There is something new that he comes up with in every role but nothing can prepare one for what Vikrant Massey has pulled off in Sector 36. Streaming this Friday on Netflix and also starring Deepak Dobriyal, Vikrant — who is experiencing a purple patch in his career after the stupendous success of 12th Fail — is cast against type in this Aditya Nimbalkar film that is loosely based on the Nithari killings that rocked the country two decades ago. t2 caught up with Vikrant to know more.

Sector 36 is a film that crawls under your skin and leaves you shaken. The cherry on the cake is your astonishing performance. The film recently premiered at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. What was the vibe like?

Honestly, I didn’t expect such a phenomenal response. The reactions were pretty close to what you felt while watching the film. It was just not the Indian diaspora that liked the film; audiences from all kinds of backgrounds and all walks of life were full of praise.

What makes the effort of the Sector 36 team worthwhile is that the larger idea of the film — and not just my performance — has hit home. The tonality and the subject are universal in nature and many Australians and Southeast Asians at the Melbourne screening understood what we wanted to convey through the film. There is now a sense of nervousness about how the audience in India is going to react to the film.

What was your first reaction when you were offered this film and heard the story?

When I first read the story, I didn’t really get too much into the subtext, but I did understand what the film was trying to say, whether it was about class divide, about the poor who are largely ‘unseen’ in this country and about abuse.

One thing that I immediately felt was that besides being offered a character I hadn’t played before, this is a very important story and needed to be shared with the world. I immediately jumped at it.

Which aspects of the story leapt out at you?

Quite a lot of things, there is no one thing in particular. Probably for the first time in my career, I deeply resonated with a character that I am not playing, and that is Deepak Dobriyal’s character. He (Ram Charan Pandey) is the conscience-keeper of the film and reflects the consciousness of the world at large. Through all the wrongs that my character (Prem) does in the film, I want the audience to resonate with Pandey.

Sector 36 bares our collective ignorance as a society and talks about class disparity and the imbalance of power. At one point in the film, Prem says that this is the unfortunate reality of India. That struck me because as Vikrant, these issues bother me. The things that I read in the newspapers every day bother me. Main apne aap ke zariye aur mere kaam ke zariye agar yeh cheez dikha paoon, then I would consider myself fortunate. That is why I wanted to do this film.

Prem is one of the darkest characters seen on screen in a long time. What did you have to do to slip into the skin of this man who has almost no redeeming features? Was it tough for you to play him without judging him or hating him?

It was. There were so many sequences that were difficult to shoot, particularly one that involved child abuse. It was so difficult that I had to stop midway, take a break and recalibrate. As Vikrant, it was very, very difficult for me to become Prem. But as you said, as actors we cannot and should not judge the people we play.

There was a fair bit of prep involved in becoming Prem. I read books about real-life serial killers. There is a book I referred to which particularly
examined the psyche of serial killers. After reading a fair bit of material, I realised that what binds most of these killers is childhood trauma... abusive parents, neglected childhoods, failing mental and emotional health.... The intention is not to glorify Prem Singh. The film wants to talk about mental and emotional health through him and what he does in the film.

The film has a prolonged interrogation scene between you and Deepak Dobriyal, which, according to me, is a masterclass in acting, in action and reaction. What went into that scene and what was going through your mind when you were doing it?

It was probably the most challenging scene of my life! We shot it over two nights. Prem’s attitude in that scene is nonchalant but a lot of prep and care went into achieving that level of nonchalance. It took a lot out of me. The director Aditya Nimbalkar told me that at no point should Prem feel any kind of remorse for what he has done in the past or present.

The idea was to evoke a sense of discomfort in the viewer. A lot of it was aided by Deepak’s phenomenal response... there was no verbal or physical reaction from him. But every blink of the eye, every shift in his weight on that chair conveyed so many emotions and gave me the confidence to go out there and evoke that discomfort in the audience. As much as I enjoyed doing that scene as an actor, it was also very challenging,

Playing him took you into a dark space. Did you have trouble shaking off Prem even after the film was done?

For this one, I was better prepared. Right at the outset, I had made up my mind and had promised myself that I will not bring this guy home. There were many scenes during the filming of which I could not sleep at night. One of them was the interrogation scene.

Also, it is a case of once bitten twice shy, because in the past, I have got my characters home and that really impacted my personal life. For Sector 36, I was clear about not doing that.

The consummate performer that you are, could you have played a character as complex as this even a few years ago?

I don’t know. I think a lot of my own life experiences, my worldview has shifted and have gone into making Prem Singh. Would I attempt creating something like this eight or 10 years ago? I would, definitely. Would it be the same? I don’t think so.

Has playing Prem changed you in any way?

I don’t think it has changed me as a person, but I do think it has opened up a few more tabs in my mind with regard to sensitivity towards a lot of things that we have spoken about in the film.

As an actor, a few years ago, I would have not imagined pulling off something like this. After doing this film, I am a little more confident as an actor. I now believe that if I put time and effort into something, I can achieve it.

How do the industry and the audience view you now after the huge success of 12th Fail? Is there a marked pre-12th Fail and post-12th Fail phase?

There definitely is. The validation was universal for 12th Fail. Now, there are a lot more filmmakers who want to work with me. There are a lot of producers who want to collaborate with me. There are a lot more people who want to click selfies with me (smiles).

Those are, of course, all external changes. Is there an internal change within me? I don’t think so. I still wake up the same way and approach my work the same way. There is a lot more responsibility. But is that responsibility any kind of pressure? I don’t know... and I hope not!

I am someone who tends to move on pretty quickly. I have savoured every bit of the success of 12th Fail. But my entire focus right now is Sector 36. The preliminary screenings have given me an inkling of what to anticipate. I am really excited.

Is there a character that you haven’t done yet and are itching to play?

I would love to play an out-and-out commercial Bollywood action hero. It is a very popular genre in our country. I am someone who will never say ‘no’ to anything. The more complicated a part is, the more impactful it is. I am drawn to things like this.

You became a father earlier this year. Are you a hands-on dad?

I wish I was more of a hands-on dad! But my work commitments keep taking me away from home. I recognise my son (Vardaan) and this phase in my life as the greatest gift of life. There is no award or reward bigger than this. Nothing comes close to him.