Sunil Grover: Everyone is scared and can’t decide when to start

Aaj kal birthday, phone aur social media pe chala jaata hai,” shares Sunil Grover, who turns 44 today. He adds mentally, he is just 27! The actor, who has no plans of ‘celebrating’ the day, says, “Some people, who you have worked with, reach out and point out that ‘I posted a wish for you and you didn’t reply’. The expectation is fine and it always feels good to get good wishes. But I like celebrating the birthdays of others as I feel shy cutting my birthday cake. When I was younger, I looked forward to gifts and my mum’s gulab jamun cake. I would plan for it a month in advance. Now, I wait for her to send me a cake. I guess, when you have less resources, you feel the charm of birthdays.”

After his recent web series, Sunflower, Grover is preparing to shoot for a film in September and another project that starts in November. He admits that after his recent projects including Tandav, which garnered encouraging response for him, he is “now enjoying acting”. The Bharat (2019) actor says, “It is fun to act and I am getting the kind of work I want. I am looking forward to the new film project, which is exciting. Producers want to start shooting but the pandemic has upset many plans. Everyone is scared and can’t decide when to start. Standing costs have increased, so everyone is wary. There are shoots happening abroad and India too, but things will take time to get into full swing.”

Grover, who established himself as a comic actor on television, often gets offers for TV projects and now has offers for web shows and films too. He says he doesn’t differentiate between mediums. “TV, OTT and films are all part of entertainment. I am here because of TV and I do get offers for TV. If I get something suitable, I will do it. I am currently enjoying acting and I am getting the kind of work I want to do. I would like to explore that more for now,” he explains.

With digital platforms getting a boost and people turning to them for fresh content, Grover is glad that eventually, talent is getting “opportunities to shine”. He adds, “There is so much consumption of content -be it on OTT or even social media too. I guess, the more, the merrier. People can watch what they want on OTT. On the other hand, due to too many options, survive wohi karega, jo log dekhenge. So, by default, the bar is raised each time for you to perform and create something. The audiences benefit from that and get good content.”