Akshay Oberoi: I had not held a cricket bat until the show came my way

Akshay Oberoi

When Akshay Oberoi started his career with Isi Life Mein in 2010, he wanted to become the poster boy of Bollywood success. Over time, the industry taught him valuable lessons, imparting to him the importance of quality over quantity. The actor has since then built an impressive resume of digital offerings, choosing diverse roles that display his craft. In a quick chat, he discusses inhabiting the distinct worlds of his two shows - Amazon Prime Video's Inside Edge 3 and Disney+ Hotstar's Dil Bekarar, an adaptation of Those Pricey Thakur Girls.

Edited excerpts from the interview"

Have you read Those Pricey Thakur Girls?
I read the book recently after shooting for the series. We have stuck to the source material. [Director] Habib Faisal may have tweaked a few things because he knows what works better for the visual language. If you ask Anuja Chauhan [the novel's writer], I am sure she'll tell you that the script respects the source material.

A still from Dil Bekarar

What do you remember of the '80s?
I don't remember anything from that period. Habib Faisal [has recreated it authentically] because he grew up in the '80s in Delhi. Before I started working on the project, I [brushed up on] that time period, checking events of the decade and watching Anil Kapoor movies to understand how romance was depicted at the time.

Which one do you prefer - romancing in the 21st century or the '80s?
I prefer the romance of the '80s because people had conversations as opposed to texting their feelings to people. Families sat down and chatted together because no one was busy on their phones or iPads. Love in that decade was probably more romantic since feelings could be shared honestly, and not by hiding behind the screen. It was also simpler back then; there was a lot of looking at each other and feeling each other's auras. They didn't have 3,000 options [on dating apps].

Akshay with coach Prashant Karia training for Inside Edge 3

It was interesting how the series inculcated body positivity and women empowerment through Debjani and Gulgul's tracks.
The show beautifully planted seeds for what we are doing today. In the start of the series, there is a dialogue: "It's not like Prakash Padukone is bringing home a celebrity," [which references today's reality]. The seeds of modernisation were sowed then. [We are depicting] progressive families through the story. We were trying to be true to the decade and planting ideas that are relevant today.

You're the latest addition to Inside Edge 3. Have you seen the first two seasons?
I grew up in New Jersey and had no idea about cricket. I had not held a cricket bat until the show came my way. But Karan Anshuman and Kanishk Verma [director] met me for the role. The part is so relevant and addresses such a sensitive topic that I wanted to do it. I practiced cricket every day for two months. I had seen season one by the time I had signed the show. After coming on board, I watched the second season. By then, I had already fallen in love with cricket.

Did you have any inhibitions about playing a queer character?
It is my job to represent society and this is a part of society that is underrepresented. It was a huge responsibility and an honour to play the part.

The popular belief is that people from the LGBTQiA+ community should be roped in to lend authenticity to the characters and their representation. Your take?
That is ridiculous. If the role is that of a murderer, do you have to cast a murderer? I have a skill set and have been working on my craft for 15-20 years. The point of acting is to get into somebody else's shoes. The reason actors exist today is because they are paid to depict fractions of society that have nothing to do with them.

On the set, I was sensitive to the part and ensured that I didn't make it caricaturish. The biggest victory was when the community reached out and thanked me for representing them accurately. That is more important to me than anything I have read. I experience love and sexuality as a human being. That is all that is needed to play the part. I am portraying feelings of love, and just because I am not part of the community, doesn't mean I can't represent it authentically.