Mumbai, Jan 3: Actor Manav Kaul says he always takes a year-long break before starting a new project as he believes right opportunities come to those who are “extremely patient”.
The 44-year-old actor first rose to fame with his turn as a right-wing politician in the 2013 drama “Kai Po Che!” and got further acclaim for his performances in films like “Jolly LLB 2” and “Tumhari Sulu”.
In an interview with PTI, Kaul said the key to consistently doing good work is not about going on a signing spree.
“When you do a good film or give a performance which people really like, the repercussions is that all the writers and directors want to cast you in the same role. That you’ve be patient enough to nicely refuse and wait for the right opportunity.
“I always take that gap… Of a year to do my next. You have to be extremely patient. You can’t just be on a signing spree. I have to put my heart and soul into it and be passionately invested in a project.”
For Kaul, even the love and appreciation that came his way for “Tumhari Sulu” — in which he played Ashok, the supportive husband to Vidya Balan’s Sulu, an aspiring radio jockey — didn’t entice him to be part of more films.
“I again went on a break, but then suddenly interesting scripts started coming. You’ll see a lot of good stuff coming out in 2021 across OTT and films,” the actor, who made his digital debut with 2018’s Netflix horror series “Ghoul”, said.
“I am lucky I have been patient for good roles. Today I feel more fortunate that people have started considering me in a lead role and think I can pull off a film or a series,” he added.
The actor’s latest release is “Nail Polish”, a courtroom mystery drama, in which he stars as Veer Singh, a man embroiled in the allegation of murder of children.
Kaul said when director Bugs Bhargava Krishna narrated the script to him over a Zoom call during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, he thought he wouldn’t be able to pull off such a “layered” character.
“The script was stunning. But I felt it was incredibly tough and thought I won’t be able to do it. I just didn’t know how to perform it. (But) Bugs had complete faith in me. So when we started the rehearsals, I kept reading the script which was so well researched.
“I asked a lot of questions about my character and kept talking about him with my director to truly understand him. In the end, it worked. This (project) was something that I was craving for,” he added.
The ZEE5 Original film also stars Arjun Rampal, Rajit Kapur, and Anand Tiwari. (agencies)

Melbourne: The Indian team’s practice session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) was on Sunday cancelled due to rain and the players were forced to train indoors.
In the absence of outdoor activities, the players had a gym session as they continued their preparations for the third Test starting in Sydney from January 7.
“India’s practice session today at the MCG has been cancelled due to rain,” the BCCI said in a statement.
Both the Indian and Australian players are scheduled to leave for Sydney on Monday.
On Saturday, Cricket Australia said that five India Test players, including vice-captain Rohit Sharma, have been placed in isolation and an investigation launched into a possible breach of COVID-19 bio-security protocol.
This was after a fan put out a video of the players sitting inside an indoor restaurant on Twitter on Friday. The BCCI brass had initially ruled out any investigation after reports of a possible breach first appeared in the media here, but CA later said a joint probe is on.
The four-match series is levelled at 1-1 after India won by eight wickets at the MCG after losing the day/night Test in Adelaide. (agencies)
^^^

Kolkata: BCCI president and former India Captain Sourav Ganguly, who underwent angioplasty after a “mild” heart attack, is stable and his health parameters are normal, doctors said on Sunday.
He was diagnosed with three blocked coronary arteries on Saturday, following which a stent was inserted in one to remove the blockage.
“He had an uneventful last night and presently Afebrile (not feverish)… He is sleeping now,” a bulletin issued by the private hospital where Ganguly is admitted, said.
The celebrated former cricketer’s blood pressure is 110/70 and oxygen saturation level is 98 per cent, it said.
Doctors said they will be deciding on conducting another angioplasty after accessing Ganguly’s condition.
“He will be requiring another angioplasty because of the triple vessel disease. But, that depends on how his condition is. He is, however, out of danger now,” one of the doctors treating Ganguly had said on Saturday.
A routine ECG will also be conducted on Sunday morning, the bulletin said.
The batting great was rushed to hospital on Saturday afternoon following complaints of chest pain. (agencies)