Manav Kaul reveals he had quit acting before Kai Po Che came his way: ‘It was my youth or arrogance…’

“I do so many things that I may not be available to act at times. Luckily, I have gotten some good roles in the last few years. But I often take breaks, write or be on the stage. That way I compartmentalize my life into all the things that I love,” he shared. And when asked if there was anything big that he lost on, he laughed to say, “Woh chootne ke layak honge (they must have been skippable projects).”

A quick glance at Manav Kaul’s Wikipedia page and you realise he started acting on screen quite late in life. While he had been associated with theatre for years, it took time for him to make a place in the world of cinema. Revealing the secret behind it, the actor said that after a point, he had gotten bored. He decided to quit acting and travel. It was only when he saw that the world has changed, and people were respecting performances that he decided to make a comeback.

“I think it was my youth or arrogance and also the kind of films that were coming my way. I was completely bored on set. It was definitely more about me than others. I decided to leave as I did not want to disrespect what I was doing. I would just say no to everything. Then Kai Po Che came my way, and everything just changed,” he shared.

Referring to starting late, we quizzed Manav if he feels that men have it easier than women, who have the age factor always playing against them. “Yes it is but times have definitely changed. Look at Tabu, I think she is one of the finest actors today, and doing such great projects. Also, for example, something like Delhi Crime or a Fame Game. Today, women are leading projects and it’s a different new world.”

As we also brought up the topic of stereotyping, the actor shared that he too has been a victim of the same. “I would only get negative roles initially. I don’t think there was any villain that was not offered to me. But I am scared of getting cooped and I try to be polite and say no. People sometimes do not understand it but I say no very easily, and more than I say yes. I only pick projects that excite me otherwise I am busy with theatre and writing,” he added.

Manav Kaul further shared that he picks scripts on the basis of whether he will go and watch the film as an audience. Lauding the young blood in the industry, the actor said that there’s a lot of experimentation happening and everyone is no more scared to take risks.