From college theatre to big screen, 'Middle Class Love' actor Omkar Kulkarni talks about his journey

Omkar Kulkarni

Actor Omkar Kulkarni who rose to fame with the series, 'Immature', was recently seen in the film, 'Middle Class Love'. He played the role of a rapper in the film that also stars Prit Kamani, and Manoj Pawha. In a chat with mid-day.com, Omkar spoke about his character in the film, the role of Immature in his career and what lies ahead for him.

1. Congratulations on 'Middle Class Love'. How have the reactions to the film been like so far?
- Thank you so much! Honestly, it's all been super positive. Definitely got some good feedback, some from industry veterans as well. We made the film with lots of love, and all our heart. Ratna Sinha ma'am was a pillar for all of us, throughout the process. Her process was a collaborative one, we used to jam before the shoot, and till the very end, we were asking ourselves how do we do what we're doing, better. Ma'am gave us that artistic freedom and that was quite liberating.

Also Read: Anubhav Sinha: Promoting people with limited talent is unfair

2. Can you tell something about your character?

-Oshir Pannu was the underdog rapper from Mussoorie. He is shy and doesn't get a lot of appreciation for his art/expression from his father who runs a small mithai shop/restaurant in the town. He's a talented rapper, and with the help of the protagonist, comes out of his shell and goes on to begin to materialise his dreams. As Yudi's (Prit Kamani) best friend, my character portrays the perspective of the audience of the film. Time and again, he tries to warn his friend about how things can spiral down, but Yudi pays no heed. The character was pretty close to me as a person, so it wasn't very difficult, I'd say!

3. What kind of prep did you go through to play a rapper?

- I've been a student of music, ever since my childhood. I learned classical music and have a good sense of rhythm. It definitely helped in rapping. I did draw out some references to rappers, but I tried not to imitate any, in an attempt to make it uniquely mine. Nitin Mishra - Spitfire wrote the wonderful lyrics and rapped the actual song which I memorised for the shoot. I wanted to make sure that I knew the lyrics fully as it's the actor's responsibility to give the director what he/she wants!Well, theatre training definitely helps in memorising dialogues, or rap lyrics!

4. I'mMature has played a big part in your career. How much did the series help you in developing your skill?

- I'm very thankful for it! Casting Bay was the company that cast me in the show, and I've now had a long-running association with TVF. I had been a fan of their work and to have worked with them on two shows, was extremely special. I literally got to spend time on set with legends. Jitendra Kumar, Gopal Dutt, Sameer Saxena, Deepak Mishra, to name a few! All I did was keep my eyes and ears open and absorb as much as I could! There is always so much to learn if you have the will to learn! Everyone on the team was very warm, and I definitely had a lot of fun shooting for the show.

5. Do you feel it is a good time to be an actor, now that there are multiple platforms for artists to show their craft and language boundaries are also slowly getting blurred?

- Oh it's a GREAT time to be an actor. There are literally so many avenues, and good actors are always needed. There are so many stories being written for such a varied range of characters. The old box of quintessential "actor or actress" has broken, and now people resonate with characters more than just the actors! It's really great that good stories are now being appreciated!

6. This is also a very competitive field. How do you deal with rejections?

- Yeah, I agree, it is super competitive. Especially with things like social media following becoming an important factor for casting. I feel like rejection isn't really rejection, it's just a pathway into the project that is destined for me. It was a little tough in the beginning, but after all this while, I audition and forget about it. I don't see auditions as a test for the final project, rather the audition is the final project itself. If I get the shoot, well great! If I don't, my gig was only the audition.

7. Can you elaborate on your journey as an actor? What prompted you to take up acting as a career?

- Haha that one goes way back. I started performing on stage ever since my childhood. I was always more focused on extracurricular activities. In the 8th grade, I decided I wanted to be an actor. Now that I think of it, it was appreciation while being on stage which made me decide that. Applause is addictive. I think it's just applause that we performers chase. I chose my college and stream accordingly and did BMM. Mithibai Drama Team proved to be an integral part of my training and conditioning. After that, in 2013, I did my first professional play in a competition called Thespo. I got integrated into the theatre circuit and there on, I had a lot to learn from people like Quasar T Padamsee, Akaash Khurana, Akarsh Khurana, Arghya Lahiri (to name a few) By then auditions had started and I had started getting casting calls too. I was also working as a lighting designer/operator for the stage and had started working in more plays as an actor. After that point, my work was generating work, and then I did projects like The Insiders, Disney's Aladdin, a couple of commercials, and many more theatre performances. It's merely a start to my journey, and I really wish that I get to collaborate with people and learn things that I never even knew existed!

8. Do you recall valuable advice or a memorable moment in your career so far?

- Actor ko aloo ki tarah versatile hona chahiye hai. Jo bhi dish mein jaaye hai, adapt hoke dish ko badhiya bana dena chahiye.

Also Read: Ratnaa Sinha: Romance during film's making is off-limits

9. What's next for you?

- I'm reading new scripts, auditioning for new projects. I really want to explore the range of characters that I think I can play. But of course, thinking you can do something versus actually doing it is poles apart. I'm also exploring real-time 3D animation and virtual production. Learning new-age filmmaking techniques and getting ready for the future, I guess!