Aditya Rawal, son of veteran actor Paresh Rawal, made a silent debut in the ZEE5 film Bamfaad. He is now stepping into the shoes of a tribal archer turned assassin in a Disney+ Hotstar series Aar Ya Paar, which premiered on December 30.
When young actors like you are starting out they tend to do different genres as a way of showing their wares. Apart from this genre change since your first film Bamfaad, what interested you in Aar Ya Paar?
That’s a great question. It’s not just about showcasing different things, it’s also about doing them and getting an experience. As an artist, I seek the opportunity to dive into new worlds and portray characters different from how I am in life and also from the ones I have played in the past. It’s not a conscious choice exactly, just that I tend to get interested in roles that I have not explored before.
You are a star kid but still, Bamfaad was a lukewarm release and you never got the big “star kid launch”, what were your expectations about your debut?
I didn’t have any expectations actually. I just feel thankful for the opportunity as a writer to write and as an actor to act in stories that say something. It doesn’t matter if I get those stories in a nukkad natak, a play, a film or a web series.
You studied both acting and writing. You have written plays as well as acted in them. What do you consider more of yourself as, a writer or an actor?
I have thought about this often and the answer I have settled on is that I like doing one after I have done the other. The processes (of acting and writing) are so widely different.
As an actor, you are going out for auditions and it is more of like a go-out-and-get-your-hands-dirty sort of job. As a writer, you sit at your desk and make worlds for a living. For me, it’s like once I have done shooting for a film or a web series, I just want to sit at my desk and work on a writing project. Similarly, after writing for a while, I get an urge to go out there and shoot something. Moreover, both help each other. Being a writer actually makes me a better actor.
Do you discuss projects with father Paresh Rawal? What was his reaction when you told him about Aar Ya Paar?
He was intrigued when I told him about the show’s story. For him, the concept, as it was for me, was very different from what we have seen on screen so far. When it comes to discussions, we talk mostly about two things, one is acting and the other is being an actor.
I seek his advice on mostly the being an actor part, like navigating the industry as a professional, the way of thinking as an actor, and staying emotionally and mentally stable. As far as roles are concerned, I direct my questions towards the writer or the director of the particular project.
Being a veteran actor’s son, was acting always on the cards?
I was always interested in reading poetry, writing stories, and acting in my school plays but my focus was always sports. I played football professionally till I was 19 or 20. While training to become a footballer, I got a lot of free time in the day and I started writing screenplays, which I really enjoyed doing. Then I started acting on stage and enjoyed that as well.
That was the moment I thought I would like to invest all my energy in this. My parents did advise me about how strenuous the industry can be.
What was Paresh sir’s advice on going through tough times?
Self-belief, confidence, and hard work. He also told me to always keep my head on my shoulders. The one thing I admire most about him is how he has sustained during his 40-year-long career and has given something different each time. That’s how I aspire to be.