Versatile actor Vikas Kumar talks about his experience working on the popular television show C.I.D. in an exclusive podcast with Lehren. He discusses collaborating with celebrities like Shivaji Satam (ACP Pradyuman), Dayanand Shetty (Inspector Daya), and Aditya Srivastava (Inspector Abhijeet). Kumar also recalls his involvement in YRF's two projects, Powder and Khotey Sikkey. Watch this unseen video to learn more about this amazing actor's inspirational path, from his early trying days in Mumbai to becoming a renowned Bollywood dialect coach.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00If people recognize me, it's my role as Senior Inspector Rajat in CID.
00:06Although I was only there for a year and a half.
00:08Abhijeet Aditya Srivastav was my inspiration.
00:12Manoj Bajpayee, Shah Rukh Khan.
00:14Working with them, you get to learn a lot.
00:17ACP Pradyuman is almost a fatherly-like figure.
00:21He was the most senior there, but the most energetic.
00:30Don't you feel that you have become a typecast or an inspector or a police officer?
00:40My initial 3-4 roles were all as Senior Inspector.
00:46When I was on Ishqiya's set as a dialogue coach,
00:50Yash Raj called me for an audition for Powder.
00:52Director Atul Sabarwal saw me performing in a play
00:58and he was impressed.
01:00He must have given me a name.
01:02I was called there.
01:04I was cast there.
01:06Of course, I was a co-actor.
01:08It was a good role.
01:10It was a brilliant script.
01:12I did it. It was fun.
01:14Again, not many people saw it at that time.
01:17But those who saw it, liked the work.
01:21Then Khote Sikhe was the lead role.
01:23I started getting doubts from there as well.
01:26When I played one senior inspector,
01:28the other senior inspector said,
01:30Khote Sikhe is too much.
01:32I thought I should do it.
01:34Since then, I used to doubt every project.
01:38Then they said, no, he is the lead.
01:40There was a supporting cast.
01:42It was Yash Raj's show.
01:44I was told that Aditya Chopra wanted it.
01:46He has seen the audition.
01:48He liked it a lot.
01:50He liked my work in Powder.
01:52So, I had to do it.
01:54There were other things to be done.
01:56As they say,
01:58Yash Raj's shows,
02:00Powder and Khote Sikhe,
02:02were way ahead of their time.
02:04If they had come now,
02:06it would have been a different reception.
02:08When they came on TV,
02:10they might not have got an audience.
02:12That's why,
02:14for many reasons,
02:16they might have stopped it.
02:18Yash Raj's television wing.
02:20So, all our work stopped.
02:22Khote Sikhe's season was yet to come.
02:24The season we see now in OTT.
02:26Then I got many calls,
02:28from the cop type cast.
02:30I kept refusing them.
02:34It was a very good lead role.
02:36Till then,
02:38there was nothing like
02:40Damodar Deshmukh in Khote Sikhe.
02:42It was a very well written part.
02:44We did it well.
02:46After that,
02:48I didn't feel like
02:50calling a cop in a serial.
02:52So, I kept refusing.
02:54Then I got a call from CID.
02:56Whoever I was trying to refuse,
02:58I didn't follow CID.
03:04But of course,
03:06it was such a big and popular show.
03:08There were fans at home.
03:10They said, no, we have to do it.
03:12Powder and Khote Sikhe came on Sony.
03:14It was Sony's show, CID.
03:16From there,
03:18they said, no, you won't regret it.
03:20It's a very good show.
03:22It's a dynamite show.
03:24I did it and I don't regret it, of course.
03:26In fact, if people recognize me,
03:28then it's the same senior inspector Rajat
03:30who played my role in CID.
03:32Although, I was only there for 1-1.5 years.
03:34But,
03:36I was lucky that
03:38some very good stories were made at that time.
03:40Some very good work was done.
03:44When I was there,
03:46I used to make eccentric episodes.
03:48I used to take personal stories
03:50on one officer.
03:52So, I got a chance to take part
03:54in 3-4 such stories.
