Helmet Star Abhishek Banerjee on His Character Sultan, Why He Agreed To Do the Film, the Current OTT Scenario and More (LatestLY Exclusive)

Actor and casting director Abhishek Banerjee is quite a well-known face from showbiz. He is popularly known for playing Jaana in Stree and 'Hathoda' Tyagi in Paatal Lok. In his career so far, he has played many diverse roles and has proved that he is muti-talented. Coming from a middle-class family, the actor has created his mark in the industry in quite a short span. Now, he is gearing up for his next film Helmet which revolves around the taboo of condoms in Indian society. Amid this, in an exclusive chat with LatestLY, Abhishek talked about his character in the film and a lot more. Read on. Stree 2: Is Abhishek Banerjee Returning for Upcoming Horror-Comedy Sequel? Here's What Helmet Star Has To Say on This! (LatestLY Exclusive).

Your first reaction when you read Helmet's script, and why you said 'yes' for it? 

"I saw a huge potential in the script. Plus, it also talks about a taboo that needs to be heard, so it’s an added advantage. Having said that, the movie also has my friend Aparshakti Khurana. I also know Ashish Verma, he was a junior in college. So, basically, a strong narrative and a great company is what I chose. Also, Satram Ramani’s direction I have admired and it’s brilliant. In short, a good script was the most important thing to me and so I did it and enjoyed shooting for it."

Elaborate on your character Sultan from the film?

"All characters in the film support each other in a way. Definitely, you will watch it in the movie, but I can say that my character is funny. He is in a bit of a crisis as he has taken loans from many, but is unable to repay them. His chickens are also not giving him eggs, so he’s in a mess"

Watch Helmet Trailer:

Is it your mantra to choose challenging roles? 

"I would say I don’t choose scripts, they choose me. And yes, I like to play characters that have depth and are challenging enough. For any role, I always understand, relate, and empathise with the character. I need to understand the character from society’s point of view."

Actor or casting director - pick one? 

"I have always been an actor first, my priority in life is acting. Now, when I was unable to act, I did a job which happened to be of a casting director. I had to support myself, as I come from a middle-class family, I cannot rely on them. And ahead when I started getting opportunities as an actor, I decided to take it up. Now, I’m running a casting startup (Casting Bay) and am an actor by heart-soul."

Is the current OTT scenario a boon for the industry? 

"Theatres are shut because of COVID-19 and not due to OTT. Imagine, if there would have been no steaming platforms, then during the pandemic, the industry would have suffered a lot. It’s because of the OTT platforms that we artists have work. So, it’s definitely a boon. And talking about the OTT vs cinema hall debate. Until and unless we will create content-driven films, people will go to theatres or watch on the big screen, no matter what. They might not invest in an average cinema."

ZEE5's Helmet is a satire that also features Aparshakti Khurana, Pranutan Bahl and Ashish Verma in key roles. The film tells the story of Lucky and his friends who rob an e-commerce company truck. But to their surprise, the looted boxes contain condoms instead of electronic gadgets. The movie is scheduled to release on September 3. Stay tuned!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 25, 2021 08:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).