Exclusive! Lawyer-turned-actor Vikram Singh Chauhan talks about playing a villain with PTSD in Ajay Devgn's Rudra

Actor Vikram Singh Chauhan is proving his versatility with his performances in different mediums and projects. After playing an honest and simple man and a boy next door in the series like Baarish and Chattis Aur Maina, the actor was seen playing a villain in the web series, Rudra: The Edge of Darkness. Chauhan played the role of Ashok Nikose in the Disney+ Hotstar series, which marked Ajay Devgn's OTT debut.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, the actor talks about the series, his fanboy moment with Ajay Devgn and how OTT platforms have come as a blessing for creative people like him. Excerpts:

Your web series Rudra is out and it has been receiving great responses. It has become one of the most viewed shows on Hotstar as well. How do you feel to be a part of it?

I feel really blessed that I have been given this opportunity to be part of such massive projects. God has been really kind for giving me this opportunity. And that too, pairing me opposite Ajay Devgn sir, that's once in a lifetime opportunity. I'm really happy about whatever I got.

Did you expect this kind of response when you're doing it?

Honestly speaking, no. I didn't expect any kind of response because they were actors like Atul Kulkarni sir, Esha Deol, Raashi Khanna, Ajay Devgn. All big names in the industry. I was very happy that I got a part to play in this series. But after the series was out, I could read some of the reviews where my name was mentioned. Just mentioning my name gives me immense satisfaction that my work is getting recognised. I was really happy about that.

You play a very complex character as well, someone who is suffering from PTSD. So how do you prepare for it? Did you have any references in your personal life or someone you knew who was suffering from it?

Thankfully, in my personal life, I had no such issues. Because, you know, it's a very complex thing to have in your life, to bear it in real life. My director, Rajesh Mapuskar sir, gave me a brief about the character Ashok Nikose. I got a break of around two months because of COVID and during that phase, I prepared for the character. I saw some documentaries on how war veterans once had PTSD issues. I saw some documentaries on abusive childhood. So there was a lot of material on YouTube and other sources, where I got to know about the lives of people who go through this PTSD because he was that kind of character, who had suffered abuse from his father and a lot of trauma. So I got a basic understanding of it. The script in itself, had a lot of material to create a backstory of Nikose. And that's how I went about it.

You had shared a picture on Instagram with Mr. Ajay, calling it a fanboy moment. So was it like a fanboy moment every day on the set with him?

Yes. It was a great experience. I got to learn so much from him in terms of acting. He's a great actor. But once the shoot was over, I learned how good a person he is in real life. He is so humble, grounded and down to earth. I think he's enlightened and is in a divine state. He's always smiling and is very gentle towards his co-actors. He made sure that there is not even a minimal bit of intimidation from him. So he was very sweet.

So you didn't have to do anything to break the ice.

Nothing. In fact, I went up to him and just said 'Hi sir, how are you?' He shook hands and asked me how am I doing. He then started speaking about the character and how we could do it. He said, 'Let's improvise. Let's just don't follow the script blindly. Let's create something new'. So with all of that, he broke the ice.

You've done a few TV shows as well. And many actors say that it helps you prepare to work on other mediums especially OTT since TV is very hectic and involves hours of shooting every day and for years. So was OTT a breath of fresh air for you?

Yes, of course. This is not my first web series. I have done Chattis Aur Maina, a web series for Disney+ Hotstar. I have done Baarish. Definitely, OTT is a breather and TV does help. We get long pages of script, we just read them and go shoot them. So learning lines is never a hindrance for us. When it comes to web shows, we don't do too many scenes in a day. So, we can really prepare for it well. There, it's a different ballgame altogether.

Many artists also say that OTT has given a second chance to them not just to actors, even the filmmakers. There has been a sudden OTT boom, especially during the pandemic. What do you have to say about that?

I think this is the best era that we creative people are staying in because you have the opportunity in web, films and you have the opportunity in TV. Artists, be it writers, directors, or producers can bring in new projects. I think this is the best phase that we are in, like what IPL has done to theatres.

There is this ongoing debate about censorship on OTT as well. So what do you have to say about that?

I think every creative person should be given freedom of expression, freedom to show his work, or her work. And OTT has come as a blessing. There shouldn't be any restrictions. India's population is one of the highest in the world. So we have to talk about it and how things happen. If these things are shown in web series, I don't think there should be any issues about it. We are showing a real sense of creativity here. We want to show what exactly the creative and the story are. We don't want to hide or fabricate things and then show them. So OTT should be given that freedom.

You have worked on different mediums, TV, OTT, films and music videos. So which one do you find the most challenging? Would it be TV?

I think everything is challenging because you just don't want to go out there and read the lines. You really have to work on the character and bring something interesting and engaging to the table, which attracts audiences. So that is the challenge that every actor faces, and be it TV, films or web series, whatever lines or whatever character that we have, we have to build an engaging performance around it, so that everyone likes it.

You have been part of Baarish as well. There are lots of speculations saying there is going to be Season 3. So any confirmation or an update on that front?

I haven't got anything as of now. But I'll be really excited to be part of season three comes if it happens. I loved the first two seasons, more so because of the lovely cast and the crew that we had. They are my dear friends. I'll be really excited to be meeting them again if that happens.

I believe you have studied law and your initial idea was to move to Mumbai to work in a law firm. So how did acting happen?

I always had the actor in me because the only thing I was really good at in school was dramatics. And I always wanted to do something in this field, but then I also made sure that I have a degree to sustain in life in case, it doesn't work. So I went abroad, I did law and I started working for a legal company. I just couldn't take that leap of faith. When it came to acting, it was late. One final day, I decided now is the time when I should try it. When I was in Mumbai, working for a legal firm, I started giving auditions on weekends. I would work from Monday to Friday. Thankfully, by God's grace, I got my first opportunity. I quit my job and now, I'm a full-time actor.

What are the other projects that you have working on currently?

There are a couple of projects I have been shortlisted for. The talks are ongoing, but I can't reveal much now.