Vicky Kaushal: I wanted to explore the fun version of myself in ‘Govinda Naam Mera’

The actor shares his reasons for delving into a full-blown comedy film and his process of surrendering to the filmmaker’s vision

To say that Vicky Kaushal is one of the most consummate actors of this generation would be stating the obvious. Right from his debut film Masaan where he played a boy from a socially-backward family to the troubled cop of Raman Raghav, the sensitive Pakistani army officer of Raazi and the brave and determined military officer of Uri: The Surgical Strike, Vicky has proven that when it comes to intense and powerful roles, he is second to none.

Just considering the fact that director Shoojit Sircar cast him in Sardar Udham when the film’s original cast had the late great Irrfan (who opted out because of his health issues), speaks volumes about Vicky’s craft.

So when someone like him decides to play the lead in a full-blown light-hearted masala film, it is bound to create a buzz. Govinda Naam Mera is a comedy-thriller directed by Shashank Khaitan which sees the actor playing background dancer Govinda Waghmare, along with Bhumi Pednekar and Kiara Advani for company.

Speaking to us over a phone call, the actor admits that it was a blessing for him to get films that allowed him to show the audience what he is capable of bringing to the table, but he had also reached a point where he wanted to do something light-hearted and fun. “I am someone who is inherently fun-loving and goofy. Post movies such as Uri and Sardar Udham – which were emotionally exhausting – I wanted to explore that version of myself on screen. Govinda Naam Mera came to me at the right time,” he says.

Having grown up watching and loving movies where the comedy is created by situations arising out of the chaos and confusion caused by multiple characters, Vicky  is glad that he is getting to do something that has the same cinema grammar. “I used to love watching films directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and David Dhawan. When Shashank narrated the story to me, I was immediately drawn to it and the ball started rolling from there,” he adds.

Unlike intense, powerful dramas that may not always make you teary-eyed, but still manage to strike an emotional chord somewhere, comedy has no middle ground. “It is a double-edged sword – the joke will either land or it won’t,” says the 34-year-old, adding that he relied a lot on the guidance of his director who has dabbled in the genre earlier with films such as Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania, as well as his co-stars.

The prep for this role required him to be focussed on the scene and to be as spontaneous as he could. “A month before the film went on floors, I started watching movies from the ‘90s starring Govinda, Kader Khan and Johnny Lever, just to see the kind of conviction they brought to the pitching of the performances and to absorb the grammar of that comedy,” he shares.