Sumit Suri’s Surkhaab is getting global accolades. Back home, his next release is Nila Madhab Panda’s Babloo Happy Hai. He spoke to K Bhardwaj
It’s not an easy task for any newcomer to get big banner films like Warning and What The Fish and work with veteran and award-winning filmmakers. But Sumit Suri is an exception. The young actor sounds excited about his future. He will be seen as one of the leads in Nila Madhab Panda’s next, Babloo Happy Hai. The film is about a road trip of three friends, who plan this journey before their nuptials. The star cast also includes young faces like Sahil Anand, Erica Fernandes and Preet Kamal. Working with Panda was like a dream come true for Suri. “I have always been a great fan of his films, be it I Am Kalam or Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid. I approached him the moment I got to know that he was scouting for three fresh faces for his next. He saw my previous performances, spoke for over 20 minutes and selected me. However, I insisted him for the auditions since I didn’t want to let him down,” he says. The film is already in news as Panda would venture into commercial mainstream space with Babloo Happy Hai. “He has always made social, serious yet simple films. For the first time, he has tried his hands on a typical masala entertainer. However, what sets it apart from many other attempts in this genre is that it is not a brainless film. There’s a serious message about how youth tackles relationships in our age. So it will force you to think,” says the actor, adding that the film promises all the sensibilities Panda is often associated with.
Suri plays character of Harry aka virgin king. “He is innocent, lovable and enjoys a lot…but is virgin. So he is on a look out for true love. He adds humour to the script. I think everyone will be able to relate to the character since all of us have done similar acts at some point of time in our lives,” he says.
Born and brought up in Rishikesh, Suri always wanted to be an actor. Being a son of a book store owner, he used to read filmy magazines and would often wonder about the lifestyle of Bollywood actors. Today he cherishes larger-than-life dreams. “I used to think how these stars live, what they eat and how they manage frenzy. I am fortunate that I am in the same city and now struggling to be one of them,” he says.
For Suri, cinema doesn’t have boundaries. Though he doesn’t want to be a method actor, he wants to work with the likes of Anurag Kashyap, Imtiaz Ali and Dibaker Banerjee. “I like to be part of realistic cinema. There’s so much of exciting work and experiments being done. That’s the reason why people with no filmy contacts are flourishing,” he says.
After Babloo Happy Hai, Suri’s next is Surkhaab. It is directed by Sanjay Talreja and is produced by Vivek Kumar Golden Gate Creations USA. The film is doing rounds of international film festivals like london International Film Festival, Toronto International film festival, Annual Houston film festival and The St Tropez International Film Festival and has already won laurels. “It is about women trafficking and I play the antagonist,” he informs.