By Durga Chakravarty
Dubai, March 25 (IANS) After working as a child actor in films like "Judaai" and "Ghoonghat", Omkar Kapoor returned to filmdom with Luv Ranjan's "Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2". He says if he was not a part of Bollywood already, he would have been struggling to get into acting.
Omkar, who was also a part of popular films like "Judwaa", "Hero No.1" and "Mela" as a child actor, feels that somewhere child artistes had a shelf life on the silver screen and faded away slowly. But he broke the myth after he was seen on screen in 2015.
"When I was struggling to become an actor once again after my childhood acting career, people told me that child artistes fade away after a certain time. When I got back into acting once again, I had to start from scratch again," Omkar told IANS on the sidelines of the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) here last week.
"There was a long journey and struggle for me to get the film that I got and I hope I proved with 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' that I have come back," he added.
What if he couldn't be an actor?
"If I couldn't be an actor, I would have been a struggling actor all my life. That is the only thing I know, pursue and love. I am passionate about acting... So I would have been a struggling actor," asserted the "Masoom" actor.
Omkar credits the romantic comedy film for breaking the myth for child artistes who could not achieve prominence in the Bollywood.
"It is a good start to the myth that I have broken. I have taken (my) first step to breaking the myth that child actors can't be successful actors later on," he added.
The actor said he has the potential and can work in a myriad of genres. He also says he is not afraid of experimenting even as a newcomer.
"I am a very greedy actor. I think I will experiment in other genres. I want to do a 'Bajirao Mastani' to a 'Badlapur'. I am open to do it and so I am looking forward to such films," he said.
He says he is very keen to act and if he gets a chance to prove his mettle on TV, he would like to be a part of it.
"I think times are changing and television medium, the way the shows are all changing... Like '24' for instance. I would love to experiment (with TV)."
Asked if he is working on any other movie as of now, Omkar said: "There are lots that I am in talks for with. But like they say, success doesn't come often; so I am taking my own sweet time to choose my next film.
"This time I would definitely want to do something different from 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama'. I feel I have a lot of potential."
(The writer's visit is at the invitation of TOIFA organisers. Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in)
