Vicky Kaushal's IAA victory sparks insightful chat on brand ethics with Neeraj Roy

Vicky Kaushal was presented with the IAA (International Advertising Association) Brand Ambassador Of The Year Award Male at a glittering ceremony in Mumbai earlier this week. Sharing his reaction on the same, the Bad Newz actor said, “I just came to know that I am the 11th person to receive this award. So, I truly feel humbled and honored.” After being presented with the award, Vicky sat down for a candid interaction with the MD (Managing Director) of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt Ltd. Neeraj Roy.The actor was asked when he realized that he wishes to be an actor. He said, “If anybody would ask me till my second year of college, ‘What’s your future?’, I would always say that I would do my post-graduation and MBA and I would pursue some job in engineering because that’s what everybody around me was saying.”However, things changed drastically for Vicky after his college took them for an industrial visit to show what their future would be like as engineers. “I went there, and I knew this can’t be me,” he said. “This is not me because that was something I could not relate to. So, my journey of being an actor started from the thought that I am very clear of what I don’t want to do in life.”Vicky recalled that he was active in inter-college plays and dance competitions in his college, but he still didn’t have the courage to identify himself as an actor. “So, I was like I love performing for an audience, so why not this (film actor)? But at that time, I didn’t even have the confidence to tell it even to myself that I want to be an actor because at that time actor koi nahin banta tha, hero hote the jo launch hote the seedhe. I saw my face in the mirror and wondered, tu kahan hero banega?” he said with a laugh.But Vicky knew that he couldn’t do anything else in life, especially a 9 to 5 job. “I might land in front of the computer and do a desk job, but I won’t be a happy person. So, I was like, let’s just pursue happiness. (This) is what got me started in wanting to become an actor. Success was far off. How would I even look? Will anybody even give me a job as an actor or make me a hero was a very far off thought. My first thought was, I just want to pursue happiness,” he said.Vicky’s film journey started in 2010 when he became an assistant director on Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs Of Wasseypur, which set the foundation for him in terms of the kind of actors he got to interact with. “I saw how a film gets made, which is made on a very limited resources and budget, without any vanity,” he said. “So, I think when your start and foundation is right, I think my learning steps were at the right place with the right people. And then one thing led to the other.”From there onwards, Vicky made his debut with Masaan and has since then acted in a number of films. When asked about his toughest role till date, he unhesitatingly said it was in Sam Bahadur while playing Sam Manekshaw. “See, there is a thing about playing an army officer,” he said. “And then there is a thing about playing an army officer whom the army considers a legend. It’s a huge responsibility. I have grown up hearing stories about Sam sir from my parents because my mom and dad both were in Punjab when the ’71 war broke out. They used to tell me how they used to study in the storeroom during blackout and that they used to wait for Sam sir’s instructions on the radio and all of that.”The actor added, “So, to growing up and hearing somebody’s stories as heroes and then to be given that opportunity of playing him is just a huge responsibility. That would be very very nerve wrecking for me. But I was very happy to be in the able hands of Meghna Gulzar, who directed the film, because she is so meticulous and hardworking. Like, I always kept telling her that I really wanted to beat you at being the hardest working on set every day, but I would lose everyday because she is so good. And she was so dedicated, and she revered Sam Manekshaw sir. She was in love, like we all are. So, I think I was in able hands and there was a lot of prep that went into studying him and getting to know his family and through his family getting to know him.”Vicky shared a funny conversation he had with Manekshaw’s daughter Maya after the release of his viral song ‘Tauba Tauba’ from Bad Newz. “The other day, Maya, his daughter, messaged me after seeing my song ‘Tauba Tauba’. She is like (laughs), ‘Who is this guy?’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ She is like, ‘Five months back, you made me believe you are my father. You can’ t be doing this now’. (laughs). I mean, that’s my job. But that’s like my biggest compliment for me,” he said.Vicky added that it won’t be right for him to take credit alone for his performance. “Without people helping you out with the costumes, people helping you in terms of understanding the body language, putting on that dialect, director helping you, writer helping you with the right text and execution, it’s all incomplete. It’s all a team effort. And I am really glad that the army approved of it (the film), the people who watched the film approved of it and we feel really good about it,” said the actor.Vicky recalled his parents’ advice that has played a large role in his success, not just in films but also in the brands he promotes. “My parents always kept saying one thing because there would always be this chatter about image; about how you would be perceived by the audience, people in the industry to give you work,” he said. “And my parents kept saying that if I keep my intentions clean and keep working hard, God will take care of the image. So that’s where I focus on. Whenever I am taking up a brand, that’s what I offer. I tell them I am growing up and I will try my best for us to grow together. Together we can bring this saaf neeyat to the audience and they will probably accept me and you as a commodity together.”Vicky revealed how he backed out of a brand because he didn’t find it appropriate because it coincided with the release of one of his important films. “At one point there was a brand that came, and I said yes, which was a surrogate of a good company. It’s no opinion to people who are doing it because if you have a commodity, you have every right to market it. But at that time, I had finished shooting the film Sardar Udham, which was based on our revolutionary Shri Sardar Udham Singh ji.”He continued, “And I remember just a week before shooting the campaign with them, I didn’t know but a thought that came up in my mind (saying), ‘You know what? In a few months this film is going to come up, and I will be asking the audience to believe that I am Shaheed Sardar Udham Singh ji’. I can’t be promoting (products), which are against their beliefs. So, I will have to choose one. I can either ask them to believe that I believe in the values of Shaheed Sardar Udham Singh ji or I can do something which that community would not approve of. And they were really, really sweet to understand that, and they completely respected that thought. All parties involved were agreeing to that thought. So, it has happened at that level.”Lastly, Vicky spoke about his upcoming film saying, “After Bad Newz, my next film is called Chhava, which is going to come out this year. It’s based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who was the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. So, again, a huge responsibility. It’s directed by Laxman Utekar sir and produced by Dinesh Vijan, who has got Maddock Productions. So, a great team coming together to tell a great story. Fingers crossed. They are locking the release date but it’s most probably this year.”Also Read: Vicky Kaushal wins IAA Brand Endorser of the Year Male Award