03:56So, yes,
03:58I took some,
04:00I mean,
04:02the grammar of CID,
04:04acting,
04:06and some of mine,
04:08everyone does it very well,
04:10but in between,
04:12I took my own,
04:14and that's why
04:16I still remember it.
04:18Although, I was only there for 1-1.5 years.
04:20The other artists of CID,
04:22be it Inspector Abhijit,
04:24or Daya,
04:26or C.P.Sahab,
04:28or Mr. Pradyuman,
04:30how was the work with them?
04:32Very good, very good.
04:34The atmosphere there is very good.
04:38A.C.P. Pradyuman,
04:40you know,
04:42he is the most fatherly-like figure.
04:44He was the most senior there,
04:46but he was the most energetic.
04:48If you shake hands with him,
04:50you will know how strong he was.
04:52And the way he used to walk,
04:54his body language,
04:56even in CID and outside.
04:58Abhijit, Aditya Srivastav,
05:00he was my inspiration.
05:02Manoj Bajpai, Shah Rukh Khan.
05:04So, working with them,
05:06you get to learn a lot.
05:08The way they approach television
05:10with seriousness,
05:12and the chaos that happens
05:14in the daily shoot,
05:16he tries to bring some sense
05:18to that chaos.
05:20Daya is such a big star.
05:22Undoubtedly, he is the biggest star
05:24in the CID team.
05:26But very humble,
05:28very good actors,
05:30all of them, very good people.
05:32Very good, well-oiled machinery.
05:34Shah Rukh Khan, Tariq Khan,
05:36the main cast of CID.
05:38So, I was there for a short time,
05:40but I got very good opportunities.
05:42And whatever I could do,
05:44I did.
05:46I am very thankful
05:48that I was a part of that team.
05:50And because of that,
05:52there is a certain viewer base,
05:54which is audience based today.
05:56Today, I do some Arya,
05:58some Kala Pani.
06:00So, some people also come
06:02who want to see what Rajat is doing.
06:04Sir, if we talk about your early days,
06:06your father was a doctor.
06:08And you did your MBA.
06:10And then you turned to acting.
06:12So, in Bihar and UP,
06:14our state,
06:16after the age of 12,
06:18the child either becomes a doctor,
06:20an engineer, or prepares for UPSC.
06:22So, instead of becoming a doctor,
06:24you chose the option of MBA.
06:26And after doing MBA,
06:28you came to acting.
06:30So, how did you decide?
06:32Where was this turning point?
06:34Actually,
06:36since childhood,
06:38like it happens here,
06:40you follow your father.
06:42My father was a doctor.
06:44He was a very successful doctor.
06:46Especially,
06:48among the poor,
06:50I also wanted to become a doctor like him.
06:52And everyone also thought
06:54that I would become a doctor
06:56because I was very good in studies.
06:58And a very good boy,
07:00who is studying hard,
07:02who is doing his work on time.
07:04You know, a disciplined child.
07:06So, no one thought that
07:08he would do something else.
07:10But till I reached 10th and 12th,
07:12my interest started increasing.
07:14The circle started expanding.
07:16I studied well in Dharadun.
07:18So, there was a little more exposure.
07:20Of course, in Bihar, it is a little limited.
07:22Doctor, engineer, or IAS.
07:24Now, it is a little open.
07:26So,
07:28when I
07:30dared to talk in my house,
07:32that I want to do something different.
07:34I had seen a lot of theatre.
07:36I saw Dilwale Dulhaniya
07:38by Shahrukh Khan.
07:40Rangeela had come
07:42just a month before that.
07:44So, I really liked both the films.
07:46And some of my friends said,
07:48you are also like that.
07:50I don't think so.
07:52Like in Rangeela,
07:54Aamir Khan was a little mischievous.
07:56The way Shahrukh Khan talks,
07:58maybe he was like that.
08:00So, I thought,
08:02I misunderstood.
08:04I thought,
08:06they are very cool people.
08:08They have a cool life.
08:10At that time, I didn't realize
08:12that it takes a lot of hard work
08:14in this profession.
08:16So, anyway,
08:18as an Indian,
08:20I was interested since childhood.
