MUMBAI: Actor Veer Rajwant Singh is gaining accolades for stellar performance in the second season of The Zoom Studios’ show ‘The Reunion – Chal Chalein Apne Ghar’ where he essays the character of a son who’s trying to mend the relationship with his father and make sense of a dysfunctional family.

In a chat with TellyChakkar, Veer spoke briefly about his role, working with actors like K K Raina & Lilette Dubey, evolution of the web and more…  

Read on!

What made you say yes to the new season of 'The Reunion - Chal Chalein Apne Ghar'?

Just before the shoot started, I got a call from the makers asking if I'd be interested in playing the part of the elder brother and it wasn't the same role as in the previous Reunion. It was a different story, a different team, different Reunion altogether so I read a couple of episodes and later met Danish. That was the first audition I gave wherein nobody recorded my audition. I did the scene and that was it, I came to know I was on board. It all just happened. 

What are the changes that you have observed on the web in the recent past?

I think the cameras, sets, narratives, teams, and conversations are bigger now. 70% of the cinema that we consumed was from the protagonist part, it's always been that one thing, and the audience has been told the story through the perspective of that one character. Whereas now every story talks about the depth and it's not just about that one main character. It has much more, basically taking in the complete world, it has many characters and stories. It's not the typical hero vs villain. Thanks to the OTT platforms we now have the freedom to watch movies or shows in instalments. So now creators have got the time and liberty to show stories in detail and shoot more and give the audience more content. The sky's the limit now.

How does it feel working with veteran actors like K K Raina & Lilette Dubey?

KK Raina Sir looks like someone old school; he has that charm about him. It took me a couple of days to understand what I was doing with them. However, I didn't get to work much with Lillete ma'am as her character was such but anytime, they mentioned her character name I would imagine her, and though she wasn't physically present on the sets I could feel her presence. It was as if she was always around.  And with Raina Sir the first thing we shot was a passing shot and we took around 3-4 days to bring out the essence of those characters. Sir and I, we never rehearsed our scenes together, we just memorized our lines, we would do a dry run and it just happened. They both are legends because they have kept at it. And their practice of acting is so strong. Nothing was mechanical, which is the beauty of it.

How relatable is Amol to you in real life?

I don't relate to him as a complete personality. I understand where his anxiety is coming from because he is not able to live in the moment. Physically he is in one place while his mind is somewhere else. He thinks more of the future, not part of his present at all. He is relatable in certain ways but I'm not like that as a person. I have had phases where I have been anxious thinking about why this happened or what will happen in the future etc. I can't completely relate but I had my younger brother message me saying Amol is like you.

How has the response been so far for the show?

We have received comments like underrated, suppressed emotions, this takes guts, etc. And I am proud of The Zoom Studios team and the writers and the director that they didn't try to make the narrative sweet or extremely sad. The moment the mother dies, the show is not about that moment. They don't spend a lot of time in grief and they don't spend time moving on. It's a reunion where we can see the dynamics of a dysfunctional family where nobody is perfect. And I'm hoping with every new episode we get a new perspective on the characters. And for me, this show is a genuine effort. It was a conversational set.

How was it working with Danish Aslam?

Danish is so awesome that I can't say it on his face because I love to annoy him. He is a very clear-headed guy. It's very easy to work with someone like him. With Danish it's not like he's leading everyone, he will direct your emotions, the conversation, and your thoughts and that's an awesome quality to have. People tell you what to do, how to do it. With Danish, it wasn't like that. I like working with smart people, who are intelligent and mature. And I had a great time with him