Vikrant Massey says ‘subtle jabs’ for being TV actor pushed him against the wall

Actor Vikrant Massey has said that he was ‘underutilised’ even after spending a decade in the television industry. He also admitted to experiencing ‘subtle jabs’ because he was a part of the TV industry.

Vikrant made a move to films with 2013’s Lootera. He was most recently seen as Rishu, in Haseen Dillruba, co-starring Taapsee Pannu and Harshvardhan Rane.

In an interview, he recalled his journey. He told Bollywood Hungama, “The moment you tell me ‘you can’t do this’, I’ll make sure I do that. When I wanted to make the switch to films, my parents were like, ‘beta, complete your graduation, get a roof over your head’. When I did that at 24, it was a very tough decision for me to make the switch… A lot of wry comments, a lot of subtle jabs at television actors…”

He continued, “That pushed me against the wall, and that’s when I decided that I will make sure I will prove them wrong. It doesn’t have a negative connotation… I just wanted to go out there and express myself, I always knew I had that possibility within me… Even after 10 years of working in television, I felt underutilised.”

In a recent interview, he recalled being replaced in a film mere days before the shoot. Talking to RJ Siddharth Kannan, Vikrant said that on two occasions, he was replaced after he started the prep. “Workshop chal rahi hai, aap reading kar rahe ho, producer aapko bula ke khila raha hai, pila raha hai, poora dhyan rakh raha hai, aap do hafte mein shoot pe jaa rahe ho (I was doing a workshop, readings, the producer was pampering me and I was supposed to begin shooting in two weeks),” he said.

Also read: Vikrant Massey reacts to Haseen Dillruba negative reviews, being singled out as the film’s best performer: ‘Disagree’

Vikrant Massey has also appeared in films such as Dil Dhadakne Do, Lipstick Under My Burkha, A Death in the Gunj, and Chhapaak. Last year, he appeared in three Netflix releases — Cargo, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, and Ginny Weds Sunny.