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A lot can happen in a year. Do ask Vikrant Massey. He was an untiring civil service aspirant in the 2023 sleeper hit 12th Fail, a star-crossed crime reporter in Blackout (2024), a one-armed fugitive in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba (2024), and, in Sector 36, streaming on Netflix from September 13, he’s transformed into a full-blown serial killer. It’s some trajectory to be on as an actor. “It’s been a lifelong aspiration of mine to be offered diverse parts,” says Vikrant, who swerved from television to cinema over ten years ago.
Directed by debutant Aditya Nimbalkar, Sector 36 sees Vikrant in the role of Prem Singh, a cold-blooded abductor and killer of children in Delhi. While the makers haven’t made their source of inspiration explicit, the events in the film bear resemblance to the 2006 Noida serial murders, famously known as the Nithari killings.
Vikrant Massey as Prem in ‘Sector 36’
| Photo Credit:
Netflix
In 2006, Nithari, a village in Sector-31 of Noida, became infamous for its missing children and women, leading to the discovery of skeletons near a large house. The house’s wealthy owner, Moninder Singh Pandher, and his domestic help, Surinder Koli, were arrested on charges of abduction, rape and murder. The accused were awarded the death penalty in 2017 but later acquitted by the Allahabad High Court in 2023, which cited a lack of sound evidence for the acquittals.
In a conversation with The Hindu, Vikrant spoke about his preparations for the role, his life post 12th Fail, his take on the death penalty in India, and more. Excerpts…
What is the best serial killer film according to you?
David Fincher’s Se7en (1995). It came at a time when I had just made up my mind about wanting to be an actor, and a lot of people around me were talking about that movie. Though the Kevin Spacey character comes in pretty late, we know there’s a killer on the loose. The build-up to what is going to happen is pretty intense. It’s one film that definitely had an impact on me.
A still from ‘Sector 36’
| Photo Credit:
Courtesy of Netflix
How did you prep for your character in ‘Sector 36’?
This film is inspired by many true stories, so there was a lot of reference work. There’s one book that I had to read, Inside the Minds of Serial Killers: Why They Kill, which is about the psyche of some famous serial killers. I also spent time talking to my director and my writer (Bodhayan Roychaudhury). It was a complicated yet fun process that lasted 40-45 days.
You had a critical and commercial breakout with ‘12 Fail’ last year. What has been the most gratifying aspect of the last 11 months?
Well, there is a lot more money coming in and I am certainly enjoying that (laughs). Frankly speaking, who doesn’t love money? I love money. A lot of people say that money cannot buy you happiness. I think that’s quite untrue. Money can buy you confidence and that confidence can buy you happiness. So I see it in a different way.
Furthermore, because of 12th Fail, a lot more people in the film fraternity want to work with me. There is increased respect and trust. But beyond that, in my internal life and in my immediate surroundings, including amongst my family and friends, not a lot has changed. I can still rely on them.
The recently published Justice K Hema committee report revealed shocking instances of exploitation and gender-based inequality in the Malayalam film industry. There’s also a larger nationwide reckoning with women’s safety in professional spaces, in the wake of the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata and similar crimes.
As a man, I feel ashamed when I say that I am far more secure than the opposite sex. It’s about time we come together and look at the rot within first. Change always begins at an individual level. A lot of lip service has been done but not a lot of action has taken place. It was especially disheartening to see President Droupadi Murmu having to step out and express her anguish about the state of affairs. If the president of our country feels that things haven’t moved in the direction they should have years ago, it’s time for a rethink.
What is your stand on capital punishment?
The new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), If I am not wrong, is looking into rape as a very, very serious offence. My personal take is that depending on the case, capital punishment could be granted. In cases affecting minors, it definitely should be. This ultimately is the purview of our policymakers. But if you ask me as a father and a regular citizen of the country, when it comes to rapes of minors, capital punishment should be given and it should be fast-tracked. And human rights organisations need to draw a line there. A lot of things are delayed because of them as well. They are an equally important part of our society and we need all forms of worldviews and mindsets to come together. But they also need to draw a line in such extremely sensitive cases.
On a lighter note, I remember watching you in a film called ‘Switchh’ (2021). I have never seen you so ill-at-ease before the camera. Can you explain?
You saw that film? Wow (laughs). Well, at that point, I felt it was the right fit for me. I was not getting a lot of work. I got a chance to play a commercial antagonist in that movie. With the advantage of hindsight, I can look back at my horrendous performance and laugh about it. But I feel it’s important to have such experiences. Had I not done Switchh, I wouldn’t have taken a lot of the decisions I made later on in my career.
What’s your relationship with books?
I try reading every day. Sometimes it’s 40 pages a day; sometimes it’s two pages. Unfortunately, there are also weeks without reading, because of work. I love paperbacks and hardbacks. I’m a classical, conventional reader. I love my markings and notes. I also use a couple of apps that track the books I’m currently reading. You can use them to make multiple notes on a paragraph which you liked. I haven’t caught on to digital reading yet. Or audiobooks. I love the smell of paper.
Can you recommend three recent reads?
Atomic Habits by James Clear; The Danish Way of Parenting by Iben Sandahl; and Humankind: A Hopeful History, by Rutger Bregman.
Published – September 12, 2024 02:34 pm IST
