Deepak Dobriyal: ‘I spent 2 years to forget my 7 years of theatre career’

Deepak Dobriyal of Angrezi Medium fame is back with a romantic comedy, Aafat-e-Ishq, in which he plays the role of a police officer for the first time. The actor, who is also known as Pappi ji for his role in Tanu Weds Manu, says he was a ‘serious actor’ at first but films completely changed that.

Deepak calls Aafat-e-Ishq, ‘funny, quirky, weird, mysterious'. Neha Sharma plays the lead who is in search of love but the men she meets keep falling dead. Talking about his character, Deepak says, “Its a police officer who works like a detective. He is posted at a place which is a spot of some mysterious happenings. The film revolves around how he investigates a case and ends up becoming a part of it.”

The actor says Shyam Prakash in Hindi Medium is the character he loved playing the most. Ask him if he loves playing comic roles, the actor clears the notion and says, “I used to be known as a very serious actor in Delhi. I have done many classical plays such as Julius Caesar and many more.” 

However, Deepak has no regrets about leaving theatre and taking up a new identity in films. "But it's a different set up here (Mumbai). Comedy – which I never did, I laugh over it because I am known for it. But I am fine with it. There was a bit of humour, I used to make people laugh but witnessing the entire theatre burst into laughter is a different experience altogether," he says. 

The actor still feels writing remains a weak aspect in the Indian film industry and claims that out of more than 100 films made every year, hardly 4-5 films manage to strike a chord with the audience. On being asked if he takes his characters home, Deepak says, “Every director has a different take. Some like Vishal Bhardwaj are very specific. His writing has a lot of depth, he takes 2-3 years in writing a script. There, you cannot tinker with your lines or improvise You have to stay in the skin of the character."

"Many scripts are written in a lot of hurry and you get a lot of empty space to fill. You can improvise a lot in such a case to make it more entertaining. Even now writing is not that excellent. Out of the 130 films made every year, you don't remember 100 films. Some perform in masala, some in action category. There is a scarcity of good writers."

Deepak feels good stories are respected only in the OTT space. He says, "All the good writers are writing web series these days because they are getting a platform to express their nuances and are not dominated by the commercial aspect as compared to films. There is a freedom for writing on the OTT. When the writing is weak and I improvise, the director feels good."

Deepak continues to remain hungry for work and calls his entire body of work nothing but just a showreel. “I only count my work in a Marathi film Baba as my performance, rest all of my work is a showreel. But I get so much love for that showreel that sometimes pride sets in. In reality, one must know his worth."

Despite playing lead characters in theatre, Deepak spent two years to forget his seven years of theatre experience in Delhi. The actor made his film debut with 2006 film Omkara. Opening up about the same, he elaborates, “When you do a play in Delhi, you get to play the lead. But it's not the case in Mumbai. You will have to start afresh in Mumbai. According to the industry I don't know anything. I am a newcomer, lets give auditions, that's it. This is what I did."