Having done multiple TV shows, films and web series, actor Vikram Mastal says he was getting stuck in an unproductive zone on small screen and needed a break to explore new avenues.
Known for his role of Lord Hanuman in Ramayan (2020), the actor says, “Most of the shows that were being offered were in the league of saas, bahu dramas. And as a theatre artiste, I don’t see any creative scope there. I have no problem with daily soaps and if I get to play a good character then why not! But it’s a fact that there is a limitation for male actors on television.”
Last seen in the shows like Ganga, Razia Sultan and Prithviraj Chauhan, he adds, “Soon I realised that I was head down in the bread and butter fight and limited to a certain boundary. It started giving me feeling of a 9-5 job heading everywhere. My creativity was dying!”
Having turned 34, he feels experience is very important in life. “Being an outsider, I learnt while on the job. After eight years in the industry, I have realised that everyone has to choose their own path. Earlier, I was just following people like Irfaan sir, Guru Dutta saheb and Tom Hanks. I well understand that those who gained experience and sustained amid odds have become successful in life. That’s why we see journey of a number of successful stars who began at 35. Many of those who become stars very early in life are nowhere today.”
Mastal hails from a tribal village Salkanpur near Bhopal. “I belong to a family of farmers. I completed schooling in my village and then college from Hurshangabad, 21 kms from my home. My journey has been very filmi. I visited my friend who happened to be an assistant director in Baroda. He was shooting for the serial Ankhen (2013). Director Anand Sagar spotted me and we shot a small action sequence for the trailer. It clicked and I got to play the parallel lead. Six years after Sagar sir gave me a big role in Ramayan.”
Earlier, Mastal also did two films including Sakshi (2019) and Suspense (2020). “The timing went wrong as it was just the start of the pandemic. I played a cop in Mohit Raina starrer 21 Sarfraosh Saragarhi, I did Assi, Nabbey, Poore Sau with Rakesh Bapat, I again essayed the role of a cop and elder brother to Darshan Kumaar in Aashram3. I’m doing multi-lingual film Top Gear where I play a drug officer. I have also completed a series directed by Shekar Suri which stars Meka Srikant and Satyadev Kancharana. So, things seem to on right track,” the actor adds.
