Sumeet Vyas was perhaps the first actor to big it big through YouTube content and later on through OTT, one could say that he would his momentum there. Over the years, he has gone on to impress audiences and critics alike with his incredible acting prowess and it is wise to say that he is never scared to experiment. Sumeet with ease has dabbled into different genres and has been successful in portraying roles of varied kinds. While his fans have mostly known him as an actor par excellence, a little while back he also made his directorial debut. A debut that has left OTT consumers absolutely stunned.
In an exclusive conversation with International Business Times, Sumeet spoke about what he still likes about theatre, why even after a phenomenal directorial debut he would always choose acting over everything else and multiple other things close to his heart.
He is truly one of those who has explored almost all mediums of storytelling but what is it about the stage and theatre that still liberates him? When asked the same, Sumeet said, "Well theatre is essentially an actor's medium, so if you are an actor, that is why most actors do gravitate towards theatre even if they do cinema or television or whatever other formats they decide to do. They keep coming back to theatre primarily because there is no other art form that allows actors to really indulge in their craft as much as theatre does. For me especially, I literally grew up doing theatre- I have been doing it since I was 17, it has been several decades. Most of my education has happened because of theatre whether it is in the field of arts or psychology or history. Whatever I have read and learnt has happened invariably because of theatre. This is why I keep coming back to the theatre."
Sumeet made his directorial debut in 2024 with Raat Jawan Hai on SonyLIV. The series has been receiving a lot of appreciation from critics and fans alike. Talking about what 2025 is looking for him so far Sumeet explained all the things he is grateful for, however, he refrained from mentioning the things that have not worked for him this far considering he is hopeful that they too will eventually work out for him.
Sumeet mentioned, "Well this year, like most years in the past has started out with speed bumps as well as a few speed runs. A show I did for Sony Liv has been nominated for Critics Choice, so that is quite humbling and lovely. One is to be able to finish something that they have started- it is a different ball game altogether, a show requires a lot of time, energy and effort than the effort required in putting up a play, I managed to do that which is quite humbling. The fact that it is being appreciated it is the cherry on the top."
He further added, "I am getting to act in a play called Saanp Seedhi and I am acting with people I love and have known for a large part of my life, so that is a huge plus. These are the good parts of the year, let me not speak about the parts that did not work because I am hopeful they will work out in one way or the other."
The 'Tripling' actor is a part of Saanp Seedhi which is an adaptation of one of the most successful stage thrillers ever, Sleuth. The original play, which received a thundering response due to its humour and edge-of-the-seat drama, won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1971 and has since then captivated the audience through three cinematic adaptations. Out of the three, the 1973 film starring Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier won the Academy Award, cementing its stature as the finest thriller.
Sumeet mentioned that he has had 'Sleuth' on his radar for years now when asked what it felt like to be a part of an adaption of something as iconic as 'Sleuth'.
He said, "Well, 'Sleuth' has been on my radar for quite a few years. I guess 10 years ago, I had picked up the script and we were going to do an adaptation of sorts but for some reason, it did not work out. I have seen the film, and in India many years ago Naseer Sir and Paresh Rawal ji had done a version. It's been years since anyone has worked on it and I am glad we are doing an adaptation instead of taking the material as is because then you are able to do your take on the script. A script that has been a classic and a lot of actors have done it across the world. So why do you want to do it, what are you bringing to the table, there is a risk involved when you are adapting a certain material but that is the only way you are going to see some reward. I like that, I like doing adaptations because then it allows us to present our take on the material."
Talking about Saanp Seedhi and working with Kumud Mishra, he said that he has known Mishra for close to twenty years or more. He said, "We have worked with each other on so many shows and films, so we have always had chemistry. We are both avid motorcycle lovers, so we go on motorcycle trips together. We just keep finding projects together so that we can hang out more. The chemistry is and was always there. I hope it comes through on stage."
Going back to his directorial debut, which created a lot of buzz, Sumeet articulately expressed why he chose acting above all and clearly distinguished between what, according to him, sets acting and direction apart.
He mentioned, "Directing a show was very interesting, I was also happy that I was not acting because for me it takes away the joy of directing, so it was nice that I was sitting behind the camera. I could direct actors, I could put the show together, sit on the edit, sit on the background music, and plan shots, so I had more perspective I feel. It was lovely. I am actually acting in front of the camera right now, I am doing a show with Netflix, and it is nice, and feels more relaxing after you have directed a show because you are in charge of only one character that you have to come and play- that's all, you don't have to do anything else, so it feels like less work and you have more time to do that work you are supposed to do and you are paid to do and have more fun with it."
"I actually find it more fun to act in front of the camera now that I have directed- now I know what the rest of the unit is going through and they are really struggling, there are so many factors that come into play when you are directing or producing a show whereas when you are acting you are only in charge of your character and you want to do it to the best of your capabilities and be the least amount of hindrance for everybody else, while they are trying to put up a show. Given a choice, I would choose acting always, once an actor always an actor- it is far more cathartic," he added.
When speaking about Sumeet, one must never forget that he was one of the first few stars who, according to netizens, gained major momentum because of OTT. Looking back at what the show Permanent Roommates went on to do in terms of taking Indian content to a whole new league, the actor spoke about what made the show stand out in the day. He admitted that the show not only changed the way content was being produced in India but also helped his career in more ways than one.
"I was lucky and blessed to be one of the first few ones to reap the benefits of OTT, in fact, our show Permanent Roommates was the first OTT series in India. It was an experiment that I was a part of, I contributed as much as I could. What TVF had done, nobody in India had thought of doing so in the country back then. It was not a popular format back then, and it was especially not something people were willing to put their money on, no network wanted to do it. So we did it on YouTube and it exploded, it disturbed the statistics of what was the right kind of content that was being consumed on YouTube, nobody was doing fiction shows on the platform before we did it and we were able to reach a large audience because of that. It really helped us, it helped my career a lot, and it got me the kind of exposure that I had not experienced before. It has and will always be a very very special thing to have happened to me," said Sumeet.
The actor while talking about OTT shows said, "I followed this show (Permanent Roommates) with many other shows like 'Tripling' which I also wrote with my friend Akarsh Khurana and acted in it. This medium has helped a lot of actors because suddenly filmmakers and producers realised that they do not have to follow a set pattern to tell their kind of story. However, with larger corporations coming into play things are changing. With money being a part of it people now want to play it safe, they want to find some kind of structure. Essentially, when money comes in people want to mass produce art, the thing with art, and this is what I believe is, you cannot mass produce it, you cannot even reproduce it. The beauty of art is it cannot be recreated, it has to be something new, something else every time, it cannot be a formula."
Sumeet never shies away from experimental roles, his work so far is proof of the same. He expressed that there are multiple directors that he would like to work with in the future. His list included names like Sriram Raghavan, Anubhav Sinha, Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti.
