Dream Catchers

As the youngest of three siblings,Rajat Barmecha,21,has always been the apple of his father’s eye. Growing up in the congested middle-class East Delhi neighbourhood of Yojna Vihar,Barmecha would spend all his spare time catching the latest movie releases with friends over weekends and ‘candid conversations’ with his father about sundry details of his life during the evenings. When he gave his first screen test for the lead role in director Vikramaditya Motwane’s Udaan,Barmecha had to leave behind these familiar moorings and squeeze in to the shoes of the character Rohan Singh,a 17-year-old school boy who was sent away to boarding school at an early age and had not met his parents for years. “I had no reference points to go by. I have always attended a regular day school close to home and had my brother and sister to play with,and being the youngest,have also been the most pampered. I have never had to do without the comforts of home,” says Barmecha,over phone from Mumbai,where he is busy giving promotional interviews for his Bollywood debut in Udaan .

The small budget film produced by Anurag Kashyap,starring Ronit Roy and a few other lesser-known actors is a coming of age story about a father-son relationship. After being suspended by the hostel warden for indiscipline,Rohan Singh is sent home to his father whom he hasn’t seen for eight years and who has remarried after his mother’s death. What follows is the angst-ridden journey undertaken by the duo.

Barmecha moved to Mumbai three years ago,in search of stardom,but had only managed to get commercials before he was cast in Udaan . “I always wanted to act in films. But I received offers for 3-day and 5-day roles early on,which I refused since they lacked substance,” he explains. He was on the threshold of quitting and accepting a job in his cousin’s diamond jewellery business in Delhi when a call for auditions changed his life. “Before the audition I just knew it was an Anurag Kashyap film and was mildly excited by its prospects. But beyond that I was not told about my character’s graph,” he says.

For the role,Barmecha needed to tone down his exuberant personality. “Vikram asked me to spend close to 18 days alone in my room,away from people,so I could sink into the skin of my character. There was no TV,I wasn’t allowed a cellphone and just had my iPod with a Indian Ocean song for company,” recalls Barmecha,about the firstearly days of shooting in Jamshedpur. “I was initially upset by his suggestion,but now I am pleased about it,” he continues. Having never experienced the hardships faced by his character in the film,he often found himself in uncharted territory,but Motwane came to his rescue. “I trusted Vikram’s judgment and he helped me get through my character.”

Ahead of the film’s India release,Barmecha is already beseiged with offers for lead roles. “I have reached here after much struggle. Now I need to be careful about the next step,” he says.