Bestseller actor Satyajeet Dubey recalls Shah Rukh Khan’s advice: ‘Just keep trying…’

Satyajeet’s latest web series Bestseller premiered on Amazon Prime Video on February 18.

Bestseller revolves around a popular novelist who takes inspiration from the life of a fan to write his next page-turner. But soon enough, lines between fiction and real life start getting blurred, taking us into the depths of human psyche.

Talking about his character Parth Acharya, Satyajeet said, “He’s a simple guy trying to do something big in life. There are interesting layers to it. He’s a complete departure from what I’ve done before. It’s a unique psychological thriller. It is about the traumas humans go through.”

Bestseller has an ensemble star cast also including Mithun Chakraborty, Shruti Haasan, Arjan Bajwa, Gauahar Khan and Sonalee Kulkarni. Satyajeet shared that while he shot his first scene for the show with Mithun Chakraborty, he felt an “interesting artistic vibe” with Shruti Haasan, despite not getting to do any reading workshop with her.

“Mithun Da’s cues are very unpredictable. It’s like a googly. You need to be very sharp to catch it. The nervous energy was there, but somewhere I knew how I’ll approach the character. An actor is as good as his co-actor and there’s always a give and take of ideas.”

From a school boy to an antagonist, Satyajeet Dubey has played varied roles. His last project Mumbai Diaries, where he played a medical intern, received rave reviews. He said he picked the best from what was offered. “For actors like me, I could be slotted as a chocolate hero. Times have become interesting now and I have the good fortune to pick some drastically different characters.”

He, however, added that despite the new found appreciation from the audience, he isn’t happy. The 31-year-old actor said, “I’ll be honest. I am grateful, but not happy at all. I am looking to carry a project on my shoulders. Earlier, I used to get frustrated about why great things are not happening. But then something changed inside me. I was result oriented in my mid-20s and it only caused a lot of anxiety and restlessness. Now, I’m process-oriented.”

Satyajeet Dubey, who hails from Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, will soon be seen in Aye Zindagi alongside Revathi. The actor said he aims at growing as an artiste, adding, “My biggest learning has been that be so damn good that they cannot ignore you!”