‘You do some work for love, some for money’

With two web series last year — Wakaalat from Home (WFH) and Dark 7 White (D7W) — actor Sumeet Vyas says 2020 was kinder to him than it was to most people. “I feel grateful that I was able to work in a year that was difficult for many. We shot WFH at home, while D7W was shot after lockdown was eased. The latter allowed me to play a dark role, unlike what I had played before. It was humbling to be considered for a role like this, as actors don’t often get to break the mould,” he shares.

However, he reveals he wants to slow down a bit now. “Actors are freelancers, and there’s always a fear that if we reject projects, others may not be offered to us. So, you end up taking work without strategising… But this year, I want to do roles that appeal to me and not just for bread and butter. Hopefully, the appealing work will pay as well (laughs). Most often roles that you love don’t pay and work that you don’t think about much pays your bills. Some projects you do for love and some for money. Also, it is not that you pick bad projects. But after shooting for a bit, most actors get an inkling that it isn’t turning out the way they thought it would and vice versa,” he explains.

While the entertainment space continues to bear the brunt of Covid-19, Vyas strives to focus on the positive side — the boom in OTT projects. “OTT

Actor has given audiences some very good stories. It doesn’t matter how popular your project is or how well it is promoted, if it’s a genuinely different story, it will get the attention… Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, which was a well-made show, got all the attention last year,” he says.