Exclusive! Eternally Confused and Eager for Love actor Vihaan Samat: Wouldn't be here today if it weren't for OTT platforms

Vihaan Samat is not new to the OTT space. The actor left an impressive mark with his role in Netflix’s Mismatched. Now, he is back on the streaming platform with a quirky and entertaining series titled Eternally Confused and Eager for Love. The series, created by Rahul Nair, is produced by Excel Entertainment and Tiger Baby Films.

In the series, Vihaan plays Ray, who, as the title suggests, is seeking love in the millennial world. During a recent interaction with OTTplay, the young actor spoke about what drew him towards Eternally Confused and Eager For Love.

Vihaan also shared the process of filming sequences with his alter ego, Wiz, voiced by Jim Sarbh, and his take on the state of the OTT space in India.

Excerpts:

What was your reaction when you got to know about the story and also eventually became a part of it?

First off, when I got the audition sides, I remember reading them and being like, ‘Wow, this writing style is great.’ It's tight, it's funny, and it's something that I would love to do. So instinctively, I was just drawn to it, maybe because some parts of me earlier were very awkward, like Ray. Then I found out Rahul was doing it. I met him and I spoke to him like, ‘Okay, this makes sense. Wow, of course.’ Certain things are from Rahul's life, but we are very much focused on who Ray is. It's a character. There's this tinge of awkwardness about him. So we focused on trying to build that and go from there. Honestly, it was an absolute pleasure to play because I've always been looking for something that is not your typical, conflict hero guy who always knows what to do and has everything under control. This guy has nothing under control. Stuff happens to him, and he's going along for the ride. I think that was a very fascinating character that I've always wanted to play. I was surprised that we had a script like this floating around.

Your character communicates the most with Wiz, voiced by Jim Sarbh. So how was the whole process of reacting to an imaginary character?

Very early on, Rahul told me that a nice way to look at this is to understand that all of this is just going on inside Ray's head. So what he says is still essentially Ray. When I was preparing all the scenes and being on set, I had to memorise all the lines and understand the whole thought process. Even if Wiz is saying something, I have to understand why he's saying it and kind of internalize it in Ray. It's kind of this crazy thing where I'm performing with a part of who I am that isn't physically on set. It was basically like a monologue, but not really. It was a very interesting and cool space that I’d never done before, which was awesome. I loved it, and it was like there was so much play there. Because I can take pauses with myself, I can also change things with myself without actual physical interaction with other scene partners. Sometimes it's not in your control. Everything was like, ‘Okay, I can mould this however I want.’

How was it having Rahul Bose and Suchitra Pillai as your onscreen parents?

It was like a dream come true. It was the first five days, and I was alone. Then I had the other actors come in, and having them on set in the early days was amazing. They're so grounded, so experienced, and so professional. They taught me a bunch of things. I was doing scenes with them. I was like, ‘Wow, I can learn so much.’ They just fit so well. I mean, Suchitra is this warm, kind of family-oriented, like, ‘It will be okay,’ as if she were from this kind of place. And then Rahul Bose is just like, ‘What's wrong with my son? What have I done wrong?’ It's this amazing contrast that they did so well.

How much do you resonate with your character, Ray?

I do have a couple of similar traits. I tend to overthink a lot of things. But not to the extent that Ray does. Ray is a special case. He takes things to an extreme. But thankfully, I'm a fraction of who Ray is. Let's keep it at that.

What do you have to say about the OTT space in India, with several genres being redefined?

It's been said a million times, but I'll say it again: it's the golden age of entertainment. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for certain OTT platforms. I owe a lot of my career to them. Some stories are being made today that can reach everyone in the world. People have a voice, and they can choose what they want to watch. There is just so much entertainment out there for everyone. As a result of that, stories are being made that just sitting in my room can resonate with me, like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. This is so new and it's so fresh, I want to see it.’ I just think it's a great time to be in the industry today.