Abhilash Thapliyal, the man behind MufflerMan, talks to SHAlINI SAKSENA about his journey from being a voice-over artist, an RJ and now an actor
How did MufflerMan happenIJ
When the Anna Hazare movement had started, I was so taken in by what he was talking about. Then I saw that Arvind Kejriwal was the main face. I even voted for him twice. But was saddened after he took oath and started sitting on dharnas. I was so disappointed and felt that my vote had been wasted. So I made a video with a friend. The next day, almost all media channels had picked it up; the video had gone viral! These videos are a good platform to do something for the society and talk about what the people in North India feel.
Do you think there will be more political satiresIJ
At present, when it comes to online, MufflerMan is the only character. Though there was a time when lalu Prasad, who was sporting enough to take the jokes, ruled through Shekhar Suman’s show. After that I think that only character who has so much content to give is Delhi Chief Minister and I completely own it. The space of political satire is interesting but you have to be intelligent enough to understand what you are saying. Take an example. MufflerMan is being slapped by people. Someone asks why they are doing this. MufflerMan says: ‘They are my fans but have had a misunderstanding. I said dharna but they thought dhar na dhar na. Hence the slaps’.
Is it important to have a person who is colourful in a political satireIJ
Yes, definitely. The thing with political satire is that few people understand. When I came to Mumbai, I found that people were not concerned with the likes of Mulayam Singh or a lalu Prasad. In such a scenario, when you are able to find a public figure who can give you that food for fodder, it works for me and makes things interesting.
You are an RJ, a voice-over artist and now an actor. Is there a transition that is taking place in your careerIJ
I am a performer at heart and still an RJ. Online is something that you shoot at home. Movie is something like when a person goes to New York or london for a holiday. TV is something that is studio-based. These are different platforms. But RJing is totally different. People don’t listen to a radio because they want to. They probably do so while driving. Radio is an exciting medium where one gets a feedback instantly. One has to be very careful while giving any kind of information over the radio.
Is there a particular platform you preferIJ
I would like to experiment. I want to do things that I have not done before. While in Delhi, I was part of so many things but I wanted to do more. Therefore, I shift to Mumbai and experiment with my career. I don’t want to be a part of only one stream, if one can do 10 different things, why not.
Tell us about your movie — MakhnaIJ
Tevar’s director Amit Sharma had come to Delhi and I had interviewed him. In fact, I had done a MufflerMan video for them. Sharma asked me for my mobile and wanted to know if there was a chance that I would come to Mumbai. Eventually, I did make my way to the city. In July 2016, I get a call asking me if my passport was in order. I was told that I am doing a film of Pooja Films. later I came to know it was Vashu Bhagnani’s production house. When I went to the sets, I was surprised to see Taapsee Pannu and Saqib Saleem. They are such lovely people. Both are from Delhi. We had so much fun shooting in london, etc.
Would you consider yourself a starIJ
Not at all. In fact, this is the worst mistake an actor can make. I am sure even our superstars don’t think that they are stars. Once you start thinking on these lines your downfall is imminent.
Has your move to Mumbai been good for your careerIJ
The move has been good for me so far. It was a calculated one. At 27, I took this decision because I didn’t want, at 37, to have regrets. It was a very personal move taken after several considerations. Each person’s journey is different and one should not copy what the other has done.
What next for youIJ
I have a few projects in hand. There is a TV show in the pipeline. But what I really want is to be a TV host. The hosting space on the small screen in vacant, the only person who is good is Manish Paul.