Actor Aseem Hattangady, who is receiving a lot of appreciation for his work in the recently released streaming series ‘Scoop’, shared an interesting anecdote from the shooting of the show.
The actor recalled how the director of the show Hansal Mehta of ‘Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story’ fame cooked delicious meals for the cast and the crew of ‘Scoop’.
Recalling the memorable moment from the set, Aseem shared, “It was my first day of shooting. I had finished my scenes and packed up late in the evening to head home when I was told to wait by Hansal sir. The shoot wrapped up for the day and I was called on location. I entered the room with a balcony and there was Hansal Mehta cooking his most fragrant non-vegetarian curry. He looked at me and smiled, he had made it for the entire unit. We all had dinner together and it felt so good to be included that way. He is an excellent director, great cook, and overall a wonderful human.”
He lavished praise on the director for his process, saying that he gives full freedom to his actors to play their own interpretation. He would watch the actors rehearse before the take and make minute changes if necessary.
In ‘Scoop’, Aseem plays the role of a journalist, Sandeep Narvekar who proves to be pivotal in the narrative.
Talking about the challenges of playing the character, he said, “The script has been meticulously prepared, which allows for a much easier interpretive process. I believe preparation is the key to success when it comes to a role. All I did was prepare myself by reading the script thoroughly and taking notes on what each scene was about. I tried my best to understand my character’s intentions and motivations and also worked very hard with my director to ensure that I stayed true to the script throughout the process.”
He said, “My character Sandeep has several notable differences from myself in real life, so performing as him was an out-of-the-ordinary experience for me, but one of the greatest things I’ve ever done while acting. He’s extremely reserved in tone compared to myself, so portraying this side of myself required some time getting used to, because this is not how I generally roll in real life. It was very fun trying something very different from what I’d usually do, yet still staying true to the character Sandeep on screen.”
‘Scoop’ is streaming on Netflix.
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