Purab Kohli reveals why he moved to London, if west is giving good roles to Indian actors: 'Brown skin...' | Exclusive

Whenever we think of Purab Kohli, the first image that strikes our mind is the livewire, flamboyant drummer KD aka Kedar Zaveri from Rock On (2008). From 1998, Purab has been active in TV, films, and now even in OTT. The actor has successfully created a niche for himself, and his admirers do look upon his work. 

Currently, Purab is balancing work and life between London and Mumbai. Yes, the actor has shifted to London with his family, and he often travels between the UK and India for projects. Amid his hectic schedule, Purab joins DNA India for an exclusive conversation, sharing deets about his professional and personal life. 

Purab admits that travelling back and forth is 'hectic and hard', but he's still enjoying this phase because of the interesting projects he's been considered for. When asked why he decided to move to London, Purab says, "The sole reason is to try and get work from the western side of the world. I had done a show Sens8 for Netflix, when the platform was not there in India. The idea was to get work from the West as well. I'm still working on that. It is hard because my bread and butter is still here. Even my family is here, so I keep coming back." 

Is the West welcoming actors from India? Are the Indians trying their luck in international cinema getting good roles? How does he look upon the acceptance of actors there? Purab replies, "The brown skin person is getting roles in the Western world, but they're still looking at a person who's from there. Whose first-generation or second-generation are from there. That's the priority I've seen. They're making films about a brown-skinned person who is from there. They're not making films about brown people in India. If they're making it, it's only around a certain kind of person, or scale of person." 

Purab also reveals that according to him, the only Indian actor who has found success in Hollywood is the late Irrfan. "There are many actors who did fabulous work internationally. Right from Om Puri saab to Naseeruddin (Shah) saab, even Anupam Kher is also doing fantastic work. Priyanka (Chopra) does good work there. But for me, Irrfan was the only actor from the Indian diaspora who made it big. He made a respectable name and got lead roles in big Hollywood films like Life of Pi or The Namesake." 

He further continues, "They're still not making films about the first generation of immigrants, and they're not films about Indians in India featured in the Western world. But it's changing, they're interested in India. Everyone is interested in India, and even the makers are considering talents from India to cater for a larger audience. I think it's a good time for an artiste, and I'm placed well." On the work front, Purab was last seen in the crime thriller series 36 Days.

Read: This actor was called next superstar, bigger than Amitabh, Vinod Khanna, then lost stardom, was arrested for wife's...