He has been around in the showbiz for a decade, but no one except the dedicated serial watchers really knew who Indresh Malik was. In the last one month, ever since the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Heera Mandi on Netflix, this Arian has suddenly been thrust into the limelight for his unique portrayal of Ustad ji. His Instagram followers have increased from 2500 to 19000 in just a month. Years ago, he had set out from a cozy home in Delhi to the big bad world of films but it is now that Indresh Malik has arrived!
When I first saw Indresh Malik as Ustaad ji in the series Heeramandi, I really didn’t like him much. He seemed like a conniving fellow who was busy instigating the tawaifs against each other for his own interests. However, slowly as the series progressed, Ustaad ji became more human with his own follies. Indresh’s Malik effortless acting of this LGBTQ man made one believe that he was indeed a real person who would have perhaps walked the lanes of the infamous Heera Mandi or the Diamond Market. Until now, no one really knew who Indresh Malik was but Heera Mandi has catapulted this Delhi guy to the dizzy heights of stardom. When I caught up with him for the telephonic interview, he was as candid as a Dilli wala would be. Some excerpts from the conversation:
How did you venture into acting?
I was born in Ludhiana, Punjab. My mother is from Delhi. My forefathers were from Rawalpindi and Lahore and migrated to India after the partition. I spent my childhood in Delhi and then later studied in Kirori College Delhi where I also trained in theatre under Kewal Arora and Ibrahim Alkazi. I got married when I was about 20 years. My wife is business woman. My parents decided to get me married early because I used to often be featured in newspapers for my portrayal of various characters in plays in college. Though they were happy about my success in theatre but they didn’t want me to get into acting. My father was a very successful businessman, so we had no dearth of money. Now when I think of it, they probably were right in their own way. They probably thought I didn’t have the required height or the body and acting was such an unsure field at the time. So, one fine day I was introduced to this girl who was a family friend and we got married. Though after marriage, I did not actively pursue theatre but still I was passionate about it. So, in those years, I found different ways to remain involved with theatre. For example, I used to sponsor my college plays. My father had multiple business ventures in the 90s like iron and steel, international call centres. We also used to deal in computer parts. But I didn’t have any interest in these businesses. Though I used to help my father in his business but only half-heartedly. I used to find excuses to stay away from business and used to spend my time doing theatre.
Looking back, I really don’t think I had that business acumen. A lot of losses in the business happened because of me. People used to cheat me or run away with my money. My business would fail. Then I used to go to my father and he used to start another venture for me. He was adamant that he would make me a very successful business man. My wife, Leena Malik on the other hand has been a very successful business woman. She used to work in her father’s firm which used to export leather to Russia and Europe. After marriage, I became a dad in a year and got involved in my child. Slowly my business also started booming. However, I didn’t have that shrewdness that is required of a business man. My heart was always elsewhere. Then, I found another outlet for my creativity. I started designing clothes and got my first order from the well-known designer Rohit Bal. Though I didn’t have any formal education in design but from my childhood, I have loved playing with fabrics and designs because I have an innate knack of understanding them.
After my father’s passing, my wife and my brother helmed the business. My wife encouraged me to pursue my passion. Though I call her Simran after marriage, it was she who said the famous dialogue from DDLJ, ‘Ja Simran ja, jeele apni zindagi!
In 2012, I got a call from my college mates Seema and Sudhir who were heading a company called Sunshine Productions. They told me that they wanted me to do a role which would just require five-six days of shooting in Delhi for a series called Karol Bagh. Since it was in Delhi, I agreed. But then my character was liked so much by the viewers that my role lasted for about 2 years and I got nominated and even won many awards for it. Then I bagged another daily soap which required me to shoot in Mumbai. So, for about 1.5 years, I used to travel from Delhi to Mumbai almost every day and shoot both these serials simultaneously.
With time, I got more assignments and I had to shift my base to Mumbai. But my entire family including my mother, my brother and his wife weren’t very happy about it because they felt that I was leaving an established business. It was difficult for me too because I come from a joint family and by then I had already had my second son and I too wasn’t happy about leaving my entire family back in Delhi. It was almost like uprooting my entire existence from Delhi to Mumbai. The only consolation was that I didn’t have to struggle in showbiz as I was already a household name because of my serials. When I came to Mumbai, the rickshaw also didn’t take any money from me because he was a follower of my serial. Soon, I got more work and within a year I got my wife and children here in Mumbai.
How do you get into a psyche of a character? Tell us about your character Ustaad ji?
Half of the work is done if you are given the right briefing. I got a call for audition for this character of Ustaad ji. So, my first few questions are who is the character, what is the age, where is the character from, what kind of language does the character speak, what does he do, is he grey or positive or negative. So if you know all these things about the character, you get a framework in your mind. I like most actors am a very acute observer of people. When I go out and talk to people, I am always noticing the little nuances about people, like the way they speak, their pauses, their hold with their language, their listening power and patience, how they walk, how they eat. There was a time I used to stare at strangers. I remember during the wedding season in Delhi, where the newly wedded couples used to come to the Gurudwara to pray, I used to keep watching these couples. My folks used to scold me for staring. It was like even if someone is crying, instead of pacifying the person, I would be observing how this particular person was crying. My friends used to admonish me and even tell me that I would get beaten up some day for staring like this.
For my role as Ustaad ji in Heera Mandi, I already knew Urdu since my father and mother’s family had migrated from Lahore and Rawalpindi in Pakistan. So I was well versed with the pronunciations and the little nuances of the language. My grandmother was a retired principal who had worked in Lahore. Playing Ustaad ji was interesting because it was a multilayered character and not just a LGBTQ character. Though he had shades of grey and was a conniving person but he also had a warm, human side to him. He had probably faced a lot physical and mental exploitation because of which he had a very vengeful attitude. In the world, not every one gets everything as they say ‘kissi ko mukamal jahan nahin milta.’ So the poor soul is searching for his mukamal jahan!
Is playing such complex characters emotionally taxing?
Yes. I am a very happy-go-lucky person. But let’s say I go for work and I am asked to do a scene where I have to cry my heart out. So, I have to force my mind to come to that level. In the series I had a scene with Sonakshi Sinha where I had to cry and it so happened that even after the director Sanjay Leela Bhansali said ‘cut’ and the shot was over, I still kept crying. The director hugged me and even gave me 500 rupees note as a token of appreciation. But my crying didn’t stop even then. It was almost like I had gone to someplace else in that state.
What do you like doing in your free time?
I like writing poetry. I talk to the fruits and vegetables. I like gardening. I love delving in astrology.
What’s the best piece of advice that you have been given ever?
My father used to always tell me not keep an elephant because if I lose the elephant, I would lose everything but to keep many small goats because even if I lose a couple of goats, I would still have the remaining goats with me. Basically, he wanted to say that make small investments instead of putting everything on one investment.
Why are more and more men playing female characters or third gender? Is it a sign of growing empathy towards women?
I think it is just a trend. Why would women need empathy? I think women are more powerful than men. I don’t understand why people forget that because every man is born from a woman in the first place.
This article by Shailaza Singh appeared in Rashtradoot Newspaper’s Arbit Section on Friday, May 31, 2024
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