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Prashantt Guptha is an American born actor who grew up in a Rajasthan household in Queens, New York. We got a chance to chat with the actor and spoke to him about his collaboration with Hollywood company Mulberry, his inspiration to join Bollywood, Hollywood, and more.
Read on to know all that Prashantt Guptha had to say:
How did the collaboration with Mulberry films happen?
The idea behind the company was initiated by its main heads, Gopi Sait and Rashaana Shah, around 2013. Both happened to be dear friends of mine years prior to that, and when I came to know such a development was happening, I bought in on it. It was seed money, to say the least that we all pooled together, to bring prestige international books to the big screen. I knew they had the skills, passion and integrity, and most certainly it was high time I replant one foot in the West too. Five years later, we are a total of 7 partners with 9 films and 2 shows in various stages of development and pre-production.
What piqued your interest about Bollywood?
This surprises most people, but inspite of my birth and upbringing in New York, my exposure to Indian cinema was far greater than that of Hollywood. Perhaps cultural programs, an orthodox environment, and immense exposure to Hindi films & music (of all eras), collectively inclined me towards pursuing ‘Bollywood’. I suppose my ability to dance, sing and speak the language fluently were added bonuses, so I thought (smirks).
A role you wish you could have done?
Dev Patel’s in LION. Very few know that I was called in to audition for it too. That would have been a game-changer.
How is acting different in Hollywood and Bollywood?
Acting is acting … to the best of my knowledge there is no such thing as Hollywood acting or Bollywood acting. The approach is different in film, TV and theatre, and surely a certain genre and character dictates the performance to a certain extent. Perhaps the biggest difference may be in what audiences in America identity as great acting, as opposed to audiences in India. Having said that, acting is acting.
You are an actor, singer, producer – which is the most difficult?
The difficulty is in getting the due publicity wherein the world is convinced I’m good at all three. Unfortunately, I’m a sucker for validation. Maybe all artistes are. How else do we survive? (Laughs)… I’m also a poet, by the way, and that too launching a huge poetry project on the digital medium. In terms of craft & discipline, all of these things are treated with equal respect and focus.
What’s next?
Currently I am starring in four Hindi features and 2 shorts, and also my first Hollywood film. Stay tuned!
Prashantt is the Indian Ambassador of The Festival of Globe – Silicon Valley.
