As he reprises his role in Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story, actor Kay Kay Menon tells Saimi Sattar that he does not hang himself to the destiny of any project

For cinema-goers, the name Kay Kay Menon is synonymous with some riveting content. While his first theatre break was opposite Naseeruddin Shah in Feroz Abbas Khan's Mahatma vs Gandhi, it was in the Zee TV series Pradhan Mantri (2001), directed by Ketan Mehta, that he charmed the camera. A consummate actor, each of his outings has him portraying a character that has several layers. Whether it is the St Stephens-educated Siddharth Tyabji of Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003) who gets caught in the whirlwind of the Emergency or the sleazy producer, Vishnu Nagare in Sarkar (2005) or the scheming Khurram Meer in Haider (2014), each character is meticulously fleshed out. The actor talks about his craft, films and Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story. 

 Himmat Sigh is an enigma. Was that an important reason why you said yes to the role?

There were several reasons. One is the directors, Neeraj Pandey and Shivam Nair. There were other different ones too  — the writing, the way the character shaped up, the entire spectrum of the character. So, I find Himmat Singh an extremely interesting character for any actor to play.  That too is a rationale why I took it up.

 Usually, the seasons of a series run chronologically. But Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story is a prequel to the first one... Was this always planned? Or was it because the previous one was a success?

This is something that Neeraj would be able to answer better. But from what I gather, it was not because of the success of the first season. A creative mind works in weird ways. And Neeraj has an extremely creative one. It could have just dawned on him one fine day that let’s do a back story of Himmat Singh. That could have been the origin.

Was there any special preparation that went into the character?

The usual. I perform people and not roles. I prepare within the parameters of the script and that is the vision of the director and the person who has written it. I keep myself confined in that vision and then prod further in terms of reading up the script and finding out the meaning in the text. I read the text a thousand times to find that eureka moment. There can be hidden factors at the sub-textual level. These are the processes of an actor. I have several discussions with the writer and the director. That has been my process throughout and that is the way fiction needs to be tackled.

 While Special Ops looks at the working of an institution, Shaurya, a film, that you did depicted the internal operation and its failings. Can something like that be made now?

As long as there is good storytelling anything can be made. There is nothing like now or before. There is no problem at all. And both are fiction.

You started with marketing. How did you get interested in acting?

I was treading a different path not completely aligned with my talent. I guess that happens with most people. I believe that every person is bestowed with talent but his or her desires might be different. So, the twain don’t meet. More often than not people go by what they desire rather than what they are bestowed with. So, the easiest way to do that is by finding out what comes naturally to them. One can be bestowed with a talent like carpentry or interior design or something else... while one is trying to be an actor. You have to identify it. The moment I identified mine, I got back into acting. I say, ‘got back’ as I had been on the stage since the age of nine. But it was always a side job. I am a Physics graduate who did an MBA and marketing but all those were desires to have a decent career, money and all that stuff. At some point, I realised that my calling was different and it was to be an actor.

Mahatma Vs Gandhi, one of your first big theatre outings, was with Naseeruddin Shah. Was that intimidating?

I do not get close to getting intimidated by anyone in the field that I am good in. For me, the whole process was very interesting. At the rehearsal, you watch people who are stalwarts and you learn a lot about the art and the craft. It is said, ‘Acting can never be taught but acting can be learnt’. It was a journey and it was fruitful as I could gather a lot of things and hone my skills as an actor.

Your initial releases — Paanch, Black Friday, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi — got delayed. Was that disheartening and how did you keep yourself motivated?

It taught me lessons... while I was expecting that one release should change the world of cinema. Of course, there was frustration and anger initially. But I learnt something from all these delays which I follow even today. It is to be dispassionately passionate about my work. This means that till the last day that I am working on the project I am extremely passionate but, once it is over, I do not hang myself to its destiny. That film, after its birth, has its destiny. It helps to keep me balanced so that success won’t go to my head and failure won’t make me distraught.

Whether it is Sarkar, Gulaal, Haider, or any of the other grey characters you’ve played, you seem to sink your teeth into the role. Do you think these offer more scope?

I don’t apply that criteria. There was also a Partho of Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. There are so many others that are on the other side of grey. I really don’t think it is essential to choose like that. Choose, rather, based on what interests you. There is no overriding principle that you should do something. If you are topically reading something and it interests you, then go ahead and do it. Subjectively speaking, of course. There is no objective way to analyse it.

Are there many permutations and combinations — the director, role, story and more — that influence you in signing up for a role?

Of course, there are many factors. Acting is the world’s most difficult organised art. The reason is that in any organised form of profession, the constants are more than the variables. Percentage-wise, it might be 80 for constants and 20 for variables. In cinema, it is just the opposite. A small cloud cover or even the slightest drizzle can completely mess up your shoot. It is one of the most difficult organised endeavours so the entire team has to be credited for whatever you, as an actor, are applauded for. It is because all the variables were taken care of that you could perform so well. People don’t know much about it but the entire team comes together to make it happen. In any other organisation, constants are more so even a computer can do the job.

Would you say storytelling has become more nuanced because of the coming of OTT platforms? Or is the audience propelling this demand for content-rich series where the star is not so important?

It also has to do with the medium. A few things are very different in OTT. A film is about two-and-a-half hours, a TV series is never-ending and this is somewhere in between. It is about eight to 10 episodes, which is about the optimum length to flesh out both the story and the character. The other factor, that is different from other mediums, is that the audience has the button. It is more like individual viewing. Hence, content becomes very important as individuals watch things with much more gravity than in a mass, unlike cinema that has its own charm as mass psychology works. When you are watching a film in a theatre and the hero turns in slow motion, everyone starts whistling. You don’t do that when you are alone. It is a mass syndrome. These are things that I doubt that an individual watching a film on his iPad will do. He won’t start dancing to a Sheila ki Jawani. Films, TV and OTT are different viewing mediums, none less than the other. The craft needs to adapt to each. So, you make each episode in a manner that you leave it on a cliffhanger to ensure that people watch the next one. Storytelling, the way you do it, is different.

What are the advantages each of the mediums — films, OTT, theatre — brings to the actor’s craft?

What you gain depends upon you and not the medium. If you have an open and fertile mind, you can gain a lot. As far as theatre is concerned, it is a completely different medium. The operations and craft are completely different. The actor does not differentiate. When I am talking about different mediums, I am referring to how the makers have to think to craft the content in terms of web, cinema or TV series. The craft, for actors, remains the same and we aren’t doing less or more acting depending upon the medium. Actors have to apply themselves to their craft. Their sincerity and dedication remain the same. 

Future projects

Same standard answer... lawyers are very powerful and the contracts don’t allow you permission to speak. But interesting stuff coming up.

(The show starts streaming from November 12 on Disney+ Hotstar.)