Nostalgia with Piyush Mishra: “At 22, I was madly in love with two things—my acting & girlfriend”

The actor and director talks about his bizzare 22nd birthday, also a turning point in his career, his time at NSD, and dating in Gwaliour when he was 22

Do you remember your 22nd birthday?

It was a chaotic time. I was madly in love with two things—my acting, and my girlfriend. That year became a turning point for both. I was in Gwalior and just given my biggest performance till then, a career-making event, in the play Hamlet. And my then girlfriend was supposed to get married to someone else. It was a bizarre birthday.

Piyush during a theatre workshop at Gargi College, Delhi

How would you describe yourself as a 22-year-old?

Lonely, introverted, and quiet.

Where were you career-wise?

I was in National School of Drama and was completely devoted to acting.

Piyush in Man Equals Man directed by Fritz Bennewitz

Your bank balance then?

Nil! I didn’t even have a bank account back then. I would get a scholarship of ₹350 at NSD and would manage the month with it.

Piyush (far right) in Lonavala with Ishaan Trivedi, Idrees Malik and the late Irrfan Khan

What was your focus professionally?

I had tasted blood with Hamlet and my confidence level was at its peak. Acting and performing had become an obsession.

In Man Equals Man in his third year at NSD

How did that impact did your mind set?

I was truly, deeply, madly obsessed with the craft of acting.

Your biggest moment till then?

My second year at NSD after I had just done Hamlet. It was directed by German director, Fritz Bennewitz and a huge success. The same year, I did Ranjit Kapoor-directed Jean-Paul Sartre’s Nekrassov and a second play with Bennewitz, Bertolt Brecht’s Man Equals Man. All three plays were hugely successful. Career-wise, 1985 was my lucky year.

In Mashriqi Hoor, directed by BM Shah, when Piyush was in his first year at Delhi’s National School of Drama

Any romance in the air…?

Living in a town like Gwalior, there weren’t many opportunities to go out on dates. We would have clandestine meetings here and there—that was romance then. Basically, we would just meet and roam around. We couldn’t even hold hands in public. (laughs)

At his best friend, Ajit Ihane’s wedding

What was your fashion sense like?

Zero! Jeans and a T-shirt! There was this trend of bell-bottoms then but I always liked to keep it simple.

What did you do for fitness?

I used to go for long runs and wrestle. I was a teetotaller and didn’t even smoke then!

At a workshop with Deepak Dobriyal, Manu Rishi Chadda and students of Gargi College

Your celebrity crush then?

Hema Malini ji, I had a huge crush on her!

In his second year at NSD in a Hamlet adaptation directed by Fritz Bennewitz

And your role model?

At that age, it was Robert De Niro.

From HT Brunch, July 9, 2022

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