Vicky Kaushal on the effect of Uri: ‘Instead of hi or hello, people now say how’s the josh’
Vicky Kaushal says it’s amazing the way audiences have resonated with his latest film’s emotion of patriotism, valour and sacrifices of the Indian armed forces.
It won’t be wrong to say that when 2019 kicked off with Uri: The Surgical Strike, neither the trade world nor audiences had expected that it would become a huge blockbuster. Interestingly, even Vicky Kaushal didn’t have that huge an expectation. “Yes, we also didn’t expect this to happen (smiles). Toh hamare liye bhi utni hi hairani waali baat hai jitni baaki sabke liye hai (It is just as surprising for us as it is for everyone else). Of course, good business and all is a great morale booster for everybody associated with the film. But what gives us maximum happiness is the way people have resonated with the emotion of the film,” he says.
Interestingly, the film’s blockbuster dialogue, ‘how’s the josh’ has also gone on to become a part of day-to-day conversations. Ask Vicky how many times people say the same dialogue to him and he says with a laugh: “You know, main toh ab ginti bhi bhul chuka hoon (I’ve lost count). It’s like, instead of saying hi or hello, people only say, ‘how’s the josh.’ But the actor is happy the way audiences have “resonated” with the basic theme of the film.
“Our idea was to give tribute to the Indian Armed Forces. But the way audiences have resonated with the emotion of patriotism, valour and sacrifices of our armed forces has been amazing. That’s the biggest takeaway for us, ki log theatres mein taaliyaan bajaa rahein hai, flags lekar jaa rahein hai (people are applauding the film and taking flags to movie theatres ). Also, the kind of emotions and messages we are getting from our armed forces, woh hamare liye bahut special hai (it’s special for us). It’s something we will never forget and are going to cherish forever,” he says.
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After Uri, Vicky has signed two period films – Takht and Udham Singh, and he admits that he loves history. “I feel that’s where the charm lies, to be part of an era jo aapne sirf kahaniyon mein suna hai (that you have heard of only in stories) but of course, haven’t lived yourself. For example, I don’t know how it felt when people lived when there was no electricity, or no phones. Uss samay koi aur hi daur tha (It was another era), with different values, morals, luxuries, revolution and necessities. Also, people would have very unique kind of struggles in life. Aaj ke daur mein common man ki struggle aur desh ki haalat kuch aur hai, tab kuch aur thi (The common man’s struggles were different back then),” he says.
The Masaan actor feels it’s a “very different thing to read about all those things in books but understanding them [personally] is very special.” Through such stories, you get to live those eras. Physically too, it’s great to visit those locations and be a part of them in a way. It’s like time travelling, which is always a thrilling experience. As a creative person, just to explore ki tab aisa hota hoga aur (what used to happen then) is exciting. And then you try and showcase those things with complete honesty. That way, I’ve always been excited as an audience to watch period dramas or period films,” he says.
A dream director!
Vicky readily admits that working with Shoojit Sircar was always on his wish-list. “Apart from the way Shoojit sir looks at stories and characters, I feel whichever actor works with him ends up giving his/her best performance. The more I interact with him, the more I get a feeling that he is an actor’s director. He wants you to not just play a part, but live it to make it a personal experience. I have just had a few meeting with him but I already have a feeling that I might just end up living that person. That would be a very refreshing experience,” says the actor, whose “most favourite” Sircar’s movies are Yahaan, Piku and Vicky Donor.
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