If anyone has managed to find a spot under the limelight in the star-studded web original movie Gaslight, it has to be actor Akshay Oberoi. In this Sara Ali Khan, Chitrangada Singh and Vikrant Massey thriller, Akshay plays the suave Rana with elan and has managed to catch the fancy of the audience in his short yet impactful screen presence. Akshay will soon be seen in a major role in Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan starrer Fighter. We talk to him about the same and more.
Your role in Gaslight is much noticed. What kind of feedback are you getting?
It feels really great to get good feedback especially since the character was a tricky one. I had to convey a lot within a limited time frame and it was a mysterious character. I’m really happy that my work stood out.
How did you prepare for the role?
Well I play a nawab, so I really tried to find his body language and the way he speaks, I need to capture the vibe for my character Rana. He is smooth and suave and I had to find a rhythm about him.
How was it working with Chitrangada and Sara Ali Khan?
Chitrangada was such a pleasure to work with and Sara is a livewire, who’s always cracking jokes or saying something or the other. I think on her social media accounts, what you see is what you get.
How have you grown as an actor in these years and where do you see yourself in the next five years?
I've really gotten some interesting characters and varied characters over the years and I have grown because of them. And I've really hustled hard to turn my dream true. I think I've learned the most because I failed the most and I'm still around.
But in the next five years, I'd like to be in more mainstream cinema. I think I've done a lot of performance oriented films that may have gone largely unnoticed by the wider audience. In the next five years I want to do films that reach the heartlands of India.
Tell us about your role in Fighter.
Fighter is a dream project. I still can't believe I've been cast in it. I play an Air Force pilot and it's a matter of pride for me.
Your experience with Deepika and Hrithik in Fighter?
Deepika and I previously worked together in Piku in one little scene, so it's kind of nice to have a more fleshed out, bigger role with her this time.
Hrithik has been my idol growing up and they're both very real and don't let you feel overwhelmed or intimidated by their presence which is quite remarkable.
Upcoming projects?
There are a couple of web series and Laal Rang 2, which is a sequel to the film I did with Randeep Hooda in 2016.