Post debut, actor Vidyut Jammwal on a high

He has no qualms about shouting from the rooftop that he became a model to be able to make inroads into the film industry.

And with a powerful performance in Nishikant Kamat’s Force, debutant Vidyut Jammwal is revelling in his success.

“I’ve stayed in Mumbai for the longest time — seven and a half years,” says Vidyut, who’s the son of an army officer, adding, “But all through out I had my eyes fixed on one goal — I wanted to become the biggest action star in the industry.” But the wait has been worth it and he’s got the industry talking about his performance as a bad man in Force. “A friend told me that Nishikant was casting for his film and when I met him, he told me it was a negative character. I was confident of making bad look good and in a day got a confirmation for the film,” the actor recollects.

And no, not for once did he apprehend debuting in a negative role.

“In the last month, none of the offers that have come are negative. So, how can I say it’s easy to get stereotyped? In fact, I think debuting with Force has been the best decision I’ve ever taken,” informs Vidyut.

Owing to his father’s transferable job, he has travelled all over the country and when in Kerala, he took an instant liking to the martial arts form, kalaripayattu. “That was my first brush with action and I loved it. Also, it took me to more than 25 countries, when we performed abroad. Subsequently, whenever my father got transferred, I tried to master the traditional martial art forms from different regions,” states Vidyut.

Having had some successful modelling assignments, the young man rues the fact that models in India live in a state of denial. “It’s sad but true that they don’t want to accept that every model wants to act some day,” he says, adding, “Thankfully, a simple route did it for me.

As the initial excitement of a debut sinks in, Vidyut is looking forward to establishing his career in the industry. “I am meeting everybody who wants to meet me. The moment my instincts say yes to a script, I have my next film in hand. Of course, added advantages would be the banner and if I have an action packed role,” he ends.