Abhishek Banerjee talks about Stree 2, Vedaa, outsiders not getting work in Bollywood: 'Agar aap mehnat...' | Exclusive

Actor and casting director Abhishek Banerjee is currently enjoying the best phase of his career. An outsider who has been active in Bollywood since 2006 will now have two much-awaited releases in the festive period the Independence Day. Ahead of Stree 2 and Vedaa's release, Abhishek joins DNA India for an exclusive interaction. 

Interstingly, Abhishek will be playing two contrasting characters in his upcoming films. In Stree 2, Abhishek will reprise his iconic lovable Jana, and in John Abraham's Vedaa, he is a ruthless villain Jitendra Pratap Singh. In the candid conversation, which is the first movie he will make his family watch, Stree 2 or Vedaa? Abhishek replied, StreeVedaa (laughs), it is a new word for me. I think I will have to divide my family and distribute them in two screens and swipe them after the interval. That's the only way (laughs)." 

Recalling his journey and career trajectory, Abhishek adds that outsiders like him do get recognition, "Yeh jo debate hai na ki outsider ke liye kya hai. I will say that an outsider is coming with two major releases on August 15. If you look at the films, they are led by outsiders. If you talk about Vedaa, John, Sharvari, me, Nikkhil (Advani) sir, are all outsiders. Similarly, in Stree 2, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj (Tripathi) ji, and director Amar Kaushik are outsiders, who have no background, and no godfather in Bollywood. Yet, their films are among the most-awaited releases." 

The actor further adds, "Yeh mehnat wali filmein hai. Itne saare outsiders ki film aa rahi hai, toh yeh jo baat boli jaati hai ki outsiders ko kaam nahi milta jab tak connections na ho. Main yeh do films se keh sakta hoon ki nahi aap bahut kuch kar sakte hai agar aap mehnat se kaam karoge, apne craft pe kaam karoge, and apne aap ko failure se affect nahi hone doge. (These movies are made with passion. So many outsiders have made these films. So this notion of 'outsiders don't get work unless they have connections' is wrong. I can say from these two movies that no, you can do a lot if you will work hard on your craft, and remain unaffected with failure)." 

Abhishek's first on-screen appearance was in Aamir Khan's Rang De Basanti (2006). However, after this blockbuster, Abhishek didn't struggle for acting roles, but he deliberately chose to work in the casting department. Abhishek says, "Yeh jo log bolte hai ki main 2006 se hoon, beech main kaam nahi mila, aisa nahi hai. I consider that my acting career started in 2018 with Stree. Iss pehle mujhe roles offer hue, but at that time, I rejected them, thinking that I was not ready for it. I am a theatre artiste who did rigorous work, but acting in films is entirely different. It took me years to understand that. When I felt confident that I could perform in front of the camera, I decided to act in films." Stree 2 and Vedaa will be released with Akshay Kumar's Khel Khel Mein. After Vedaa and Stree 2, Abhishek will also be seen in Rana Naidu Season 2.

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