It started out as a shattered dream for him. Jaideep Ahlawat wanted to work in the Indian Army. But after several unsuccessful attempts to clear the interview for the Services Selection Board, the actor finally gave up. And the movie industry is the luckier for it.
Jaideep has portrayed a variety of characters over the years. Most recently, and notably, he was seen essaying the role of Mir Khalid in the Alia Bhatt-starrer, Raazi. So did playing a RAW agent mean that Jaideep’s dream of working for the watan had come true?
“No No! That’s a mirror image of a dream, which is never true. But it was a good feeling to play Mir - a RAW agent. I think the stage was the only place where I felt alive after that. When the Army plan went kaput, I was depressed in a way that made me feel worthless. At the age of 20-21, the kid, the hardcore believer, was shattered. I was in a zone that made me feel like I couldn’t do anything in life. But the stage made me realise that, ‘no, this is good’, it felt like a place where I could release all my emotions. That energy, that anger, that frustration of not making it in the Army, it all went out to the stage.”Jaideep Ahlawat, Actor
The Raazi Prep
The preparations for Raazi were difficult... while Alia Bhatt underwent massive combat training and learnt the Morse code, it wasn’t the same for Jaideep. Jaideep’s Mir uses tough love as a teaching device to ensure Sehmat (Alia) isn’t left vulnerable in enemy land.
“We all underwent combat training, though Sehmat (Alia Bhatt) underwent much more. It was still very painstaking and time consuming, even though I was an athlete in college. It takes time to be truthful and believable. It took a lot of practice to make it look easy on screen.”
The complex character of Mir Khalid, a RAW agent hardened by circumstances, was not easy to play. One of the most poignant scenes in the film was in fact its ending. The emotional breakdown of Sehmat in front of Mir took the most toll on the 38-year-old actor from Rohtak.
“For me, when Mir thinks that he has killed Sehmat, he has to pack his physical things in the bag while packing his emotions in his heart. Then Sehmat comes back - and Mir is a bundle of mixed emotions. He is happy, confused, guilty, he is feeling everything because this is the time Sehmat knows the reality of the spy world, while he (as a trained spy) has been taught to never show emotions. Mir has to be above showing basic human emotions even though he is like a father figure to the girl. That was difficult to portray. A certain maturity was required to play a character, who is a lot older than myself, both in terms of looks and emotions. The emotional graph of the character was essential to map. I read the script so many times just to get that right.”
Being Mir
So how did the Raees actor prepare for the complex role he’s played in Raazi? Ahlawat used the method of repetition to understand Mir’s frame of mind, which eventually led him to make a mind map of Mir Khalid. Of course, his Army prep back in his youth lent a helping hand.
“It starts with the script. After reading and re-reading the script, we started making a background for Mir - since the role is based on an actual person whose identity was secret. So things like body language, and how he would talk - basically what made Mir tick - had to be worked out to make him realistic. I studied quite a bit of history as part of preparing for a career in the Army, which I applied to the preparation of playing Mir. I revisited some literature to understand the political and social background of the time.”
Book to Reel
As Raazi is based on a true story that makes up the book Calling Sehmat written by Harinder Sikka, it would have been imperative for the actor to read the book. But, did he?
“I deliberately chose not to (read the book). I wanted to stick to the script basically. Sometimes, you get deviated even if the slightest variation presents itself. It was a personal choice not the read the book before the film as I wanted to focus mainly on Mir and Sehmat and the complex relationship between the two. I do plan on reading it now because the story would not have been picked if the read wasn’t riveting.”
Working With Meghna Gulzar
Meghna Gulzar, the mastermind behind Raazi, has certainly left an impression on Jaideep. He finds the director’s attention to minute details and the ability to keep an entire unit on track, admirable.
“Sometimes, it is impossible to get diverted from the task at hand, and so direction is required. Meghna (Gulzar) in that sense, always kept me aware of the character, to get me on the path, so to say. This also means that she would have to be equally, if not more, aware of the character. Meghna made sure that we sustain the intensity of the thought, not just the dialogues or the script. She is a master filmmaker. You know, when I watched ‘Talvar’, I only wondered and wished if I could have been in the film, and here I am now.”
Working with Alia Bhatt
Jaideep Ahlawat showers Alia Bhatt with praises, and rightfully so, as she is one the best actors in the country right now. For Jaideep, it isn’t just one quality that makes her stand out as an actor.
“Her vulnerability. Her spontaneity. She is a volcanic actor. She understands the nuances of such a heavy script. She has gone through almost every emotion known to humans in ‘Raazi’, and that too with such ease. This only comes with intense preparation and hard work. Alia is so emotionally rich. It is surely why she is one of the best actors right now.”
Watch Raazi’s trailer here:
(The Quint is now on WhatsApp. To receive handpicked stories on topics you care about, subscribe to our WhatsApp services. Just go to TheQuint.com/WhatsApp and hit send.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)