When actor Naveen Kasturia read the script of Aspirants for the first time, he couldn’t really gauge whether it was a good script or a bad one. Two seasons later, the actor is happy that the show has connected so well with the audience. In an exclusive conversation, Naveen talks about Aspirants, his aspirations and the ups and downs in an actor’s journey.

What about Aspirants do you think has connected so well with the audience?

Naveen Kasturia: I think the writing; these are very real-life characters. I remember when I read the script of the first season, I didn’t know whether it was a good script or a bad script. I could see that the characters were very different from each other even on paper. I could see how well they were written. They seemed like real people. And the audiences these days want to watch real stories, stories about people they have met, stories about people they can connect with. The relatability factor has made it work.

The relatability factor is common to most TVF productions…

Naveen Kasturia: We often give credit to TVF, which is a great thing. But every time they work on a show, it is a different team. Aspirants is written by Deepesh Sumitra Jagdish, directed by Apoorv Singh Karki and, of course, produced by Arunabh Kumar. Lately, the kind of things that I have worked on, Deepesh is probably the finest writer I have worked with. A lot of credit for the success of the show should go to him because the world that he has created is very original. It is a very rooted and original show. There’s no reference point for a show like this. You cannot think of any other show which is like this one. It came from Deepesh’s mind and that should be acknowledged.

Your debut feature film Sulemani Keeda (2014) created quite a buzz. How do you look at your journey from that film to Aspirants?

Naveen Kasturia: I do not think much about the future. I don’t plan. I am glad that I have reached here. When Sulemani Keeda happened, I wanted to act more but I was not thinking about any particular direction. I got TVF’s Pitchers because of Sulemani Keeda. One thing has led to another. I got a lot of other things because of Pitchers. Finally, Aspirants happened and it became successful, so the second season happened and it took it to another level. My journey has been fun. Of course, there are highs and lows in everybody’s journey and I am glad that good things have happened to me. I hope to do better in the future.

What are your aspirations at this stage in your career?

Naveen Kasturia: I don’t really know how much we can control as actors but we’re looking for good scripts. I don’t know whether there’s anything much that we can do. My aspiration would be to be busy as much as possible. I would ideally like to shoot a little more than I generally shoot. That’s what I hope for. And I’d like to shoot for the scripts that I like. I want to be a part of great scripts and exciting projects. That’s what I aspire for. I think a lot of people still don’t see me in different roles. Actors get stereotyped easily. I want to do varied roles.

Maybe a negative character…

Naveen Kasturia: Yeah, I relate more with that personality of mine. In fact, I have tried that in Breathe: Into The Shadows 2 which came out last year. My character was a little grey. In fact, the characters that I play in Pitchers and Aspirants, I make sure that there’s layering. The character should look humane. Even if someone is doing good work, you should see some flaws in that person. In Breathe, it was the reverse. In the beginning, you feel that it’s a negative character but by the end of the show, you feel for that character.

You started your career as an assistant director. Do you want to write and/or direct someday?

Naveen Kasturia: If I don’t get acting work, then probably I’d do that. But as of now, I am not doing anything else but acting. I am getting good acting work and I’m enjoying it. I don’t see myself writing or directing in the near future.

You have worked with TVF for a long time…

Naveen Kasturia: Not really. I worked with them in 2015 (Pitchers) and I didn’t work with them until 2021 for Aspirants, Pitchers 2 in 2022, and Aspirants 2 in 2023. They didn’t work with me in between. I wanted to but… I think people associate me with TVF because I was featured in their first viral video – Rowdies (Spoof of Roadies). And two of their most popular properties also have me in them.

What do you find the most challenging about being an actor?

Naveen Kasturia: Finding good work is the most challenging part and there’s no particular way to do it. A lot of people think that an actor should be networking and be on social media, which is also very challenging. The most challenging thing is finding the right scripts. The other things are not essential. Networking could be a means to finding the right script but there’s no fixed way to find that. A lot of people go to events, a lot of people try PR, a lot of people try and ask for work directly, and a lot of people become casting directors to become actors. Different people have different approaches.

What are your upcoming projects?

Naveen Kasturia: There’s a show with ZEE5 that I am going to start soon. I will be shooting till January 2024.