Living his dream of becoming a successful actor, Vikrant Massey, the male lead in the Deepika Padukone-starrer Chhapaak, says the entire experience has been surreal. “It has been a dream, a dream come true. I am grateful to the audiences who are willing to see me. They are used to seeing me on their television screens; now they step out and buy tickets and watch me on movie screens.”
The Chhapaak actor, who’s been working for more than one-and-a-half decades in the industry, added, “I really don’t think I could’ve asked for anything more. The last one decade has been really insightful, it has taught me a lot.”
‘Believe in yourself’ — this is the one learning Massey carries forward from the past decade. “I remember when I set out aspiring to be a film actor while still in television, a lot of people told me I won’t be able to do it. I don’t think the urge within me to become a film actor was as massive as it probably was AFTER people started saying ‘you can’t do it’,” quipped the actor.
Massey believes nothing is impossible. Referring to the age-old Hindi proverbial expression, “Apni izzat apne haath”, the Chhapaak star said he had been exploring the same as he stepped out doing what the proverb said. “Conventions cannot define your boundaries. Others cannot define the life you lead. And so here I am. From Lootera to Chhapaak, life has been good. God has been kind. People have been really, really kind and I’ve just begun. So let’s see.”
Typically one to follow his heart, Massey added, “I’ve always done things I’ve wanted to do.” On being asked whether his venture into Bollywood was preventing him from taking up digital projects he had been engaged with earlier, the actor said, “When I did digital, I wanted to do that. What I’m doing now is something that I’ve always wanted to do.”
How did Chhapaak happen? “Bas Meghna [Gulzar] ji ne ekdin yeh film likhi, uske baad unko laga ki main yeh kirdar kar paunga toh unhone mujhe call kiya (One day Meghna Gulzar wrote this film and she felt I could play this role so she called me). In the beginning when this film was being made I just couldn’t believe it! In fact, even today, I can’t believe that I worked with Meghna Gulzar ji, that I worked with Deepika [Padukone] and we made such a wonderful film,” said Massey.
People still haven’t stopped approaching Massey for the small screen but he is waiting for something interesting to turn up. “I still get offered roles for television series. I’ve always said that if I get an interesting story for television I’ll do it. I get offers for web series and films,” said Massey.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
These Black Dramas Will Win Your Heart…
While OTT platforms may be populated with stories that have white actors at the centre, black dramas are slowly gaining ground with the audience, from Ava DuVernay’s brilliant When They See Us to Atlanta. Abhishek Srivastava picks five such shows that have become critical and popular successes.
LIVING DANGEROUSLY
Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar are changing the rules with risky choices and versatile characters. Mayur Lookhar takes a closer look, with inputs from BhartiDubey
GETAWAYS Romantic & LUXURIOUS
Planning a romantic rendezvous with your beloved this Valentine’s Day but do not want to be a part of the crowd? We’ve got you covered. Here are seven luxurious resorts off the beaten track that are sure to steal your heart while also rekindling your romance. Bon voyage!
Fierce & Fabulous
TAAPSEE PANNU & BHUMI PEDNEKAR
LOVE AAJ KAL
Tragic to comic, realistic to fantastical, historical to contemporary, dreamboat heroes to feisty heroines, much-loved to much-debated — we pick the best of Bollywood reel romances over the last 20 years to celebrate the month of love.
Lingerie Love
Sheer and sexy, bold and beautiful — we pick some skin-tillating stuff that will make you feel even more gorgeous.
Conventions Cannot Define Your Boundaries — Vikrant Massey
From playing the “hero ka dost” to playing the hero himself, the popular 32-year-old television and film actor has come a long way. In a candid chat with CineBlitz, Chhapaak star Vikrant Massey talks about his journey, his experience of working with Deepika Padukone and the changing times in cinema.
Sonakshi Sinha: The Rolling Stone!
An avid traveller, her best journey has been from being the girl with the messiest uniform to becoming the Queen of Hearts. Sonakshi Sinha speaks to Shubarna Mukerji Shu about all the places life has taken her!
Will It Ever Be Happily Ever After For Katrina Kaif?
Katrina Kaif has put all her eggs in the Kapoor basket, and somehow paradise hasn't quite been found yet...
You Cannot Lie To The Camera: Kajol
Living 100% in the moment, her insistence on the right script and the reason why audiences love her. The irrepressible Kajol discusses this and more with Pratishtha Malhotra.
CHANDLER MASSEY ON DAYS RETURN
Coming back to Salem for a visit as Will Horton means a tad more finagling for Chandler Massey these days.
BEYOND THE SCREEN
Catching up with two former DAYS stars who appeared in BEYOND SALEM.
SUJATA MASSEY
Sometimes, an idea needs time to incubate until it’s ready to grow. That was the case with Sujata Massey’s series about Perveen Mistry, a woman attorney practicing in India during the 1920s.
4 minutes with... Jill Biden
Grieving with the First Family.
TEENS TUTOR PEERS ONLINE TO FILL NEED DURING PANDEMIC
When her suburban Dallas high school was forced to move online last spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, Charvi Goyal realized that the schoolmates she’d been informally tutoring between classes would still need extra help but wouldn’t necessarily be able to get it. So she took her tutoring online, as well.
The Case of the Absent Avgas
Can fuel supplies be legal and still inadequate?
1969 MASSY-FERGUSON 1130
The early 1960s marked the beginning of the large scale application of turbocharging to diesels in the tractor world. Massey-Ferguson’s (MF) first big turbo diesel tractor was the 1965 1130 and it gave them a big, powerful six-cylinder tractor for market parity with the other players.
'WANT TO MAKE INDUSTRY CONDUCIVE TO WOMEN'
Arjun, who plays a villain in Kangana-starrer Dhaakad, says he backs female-led movies keeping his daughters in mind
LEVI'S BRINGS OUT NEW COLLECTION WITH DEEPIKA PADUKONE
Levi’s and Deepika Padukone have launched the second season of their collaboration with a new collection of hybrids, bright colours and new jean fits.
Maybe I don’t give myself enough credit: Deepika
The actor is serving on the Cannes jury alongside filmmaker Rebecca Hall, Noomi Rapace and others