Exclusive! Abhishek Sethiya: Some people will find the language of Mumbai Special Pav Bhaji difficult to digest

Actor Abhishek Sethiya is currently making buzz for his role in Mumbai Special Pav Bhaji. The film, currently streaming on ShemarooMe, sees him in the role of Prem. In a film filled with characters of grey or dark shades, Prem plays the role of a simple lover. However, the language of the film, as explained by Abhishek, is not your usual underworld type.

The actor spoke to OTTplay about his journey, working in the film and upcoming projects. Excerpts...

You have worked in selective Marathi films over the years. So take me through your journey of being cast in and working on Mumbai Special Pav Bhaji.

The director and me were associated since a very long time. We were supposed to collaborate on a few projects even before but they didn't happen due to financial issues. He always wanted to work with me and vice-versa when this project happened. There was no casting. He's like my elder brother, so it's not a director-actor thing only. He considers me like a younger brother so there is mutual respect and admiration. I feel that he is not just a good director but also a good human being. We may collaborate again on other projects also. It was a long way to this film.

The bond would have helped while shooting the film, no? You guys would compliment each other and understand when a scene needs improvement, right?

Since you know a person so well, you don't need that many words but you are open to experiments. Besides acting, I would ask him about direction since I'm also interested in directing. I would ask him about working on my character too and if I should work on something in a scene.

Was the switch from Marathi to Hindi film industry tough? Was there anything different? What was the experience like?

I'm not Maharashtrian. Marathi is my third language. I studied Marathi in school. I'm more comfortable with Hindi. This isn't my first Hindi film either. I would say, Marathi films are made on a tighter budget and the actors are from theatre background. In our project, we actually have performers and not a glamorous role. Our film was made on a disciplined budget and everything was very cut-to-cut. So it was very much like any other Marathi or Telugu film. The Telugu industry is also very particular about their timing and everything is streamlined and disciplined. Pav Bhaji was just like any other film, Marathi or Telugu. From what I understand about Hindi, they take up a lot of time and have a huge budget. We shot Pav Bhaji on real locations which becomes very difficult. If you are in a studio, you can take your time but that is not possible on real locations.

The film Mumbai Special Pav Bhaji is not a novel concept per say. So what attracted you to the film?

It's no holds barred, unapologetic, in-your-face script. It's a very raw and real film. The clothes I'm wearing in the film is almost as good as second hand. There was no hair or make-up artist on sets. The sets weren't lavish either. Only your performance can rescue you in such a case. People are usually distracted with the background dancers or locations like Switzerland. We shot this film in chawls and railway tracks. In a way, it was liberating for me because I knew it was just my performance and everything else is secondary. I'm very chubby also in that film since I didn't have to show my abs. He's a simple boy from chawl and that was the character's requirement. Prem, the character, teaches kids with so much love and passion. I liked his honesty and simplicity. It should not be artificial. Both the things appealed to me. I wish I could play all the characters but couldn't since the director has a certain vision when it comes to the characters.

Your character is the one good element in a film which has people full of grey shades. Was that attractive?

Subconsciously, yes. It is actually me in real life. When I see someone in trouble, just like with Prem, I will try to help them out. People who know me from the film, they told me I'm playing myself in the film. No actor would prefer that because this is going into the comfort zone and I was attracted to other characters. Not that I didn't want to play the good guy but I fell in love with all the characters. As far as my craft goes, I would love to do all type of characters. Some people will find it difficult to digest the language and how people conduct themselves. The content is slightly bold but it's real. You cannot close your eyes and assume nothing of this sort happens in the society.

Crime is more evident in the series than law. Do you think that is the case with real life too?

It may look like that and maybe but the problem with human psychology is that we get drawn to negative fast, almost immediately. A research also proved that it takes 17 attempts to see the good. If you see a table which is almost absolutely clean but you find one spot of dirt and call it dirty. Stastically, I don't know if I can comment but I have full faith in the system. Ultimately, the good prevails even in the film. We have to be hopeful.

Is the film inspired from Sacred Games? The concept definitely hints towards that.

Unfortunately I haven't seen the series. The film deals with drugs and human trafficking. The system is there in place but there are loopholes and people are not honest and they are a part of the Nexus. The film is about that. It isn't completely black-and-white.

If you had to describe your personality as a food item, what would it be?

I'm not sure about food ingredient but one dish requires this ingredient called water. It happens to be my favourite drink. You cannot live without water.

Your upcoming projects?

I have another film which is ready to go on floors. The third wave is delaying that. At least the pre-production should have started but it is on hold because of the lockdown scare. It has to be shot at a stretch. That project is my main concern. It's a project, a Hindi film, that I'm really excited to be a part of. It's something that is never explored people. It will rub certain people, not in an offensive way but they may not be expecting to see what happens. This was supposed to happen even before Pav Bhaji but couldn't because of financial issues. It's why I'm so excited. I'm convinced and so I can't wait to start working on the project.