08:22I have been a fan of everyone
08:24since Amitabh Bachchan.
08:26He didn't discourage me.
08:30He just told me to study.
08:32Initially,
08:34I wanted to do MBBS for 5 years.
08:36After doing all this,
08:38I wanted to go again.
08:40So, I studied,
08:42but I didn't go in the medical line.
08:44I did my MBA, part time.
08:46And I joined the theatre.
08:48So, I told my father
08:50that for 3 months,
08:52Barry John,
08:54who was influenced by Shahrukh Khan
08:56and Manoj Vajpayee,
08:58was taking a workshop
09:00for 3 months.
09:02It was an acting school
09:04named Imago.
09:06TAG was inactive at that time.
09:08So, I did that course for 3 months.
09:10And I told my father
09:12that I will do this
09:14and see
09:16whether I am worthy
09:18or not.
09:20And if I feel that I can do it,
09:22then I will go ahead.
09:24Otherwise, I will give up
09:26the medical entrance.
09:30So, I started from there.
09:32I did well in the workshop.
09:34People appreciated me.
09:36So, I did acting
09:38and moved ahead.
09:40So, when you came
09:42to the actual field,
09:44what kind of challenges
09:46did you face?
09:48How many rejections
09:50did you face?
09:54It was a 3-month course.
09:56People do NSD for 3 years
09:58and then do repertory.
10:00I don't know how many years
10:02they give to the theatre
10:04in different groups.
10:06But if you do something
10:08small, then you feel
10:10that you have learnt something.
10:12I didn't feel that I know everything.
10:14But I had started.
10:16I understood 4 things.
10:18I came to Bombay.
10:20I was looking for a job.
10:22Of course,
10:24there was a lot of work
10:26on television.
10:28It was done regularly
10:30and in short time.
10:32So, I tried to start from television.
10:34But I couldn't.
10:36I was a diligent student.
10:38I used to take a pen and paper
10:40and write the name of the production house
10:42on each page.
10:44I used to write the date
10:46of the audition.
10:48I used to write the date
10:50of the audition.
10:52So, I used to follow up
10:54regularly.
10:56I did this for 6 months
10:58very diligently.
11:00People used to meet me
11:02randomly.
11:04I used to do it in an organized way.
11:06But I found that it didn't work.
11:08People used to say that the audition
11:10will be done.
11:12I used to say that the audition
11:14will be done.
11:16Or maybe
11:18due to some complexion.
11:20It is there.
11:22Whatever the reason was,
11:24people used to say
11:26that I am not fit.
11:28So, I couldn't get a job.
11:30But I continued.
11:32During this time,
11:34I got a chance to teach.
11:36I did that.
11:38I became an assistant teacher of acting.
11:40Then I got a chance
11:42to give a dialogue coaching.
11:44It gave a direction
11:46to my career.
11:48He is my friend,
11:50Hanit Rehan.
11:52He is the director.
11:54He has been
11:56Vishal Bhardwaj's assistant
11:58from the beginning.
12:00He was my roommate.
12:02He said that
12:04he was in a meeting
12:06with some friends.
12:08There was an assistant casting director.
12:10She was from Hollywood.
12:12She was shooting in Jodhpur.
12:14Usually, when a project
12:16is shot in a place,
12:18they hire local people
12:20in small roles.
12:22The story was biblical.
12:24They didn't want white people.
12:26They wanted English writers.
12:28They cast a lot of Indians
12:30from Bombay.
12:32They wanted someone
12:34who could speak English well
12:36and not sound Indian.
12:38They wanted someone
12:40who could speak English well
12:42and not sound British.
12:44My friend said that
12:46he had someone who could do it.
12:48He said that he had done it
12:50but he didn't know
12:52if he could do it.
12:54I gave him my number.
12:56He met me.
12:58He liked it.
13:00I didn't know
13:02what to do
13:04and how to do it.
13:06Usually, a foreign crew
13:08has a badge.
13:10It said Vikas Kumar Dialogue Coach.
13:12That's when I came to know
13:14that it's Dialogue Coach.
13:16And then I did it.