Ashutosh Rana: Had to convey my grief through silence

A still from the film

It couldn't have been easy to stand out in the populated universe of Pagglait (2021). But you can trust Ashutosh Rana to make his role memorable, regardless of his screen time. The actor infused pathos and vulnerability into his part as he played the grieving father who is grappling with the untimely demise of his son. Rana, a contender for the Best Supporting Actor (Male): Film trophy at the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards, admits that his part in Pagglait was challenging. "Here, most of the characters are vocal, but I had to convey my grief through silence. Mine is the only character that spoke little. My approach towards acting has been that words should be seen, and silences heard. If you crack that, the audience will never forget your performance."

The actor, who has been in the industry for over 25 years, is happy to see the evolution in content. "When I did Dushman [1998] and Sangharsh [1999], such films were considered off-beat. But now, everybody is experimenting because new avenues are available. It's a golden time for actors."

Cast your vote for the Hitlist OTT Awards

Ashutosh Rana has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor (Male): Film category for Pagglait. The other nominees are:

. Pankaj Tripathi (Mimi)
. Paran Bandopadhyay (Bob Biswas)
. Paresh Rawal (Toofaan)
. Sharat Saxena (Sherni)
. Stephen Hogan (Sardar Udham)

Log on to www.radiocity.in/hitlistawards to cast your vote.

You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.

Voting lines close on March 18.