Sumeet Vyas: Afwaah is not funny, yet not too serious

The sharp edge of satire can be refreshing. After all, it's not simple to provide a humorous remark on social problems. Sumeet Vyas, who appears in Sudhir Mishra's recent film Afwaah, has said that the filmmaker is the only living director who can pull it off brilliantly.

The actor, who plays a politician from Rajasthan in the dark comedy, believes the filmmaker needed to be intelligent to pull off the role. Sumeet told MidDay that Afwaah isn't humorous, but it's also not too serious, finding a nice middle ground between comedy and an important topic.

The film stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Bhumi Pednekar, and its director examines the epidemic of false information that has spread throughout the country. In today's age of social media and trending hashtags, Sumeet says that rumours spread like wildfire. In the social media-driven era, rumours balloon to epic proportions before our eyes.

The actor concludes that films like Afwaah reflect the danger and show how certain people are taking advantage of it. Sumeet chimes in to say that the development of both cinema and the nation depend on the production of satires.

There can be no flourishing society without satire. Cartoonists are in the same boat. The actor would value their opinion on pressing issues. Those in authority who were the targets of the cartoons would find the comedy, observations, and comments to be rather amusing. Sumeet added that even ancient monarchs used jesters to make fun of the establishment. Satire requires a grain of salt in today's climate.

In Afwaah, top ad executive Rahab and political heiress Nivi are caught in a terrible gossip spread on the internet and have nowhere to run. Be there as the 'Afwaah' completely flips their world upside down.

The film has hit the big screens on May 5, 2023.