The fear factor

Actor Vikrant Massey says he isn’t afraid of failure, but scared of being repetitive 

Actor Vikrant Massey says the fear of creative repetition worries him more than failure of his movies, which is why is constantly trying to reinvent himself in his movie roles. Massey, widely recognised for his critically acclaimed roles in films and OTT series such as 12th Fail, Sector 36, Pritam and Pedro, Broken but Beautiful, said box office success is also important, but actors worry more about “redundancy” and “repetition”.

“It’s not ok (if a film doesn’t work). You want to make money and more people to watch it. However, in pre-sale, you recover your minimal cost. Of course, you want your film to do those numbers but what’s far scarier is redundancy as an actor, that you (are doing the) same thing,” the actor told PTI.

“So, redundancy, repetition that is something that is almost scary. I’m not scared of failing because when you do things on trial-and-error basis, it has to happen,” he added. Massey took a seven-month break from work in 2024 after feeling that he was becoming repetitive, and he said used this time to revisit his own performances.

“I watched all my films, some at least two to three times to rework (things) and it’s very important to do so. The world is moving at such an unprecedented pace... So, as a creative artist, you have to keep upgrading yourself.” The 39-year-old actor is awaiting the release of his OTT series, Musafir Café, which marks his debut as a producer. He is also working on the biopic on spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tentatively titled White, Yaar Jigri with actor Sunny Singh of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018) fame, among others.

Despite being advised to stick to a certain image following his National Award win, Massey said he prefers to take risks and choose stories across formats. He won the top honour at the 71st National Film Awards for his performance in 12th Fail. “I won’t lie, I always wanted to shoulder films, to play meatier parts, to drive the story. When I’m getting those opportunities, I’m very happy about it. A lot of people told me, you are a national award winner, you have become a box office actor, you should not come on OTT,” Massey said.

“Also, when I did Sector 36, a lot of people told me not to do it (playing a negative role) because after Manoj Kumar Sharma, people only want to see your positive image but I’ve always gone against the grain,” he added.