Abhishek Chauhan, Fresh from Kill Fame, talk about OTT, films and financial planning for actors: freedom to say 'no' | Mint

Abhishek Chauhan is a popular actor who has become a household name after OTT showed like Cubic and Unechi. Fans rediscovered him in Kill, where he performed in a Dharma Productions film. Abhishek spoke exclusively to Livemint’s Sounak Mukhopadhyay. Check it. Sunak: Growing up in the midst of the quiet hills of Uttarakhand, was there a specific sound, smell or local story from your hometown that somehow stayed with you and even found in your actions today? Abhishek: Just being in the hills during the pandemic gave me a sense of safety, a feeling of belonging. It has put me together in a calmer and more in life. There is a very different rhythm that I work on when I am at home, and I started channeling it in my performances. The hills, as quiet as they, carry so much character. There is a beautiful simplicity to them. Time feels slower, your senses function at a more comfortable pace, and it allows you to really relax, take up more and just soak everything. Seunak: Theater often teaches an actor to exist in silence just as much as in dialogue. Was there a specific moment on stage – where the silence between lines taught you more than the words themselves? Abhishek: While preparing for a play, I was asked to write letters to the dead father of the character. But I took it a step further – I began to write letters back, as if the Father was responding. It became this emotional desire, where every time I stepped into rehearsals, I would be spiritually or emotionally influenced by something that came up in those letters. It was not about the dialogues or lines – it was about a state of being. It happened to me through an exercise. And while performing with good co-actors, you are sometimes transferred to a place where the lines become just an instrument to carry the scene forward. The right magic happens beyond the lines-if your co-actor is fully present, and something more guttural, more visceral, begins to appear. You feel it in your body. It is for me the ‘between the lines’ experience that I personally went through. Abhishek Chauhan on Kill, also with Lakshya and Raghav Juyal Sunak: Many actors talk about the acting against stage action, but your lead with TVF’s hockey and Unekhi gave you characters who felt deeply intimate, but were widely relative. How did you make the characters your own? Abhishek: I feel that both characters were created with a lot of reflection and research – it is entirely the genius of the writers and producers. As an actor, my job was merely to perform the illusion of the character they envisaged. As I worked on Undekhi, Ashish Sir and Siddharth Sir helped me understand their perspective of the character. They also invested time to help me flow with the camera – just be one with it. From a theatrical background, it was new to me, and they were incredibly patient and generous. In many ways, my ‘movie school’ Ashish Sir, who walked me through the basics of camera work, understanded lenses and acted within that framework. With hockey I would say Amit Golani, Vijay Bhai and Avinash – the writers – have already structured the character so well. What I portrayed was essentially their sketch. Jyoti, who directed three seasons, and Divyanshu, who came in one by one, brought even more layers and shades for the character. I believe it is the homework – the deep research and preparation – that made both Unechi and Cubic so relative. It’s all credit to the teams behind them. Being an actor is not your standard 9-to-5 work: You shared screen space with Jackie Shroff and Neena Gupta in Mast Mein Rehne Ka, both legends with their own unique atmosphere. From the camera, there was a moment with one of them who surprised you, something that is so refreshingly unwritten that it stayed with you? Abhishek: It has so far been one of the best experiences of my journey as an actor. Both Jackie Sir and Neena Ma’am are phenomenal actors, and their energy can only be felt if you are lucky enough to work with them. There was a scene where Jackie Sir’s character tried to catch a taxi to take Neena Ma’am’s character to the hospital. The urgency, authenticity and dedication with which he threw himself to move cars and risk his own safety made me fall in love with the actions of weather. And when I had to wear Neena Ma’am, she was really concerned about whether I would be in order. There was a moment as we walked with her where we exchanged glances, and the depth in her gaze just had me-it made the scene feel so authentic. Even outside the camera, their sincerity and enthusiasm was inspiring. It’s like film schools in themselves – two settings. Sunak: Your portrayal in murder is called wild and unapologetically raw. While your training or preparation for that intense action space, have you discovered a version of yourself that you did not know, almost like a stranger in Abhishek Chauhan? How was it with Raghav Juyal, also from Uttarakhand and Lakshya? Abhishek: This is a version I always knew existed, and I am grateful to Anmol Ahuja of Castingway that he saw it in me. I am also very grateful to Karan (Johar) Sir, Guneetet (Monga) Ma’am, Achin and Nikhil Sir because he had enough confidence in me to make me part of the story. I grew up to watch a lot of films, and even fighting shaded or imaginary characters now. It found an outlet in Kill, and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better business in the world of action. Working with Raghav is always fun – we trust each other deeply, enabling us to take risks, and which is beautifully translated on screen. Lakshya is also sincere, hardworking and very committed. He helped me during physical preparation, and his seriousness made me feel in a complete synchronization with him. Seunak: ⁠ ⁠ Acting will result in a lot of financial instability. How to secure your finance? What is your investment strategy? Abhishek: Being an actor is not your standard 9-to-5 work with a fixed payment. The simple rule I try to live with is to save as if you won’t work for the next six months. My earnings were divided between long -term investments and policy investments. For me, financial planning is about buying the freedom to say no to work that does not talk to my soul. First published: 17 Apr 2025, 02:05 IST