my scene partner. We sat next to each other during the table read, and you could already sense chemistry there. The moment the camera rolled, it felt like we’d been performing together for years.

100%. Ever since I started doing and teaching improv more regularly post-2018, I’ve seen myself become a much better actor. It’s made me sharper, more reactive, more expressive. It keeps you on your toes. Improv trains you to be fully present—and that’s invaluable on camera.

If they’re learning from me, obviously they have a bright future! (laughs) No, but seriously, I believe improv isn’t just for actors. When I started teaching, I wanted it to be for everyone.

Improv helps the nervous finance person speak up in meetings. It helps marketers be more creative. It helps introverts break out of their shells. It’s like a sport—you don’t need to be a professional to play. Everyone should try it. And slowly, that’s happening.

Oh, I love stand-up. But the running joke is that I stopped doing it because I preferred playing badminton and having dinner with my wife in the evenings. I still do the occasional set—like recently at a parent’s mixer at school—but I don’t miss it too much because I still get my stage time through improv.

Lots! We have regular improv classes every week, plus corporate workshops where we use improv to meet business objectives in a fun way. My group Medium Size Improv has a big show coming up this Sunday at NCPA. We also perform monthly at The Habitat, which is kind of our home base. Acting will always be my first love, though. I’m always keen on new acting projects.

Honestly, the best part of this journey has been reconnecting with my own teachers. I’ve reached out to so many of them over the last few days. When I told my 4th standard teacher I’m in Aryan Khan’s web series, her first reaction was, “But you don’t speak Hindi!” And she wasn’t wrong. I still can’t.

The most touching message I got was from a former student who messaged me on Instagram, “I don’t know if you remember me, you taught me in 2017. I just saw you on The Ba***ds of Bollywood and couldn’t believe it.” That meant the world to me.