Exclusive! Kavin Dave: Abhishek Jain told me he will drop 110 if I don't play the lead

Kavin Dave-led web series 110 released on Oho Gujarati a few days back. The actor has collaborated with Abhishek Jain after seven long years thanks to the project. It was thanks to Abhishek, that the two came together for this slice-of-life show.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Kavin mentioned that Abhishek actually refused to work on the show if the actor did not come on board as the lead character. The actor further revealed that he is collaborating with Pratik Gandhi again. Furthermore, he is a part of a Visheh Films project, which is a comedy movie.

Excerpts from the interview...

You have constantly switched between Gujarati and Hindi films, mainly focusing on the latter. After making your Hindi web series debut, you are now the leading face of 110, a Gujarati web series. It has been quite the journey, won't you say?

Yeah, I started in 2008. God has been kind. I'm getting good roles to experiment with. I'm happy playing my part. I'm excited since it is the story about an ordinary guy who wants to achieve extraordinary things. It's a light-hearted slice-of-life web series. He's not a typical hero. The entire story is based on that character. People will associate with that character very well. It is what even I liked about 110.

Just like your character, you have also been in supporting roles and now finally, are playing the lead role in a web series. Was that the relatable bit for the character?

I've always picked roles which excite me. When Abhishek was writing the story, he told me that he wants me as the lead and told me that he will drop the story if I don't work on 110. When the idea was conceived, he had me in my mind. That gave me a lot of confidence.

You have played the lead in both films and web series. What difference do you see working in both of them?

Nowadays, web series are also shot as films. Back in the day, we used to plan everything for a film. Now, with the digital medium coming in, you get more liberty to give more takes. Making web series also follows the same grammar. The only difference is that the budgets are a little tight in regional web series. They don't have the budget like a Hindi or even Gujarati film. The hardwork is the same nonetheless. It was fun.

We are living in a world where weight doesn't really matter to people as much. What do you think will be 110's appeal then?

It's obvious that people would think like this because there is a chubby guy and the title is 110. Of course there is one part in the series which deals with the weight issues but it is also about how the number 110 does not leave Falgun's life. The weight issue is just one issue. It is pretty interesting. The series is spread over 10 years. It is from Falgun around 25 and ends when he's 35. It has four episodes with a leap of two-three years.

You are collaborating with Abhishek after nearly 7 years. He has grown since Bey Yaar. Now he owns Oho and is making his debut in Hindi films too. Did you see any changes in him as a filmmaker?

No. The little excited kid in him is still there. Of course, he has matured and his craft has improved but otherwise, he's just a more matured Abhishek. He still has the same kind of excitement and zeal for filmmaking. On the script level, my Bey Yaar character was just a narrator. We created the character from the scratch while working on the project. It was so much fun to work on such a project. Divyank, Pratik, Abhishek and the entire unit had a lot of fun which translated on screen.

Coming to 110, initially, Abhishek was only going to produce the series. Then Anish came on board as a director. After a few days, Abhishek also came into the picture. So I got the best of both worlds.

Also Read: 110 series review: Kavin Dave is brilliant in the Abhishek Jain directed show

Do we ever see you collaborate with Pratik and Abhishek together after Bey Yaar? Were you offered Vitthal Teedi?

You should ask Abhishek that. Believe it or not, Jay (Upadhyay) and I pulled Abhishek and Anish's leg for making 110 into a miniseries while going on with Vitthal Teedi season 2.

Like Falgun, did you also have a dream that is unfulfilled?

I always wanted to act. So my dream has always been with me and is always coming true, everyday.

Now that theatres have opened up, do we expect to see a film from your side? What do your upcoming projects look like?

I've already done a film with Pratik. I'm playing an interesting character in the film. We are coming together for a Gujarati film which we shot last year. Apart from that, I'm playing a parallel lead in Vishesh Films' upcoming movie. It will be the first time they release a comedy film. It is releasing next month.