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Harry Parmar was recently seen in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack in a negative role as Doctor aka Shahid Akhtar Sayeed. The actor who has also featured in Hansal Mehta’s Lootere and Aamir Khan-starrer Laal Singh Chaddha speaks about his experience of working with Anubhav Sinha and more in an exclusive interaction with Hindustan Times. Excerpts from the interview. (Also read: Anubhav Sinha addresses IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack controversy in his trademark, no-nonsense style. Here’s what he said)
Harry Parmar on IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack
When asked about what was the most unique aspect of his character and the script of IC 814, that made him say yes to the show, Harry says, “The first thing is, that this is not a fictional show. It is based on an incident which happened when I was in college. Back then, I was following the news very promptly. When the role came to me, I was very excited to play this character because sometimes you have to play a character which is very different from your overall personality. So, I was very thrilled about it. Moreover, the icing on the cake for me was, with each passing day there was something going on with Doctor’s life. So, I was pretty excited to do this character.”
Harry Parmar on his research for 1999 Kandahar Hijack
On being asked about the need for actors to be well-prepared with research while working on shows or films related to real-life incidents, the actor points out, “When you are delving into a real-life incident, you need to do your research very carefully because you cannot go wrong with the facts. For the entire India it was a very big mishap which happened in 1999. So, most of the people knew about this incident but they didn’t know about the nuances like what was running in the offices, crisis management groups, what they were thinking about this thing, how were they planning to tackle the hijackers. So, for that, you need a lot of research. I read two books written on the incident, and through Anubhav Sir, I got to know a lot of trivia about what was happening at that time. Anubhav Sir met a lot of people who were on-board in the flight. So, those trivia helped us a lot.”
Harry Parmar on his character ‘Doctor’
When asked if he had any apprehensions about playing his character as he was working alongside Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur and Manoj Pahwa, Harry stated, “I feel my character has been written in the script in a particular way just like other characters. I knew how important the Doctor’s character was. So, there was no fear or doubt about it. And I didn’t share any screen space with most of the big actors. Like Naseer Saab, Pankaj Saab, Manoj Pahwa Sir and Kumud Bhai. I didn’t get to spend screen time with them. But I was aware, which actor is playing what character. Although, we were not physically there, but I knew that whatever voiceover is coming that is Manoj Sir’s voiceover, I knew how to give the reaction. Most of my reactions were very silent. So, I knew how to play my character. I was very clear about it.”
Harry Parmar reflects on his acting journey
When asked about his takeaways as an artist while working with Anubhav Sinha, Hansal Mehta and Advait Chandan, Harry says, “Every filmmaker has there own distinct style and approach towards their craft. So, I am lucky that I worked with Advait Bhai, Hansal Sir and Anubhav Sir. When I worked on Laal Singh Chadha, Advait was very prepared. He would have his scenes checked out in his mind and he knew what he was shooting. With Jai on Lootere, it was like a party. We would go on the ship on location. He has a very unique style. When he reaches the set, he changes the scene entirely. Jai used to improvise a lot. With Anubhav Sir, he was also very clear in his mind about what he wanted and how he wanted it. So, he had his choreography very much there in his mind. So, I learnt with all my directors and they all have their unique styles.”
Harry Parmar on working as a casting director
On being quizzed if working as a casting director helped him in understanding his craft better, Harry says, “Yes, I would say casting has been a lot about how to understand and approach a character. For the last 14-15 years I have been doing casting and I have got to meet a lot of directors and understood their approach. So, over the years my understanding towards a character, script, or how to build a scene became more deeper. So, casting helped me a lot to understand about film acting. Because, I have done theater, but the grammar of film acting is a little different from the grammar of theater acting. So, casting helped me a lot to understand film acting.”
Harry Parmar weighs in on OTT vs theatrical releases
When asked on the ongoing discourse of theatrical releases being impacted by digital streaming platforms, Harry points out, “What I believe is that no medium can kill another medium. OTT can never kill the cinematic medium because cinema experience is a very different experience. Whether I am doing a series on OTT or a theatrical release, I should relate with the content as well as the actors, director, DoPs. As long as you are making good and entertaining films. the medium doesn’t probably make a difference.”
Harry Parmar on cinema facing online scrutiny
On being questioned about the need for filmmakers to be vigilant while attempting stories on real-life incidents as people might raise objections related to the authenticity of the story, Harry says, “I believe every filmmaker goes with their instinct and conviction. When they conceive a story and start writing it, they have their own conviction about a particular story. Talking about people, objecting on social media, most of them are fake accounts. So, I don’t feel for a few miscreants; you should compromise with your thought process. So, you should go with your conviction and let people say whatever they want to say. You face both positive as well as negative criticism. If you make a Ramayan tomorrow, you’ll face the criticism. So, anyway you will be criticised, so why not make whatever you believe in.”
