Adhyayan Suman: I am eternally thankful to Prakash Jha for opening the doors of his ‘Aashram’ for me – Exclusive – Times of India

Today, as the actor is slowly and gradually proving his mettle as an actor through his performances, ETimes sat down with him for a tête-à-tête. Adhyayan spoke about idolising his father, getting a new lease of life with Prakash Jha’s ‘Aashram 3’, his journey so far and more. Excerpts…

Growing up with a father in the entertainment industry, was it obvious for you to lean towards acting or did you have other aspirations?
I think this is something to do with what your heart wants and your calling. You know that this is what you want to do. I was always very shy growing up. Seeing my father be such a humongous persona, entertainer, star on TV, the legend that he is, I saw so much through his eyes. Of course, you do get influenced and inspired. He has done so well for himself over so many years. I think it just rubbed off on me. I am not just an actor; I am a director, singer, and producer. In most of my music videos, I write, direct and sing. There is a lot that I do and don’t limit myself to acting. Of course, acting is my first love.

Your performance in ‘Aashram 3’ has received appreciation from all quarters. How was your experience working with Prakash Jha?
‘Aashram 3’ is a show that changed my life. It got me back to being a working actor again. I got appreciated at the lowest phase of my life. It gave me a new lease of life. I wouldn’t want to lie, I am eternally thankful to Prakash Jha sir and I have told him this that he opened his Aashram’s doors for me when nobody was opening any doors for me.

You have done limited but good work in your career so far. What is the best compliment you received for your work and from whom?
When Aashram came out, many people from the industry called to appreciate me. One of the letters written to Prakash Jha sahab was by Chandraprakash Dwivedi. He praised everybody in the letter. In that, he wrote an entire paragraph for me. That was extremely special. It is something I couldn’t believe. It was a long time since I had received any kind of appreciation, to be very honest. Just hearing those words made me cry. It made me feel like I am not a bad actor, I am okay. People took notice of that fact and that meant the world to me, honestly.

How do you look back at your journey in the industry so far? If given a chance, what is that one thing you would like to change?
The journey has been wonderful. There are so many perspectives to look at my life from. I received a lot of love and criticism too. There was a process of learning that I had to go through because I came from such a protected background. There is so much that I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t go through what I went through. Looking back, I realise that I could have been in a better place. I don’t know if I worked hard enough. I didn’t get the big opportunities that I expected I would get after ‘Raaz 2’, ‘Jashnn: The Music Within’ and ‘Heartless’, for whatever reasons.

Last week someone sent a photo of me for a show in the making, saying, ‘Cast him, he is really good’. But the producer replied back saying, ‘Yeah I know he is good but he is a pain to work with’. I have heard these rumours from about eight people now that I am a pain to work with. I immediately called him up and told him that if he doesn’t have work with me, it’s perfectly okay. But he shouldn’t ever say that I am painful to work with. I am the easiest guy to work with who comes with no baggage. I don’t know why this is being said about me. He is a sweet person. He heard me out and asked me to meet him so that we could work things out.

People say it is easy because you are a product of nepotism. But now everybody knows my struggles despite being a star kid. It has never been easy for me. I am slowly carving my own niche and I have done some decent projects. I might not have the biggest fan club in the world but there are genuine few who like and support me. I think things are opening up for me slowly and steadily so I am just going to keep my fingers crossed.

Were you a movie buff growing up? Whom did you idolise?
I have always been a movie buff. I have idolised my father growing up. He was number one for me. I used to watch a lot of Hindi films. I used to love Shah Rukh Khan as a kid and I listen to his interviews even today. I love him. Apart from him, there are a lot of other people I look up to. I also love Al Pacino, Will Smith and Tom Cruise. I love them for different reasons.

Apart from ‘Hanky Panky’, what does the second half of 2022 have in store for you?
There is my film with Naseeruddin Shah sir. It was announced last year but couldn’t take off owing to the pandemic. It will start now. There are two projects that I am in conversation with right now with a big production house. I also have a couple of my songs releasing.