Actor Himansh Kohli has been away from the screen for nearly a decade, with his last onscreen appearance in Sweety Weds NRI and Ranchi Dairies (both 2017). Now he will be seen in Aryabhatt Ka Zero, in what he says will be a break from his chocolate boy image that started from his first film, Yaariyan (2014).
"In Aryabhatt Ka Zero, I am seen in a very deglam avatar. I got involved at the writing stage and contributed to different departments. Then I produced a commercial film, Julia aur Kalia, which we shot in Bhowali in Almora district (Uttarakhand). That’s also ready," he tells us.
His intent was to break that Yaariyan image which was repeatedly being offered to me. Though he was absent from the screens, Kohli says he was working behind the camera: "Keeping away from OTT and cinema was intentional. I was away, but was still working with music videos and on my skills. I produced a short film Gehvara (2023), and it travelled a lot and showed a different side of me," he tells us, adding, "I wanted to show what I am capable of. The kind of projects I was getting did not align with the kind of roles I wanted to do. My short film and music videos give a window to the kind of world I believe in and want to project."
Himansh adds, "The kind of projects I was getting were not aligning well with the kind of roles I wanted to do. My short film and music videos give a window of the kind of world I believe in and I want to project. So, I am aiming that both my projects provide me that goonj aur pukar. Makers know my work, but they had seen just one side of me."
Now, he hopes to open a new chapter in his life. "Dynamics nowadays are very challenging, but opportunities are huge. Today, to do your choice of role and for image makeover you need to have control of things beyond acting. The intention of getting into production was to create work for me. Now, you can't serve a film like a fast food. Films of the biggest stars can fail, and an independent film can do wonders," says the Delhite.
Himansh says that he has been "getting wise suggestions that in the industry, dikhte rehna zaroor hai." But he believes that one should do less but good and impactful work. "Creative happiness is important and thereafter, it's all about destiny. In 2017, two of my films (Sweety Weds NRI and Ranchi Dairies) did not work in theatres but later on OTT and YouTube, both got a lot of love from the audience," he says on a signing-off note.
