For Suvinder Vicky, who shot to fame with Kohrra and Bhaiyya Ji, stardom came at 50 but he is not complaining. He says his grounding in theatre has taught him sabr
Nonika Singh
From a struggling actor to walking the Cannes red carpet (in 2016 for Chauthi Koot), from cameos to parallel leads in not one but two back-to-back series (CAT and Kohrra in 2023), Suvinder Vicky’s journey is the stuff dreams are made of. More recently seen in Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Bhaiyya Ji as an antagonist, critics may not have been happy with the film, but the gifted actor from City Beautiful is glad he was part of the movie, which found reasonable commercial success.
Busy shooting in Gurgaon for yet another film, details of which Vicky is right now not at liberty to divulge, he takes us into the making of an actor as well as the breakout star that Kohrra has made him. Stardom at 50 may seem rather belated but tastes sweeter. Says Vicky, “When fame knocks at your doors at a mature age, your feet remain firmly affixed on the ground.” Though Kohrra made him a household name, he considers Gurvinder Singh’s Chauthi Koot the real turning point in his career. The film catapulted him to Cannes stage, the significance of which he didn’t know back in time. Appreciation for Chauthi Koot did not translate into instant fame or work. But then another milestone beckoned. Ghalib of Meel Patthar, directed by Ivan Ayr, reaffirmed his acting prowess and brought him many laurels, including the Best
Performer Award in the Asian feature film category at the Singapore International Film Festival.
More honours like the Critics Choice Award 2024 (for Kohrra) were in store. Actually 2023 was the real game-changer. He recalls the day he landed the plum part in Kohrra, “As I walked into producer’s meeting room, I saw the story board which had only one photograph, mine, on it. While the showrunner Sudeep Sharma was briefing me on the story, I was only staring at my photo.” Post- Kohrra the world noticed him. And how, what with bigwigs like Karan Johar lauding him, ‘his silences can launch a million scripts.’
So, how does he get into those parts with every single inflection and nuance mirrored in his body language and face? This ‘certified actor’ from Punjabi University, Patiala shares his preparation for Sehtab of CAT. “The moment I was offered CAT, I began to see YouTube videos of police officers, started noticing the gait of cops around me. But soon I realised this would not lead me anywhere, I had to find Sehtab in myself.” For Kohrra’s Balbir once again he looked inwards and his relationship with his own daughter.
Needless to say, Vicky’s own grounding in theatre too comes in handy. Among many other things theatre has taught him is sabr. And its patience that has held him in good stead in days when the going was not so smooth.
A star might be born on OTT every other day, but unlike mercurial film industry stardom in this long format, he believes, ‘is here to stay’. So is he… touch wood!
Saara jahan hamara…
Born in Haryana and brought up in Punjab, Suvinder Vicky is as much a Haryanavi as a Punjabi. While his turbaned Sikh parts have earned him a name in cinematic history, he would love to bring out the Haryanavi in him. But for an actor, it always is… saara jahan hamara.
I am a director’s actor. No one knows the character better than the director. Before the role comes to us, they have already worked on it for over a year-and-a-half.
Suvinder Vicky
