Will never do a film that I can’t watch with my family: Hiten Kumar

While some of us might remember him as the lovable hero from films like Desh Re Joya Dada Pardesh Joya and Maiyar Ma Mandu Nathi Lagtu, Hiten Kumar became one of the current generation’s favourite antagonists with his portrayal of Pratap in Vash. The actor says, “I am really enjoying this journey. Now, I am being offered characters which are different and more challenging than what I did when I started acting.”
‘I always wanted to play grey characters’
Kumar, who entered D-Town in 1998 with Unchi Medina Uncha Mol, has played the quintessential hero in several Gujarati films.Talking about exploring grey characters now, the Raado actor says, “It is a conscious choice. When I began my journey as a thespian, I had always wanted to play a grey character. But destiny had other plans and I played the lead hero in most of my films during the 2000s. Now, after Vash, I have been getting a lot of offers to play antagonists or other complex characters, and I am loving it!”
He adds, “For 20 years, I played only positive roles. So, sometimes I take time to get into the character while playing an antagonist. For Vash, it took me seven to eight days to get into the character, and I enjoyed the process. When I am offered such stories, I take time to understand them, introspect and create the necessary body language and psychology of the character.”
‘Our target audience has changed’
Having worked during two drastically different phases of the Gujarati film industry, what changes has he observed over the years? The Chupp actor shares, “Both the phases are praiseworthy, but the biggest change has been in terms of our target audience, which has led to changes in viewership patterns as well. Till 2011, our films were catering to rural audiences in Gujarat, which is almost 85% of the state’s population. Now, although we are technically sound, our films are catering to the urban population, which is 15-20%.”
He adds, “Also, the audience is now accepting our onscreen experiments. It is great to see audiences expecting more from regional cinema. Even other film industries are noticing the subjects that we are working on today.”
I play Janki’s (Bodiwala) father in our recent film, a role completely opposite to our previous film Vash. While I was nervous about the audience’s reactions, I am glad about their response
Earlier, while playing the hero, I tried to experiment as much as I could. Now, I am at a stage where I would like to play more mature, dark characters. However, I will never do a film that I can’t watch with my family