An artiste’s journey is complex: Abhilash Thapliyal

Vikrant Parmar

Actor, radio jockey and TV host Abhilash Thapliyal is a man who dons many hats. Known for his roles in Aspirants, Kennedy, TVF Inmates, Faadu - A Love Story, Blurr and Raksha Bandhan, among others, he is now seen as a commentator in the sports biopic Maidaan, starring Ajay Devgn. He talks about the film and his journey till now.

“My experience of being a radio jockey came in very handy for this role. Diction, voice modulation, command over language and confidence helped a lot to enact a commentator in Maidaan. Not many know that for one time I was the official commentator for the Formula 1 racing event that was held in India,” he begins.

Coming from the Army background, he chose the profession of a radio jockey and then an actor, so what inspired him to enter the world of acting? “I never wanted to be an actor. In fact, when I came to Mumbai first I wanted to explore The Kapil Sharma Show. As luck would have it, years later, I was on the show for the promotions of one of my films. It was largely due to the insistence of director Amit Sharma and actor Manoj Bajpayee that I tried my hand at acting, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

In fact, the director of Maidaan, Amit Sharma, had called him in 2018 and asked him to start learning football. He trained for a month, but couldn’t crack the audition. “Later, I bagged the role of commentator Dave Matthews in 2022. I think for the first time, commentary has been made such an integral part of the storytelling.”

Working with big stars like Ajay Devgn must be challenging, right? “Although I don’t have a single scene with him in this film, I have worked with him before. He is an exceptional actor and his eyes speak volumes. He is a chilled-out person with no airs.”

It was his role as SK in Aspirants that Abhilash believes gave him wide acclaim. “The role in Aspirants gave my career a real fillip. It made people see me in a different light and quality projects came my way. My roles in Faadu and Blurr were complex too.”

As for the medium – OTT, television or films, Abhilash has no preferences, “I don’t care about the medium as long the story is compelling and my role makes a difference to it. Also, the director at the helm is important for me.”

Talking about his upcoming projects, he says, “Desperately waiting for Indian audiences to see Kennedy. I had a great time working with Anurag Kashyap sir, he is an absolute master and a great human being, who gives you all the freedom to enact your part. I also just finished a beautiful short film for festivals. I will speak about a couple of more very interesting projects when the time comes.”

So, where does he see himself in 10 years from now? “I live by the day, but I do have plans. An artiste’s journey is complex, it is never linear. Keeping my fingers crossed.”

For the future aspirants in the acting field, his advice is clear, “Stop thinking and planning a lot. Just go about doing stuff. Doers will be winners, so you need to keep doing.”

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.