Vicky Kaushal on his new film Bhoot – Part One: The Haunted Ship

After receiving coast-to-coast success with record-breaking Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), Vicky Kaushal returns to cinemas to send a chill down your spine with his first horror film Bhoot – Part One: The Haunted Ship. Set on an abandoned ship, the movie is based on a true accident which happened in Mumbai. It also stars Bhumi Pednekar in the lead role, and marks the directorial debut of Bhanu Pratap Singh.

Ahead of the release of the film, Eastern Eye meets the remarkably skilled actor to know more from him about Bhoot – Part One: The Haunted Ship, how different it is from other horror movies Bollywood has produced over the years, and what led him to sign it. Vicky, who has amassed a great following in no time, also opens up about how winning National Film Award has boosted his confidence as an actor.

Bhoot – Part One: The Haunted Ship is your first horror film. How much do you personally like the genre?

I don’t like watching horror films alone. I get scared if I have to watch them alone. But I like watching horror movies with my friends. Movie-watching experiences with friends are always great, especially when you plan an overnight stay at your friend’s place. Whenever I go to my friends’ place, I prefer watching a horror flick because everyone is my group gets easily scared. So, I think, watching horror movies in a group makes for a great community experience.

How did you react when you read the script of the film?

If I tell you the truth, I never thought someone would consider me for a horror film. I never envisaged myself in that genre. But when I was approached for Bhoot, they told me it was an out-and-out horror film. They gave me the script to read. Since it was coming from the house of Dharma Productions, I thought there must be some romantic angle, some song and dance routine as well. After all, how much horror Dharma can put into their films? But when I reached home and started reading the script, I got really scared. I always read scripts at night when there is no noise, nothing. You won’t believe that I was thirsty, but after reading the script, I was so scared to go to the kitchen and get water. I slept.

The next morning, I met the makers and told them that how scared I was of horror films. Besides, there were several under water sequences in the movie, and I am so scared of deep-water bodies as well. I do not swim. The makers thought that I was turning down the offer, but I was charged up to take it on as I wanted to overcome these fears.

Not many mainstream Bollywood actors attempt horror genre.

People always complain that Bollywood horror films are not scary enough; they are risible. I was of the opinion that if we make a good horror film, it may pave the way for other filmmakers to attempt the genre more often. As an audience, we are also looking for the content which is fresh. I thought that it was the right time to take the risk and if a production house like Dharma Productions was backing it, then it would turn out to be a nice film. I had a couple of meetings with my director Bhanu (Pratap Singh) who was very enthusiastic about the film. He watches a lot of horror movies and loves the genre very much. I thought it was good that the person who was making the movie is himself a huge fan of the genre.

Had it not been a Dharma movie, would you have still done it?

Hmm… yes. But it depends a lot on the production house. See, making a film is just a small part of filmmaking and perhaps the easiest one. Pre-production and post-production are the most important aspects of making a film. It is very important that the film reaches to the audience. At times what happens is that you make a good film, but the production house backing it lacks the means to release it properly. There are banners that just think about making a movie but do not have a vision, a strategy to take it to the audience. When you do a film with an established banner, you know that they will ensure a good widespread release. We do not work for ourselves; we work hard so that our film reaches to the audience. Whether they like it or not, it depends on them. The audience is the king.

You signed Bhoot way before the release of Uri: The Surgical Strike. Do you think that the colossal success of the military action film will benefit you here?

No. On the other hand, I am very scared. The success of a film brings along some responsibility. The audience starts expecting something from you. They pin their hopes on you and expect that you will keep doing good work and impress them every time. But it is a good responsibility that does not let you fly and keeps you grounded. It is also like a reality check for you as an actor. It motivates you to keep working on your craft and not be complacent.

The audience loved your performance as an army officer in Uri: The Surgical Strike. Similarly, your younger brother, Sunny Kaushal, also drew raves for his performance as an Azad Hindi Fauj officer in webseries The Forgotten Army. Do you feel your brother is emerging as a strong competitor?

(Laughs) Sunny is a far better actor than I am and I am really happy that he has started getting good offers now. He is currently doing a film called Shiddat with Dinesh Vijan. After Shiddat, he stars in Hurdang. He has been offered the male lead roles in both films.

Our journey has been quite similar. There is not much age difference between us; he is just 1 year 4 months younger than me. We have lived through the audition phase together. We have shot each other’s audition tapes in our rooms. If he was doing some scene, I would hold the camera. If I had to send my audition tape to someone, I would ask him and he would shoot it. We have done all of this for each other. So, when I see that Sunny is also getting exciting offers, it makes me supremely happy as an elder brother. The good part about our journey is that everything happened very organically. We did not get anything served on our platter, be it opportunities or the success. We toiled, struggled and climbed every step of the ladder of success. That is why we know the importance of success and do not take it for granted. I am itching to work with him on a project.

How different Bhoot – Part One: The Haunted Ship is from other horror movies that Bollywood has produced over the years?

I think that the geography of this horror film is very different. Usually, the horror movies that we see are more often that not set in a house or some old, dilapidated fort. Or, at times, a sprawling bungalow which no one has used for years and suddenly someone comes and a series of spooky things start happening. This film is different because it is set on a ship.

According to you, why do not many people take a Bollywood horror film so seriously?

Because they did not like after watching them. That is why they have less expectations from such movies. Apart from Raaz (2002), there is no horror film franchise in Bollywood. In Hollywood, all the successful horror films have been developed into franchise, be it Annabelle or Conjuring. While making a horror movie here, we tend to Bollywoodize it by adding songs and dance. We package it in a manner that it has everything that any other Bollywood film will have: songs, action, romance, etc. But we have tried not to fall prey to that packaging. Bhoot is just a horror film. It does not have comedy, action or romance. What all you get here is a story weaved around horror. It sticks to that. It is a very tight film. It is not very lengthy. The audience will come to watch our film for horror and we will serve them just that.

How winning the prestigious National Film Award boosted your confidence as an actor?

When my name was announced for the National Award, I could not believe it. It took a lot of time to sink. People do not dare to dream of getting a National Award even after working for several years. After toiling hard for years on end, somewhere a thought flashes across your mind that okay now I should get it. In my case, I had just begun my journey and, on one fine day, I get the news that I have been chosen for the prestigious honour. I was like, ‘Is it true?’. I did not know how to react. But it was indeed a very happy moment for me. I feel really great that I have won this award.

At times, when I read some articles, I see they begin with introducing me as a “National Award-winning actor”. I pinch myself. It makes me immensely happy. It does boost your confidence. When you get such a great honour at a time when you are trying to prove yourself, it motivates you to work even harder. It feels like a pat on the back.

Bhoot – Part One: The Haunted Ship enters theatres on 21^st February, 2020.