Vivek Mushran

Subhash Ghai’s Saudagar (1991), a silver jubilee success all over India and the third highest grossing Indian film of that year, was the perfect launch vehicle for actor Vivek Mushran who essayed the male lead. However, he faced challenges in sustaining his cinematic journey. Despite featuring in films like Saatwan Aasman (1992), Aisi Bhi Kya Jaldi Hai (1996), and Anjaane (2005), he was unable to replicate the success of his debut. Consequently, he transitioned to television and featured in shows such as Star Plus’s Sonpari, Zee TV’s Kitty Party and Doordarshan’s Dil-e-Nadaan, besides making his mark in character roles. If his capacity as a romantic hero was seen in his debut film followed by films like First Love Letter (1991) and Prem Deewane (1992), his gift for comedy was seen in the show Bhaskar Bharti (1999), while Tamasha (2015) and Veere Di Wedding (2018) further showed his versatility as a performer. 

Known for acting in more than 50 films including Ram Jaane (1995), Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai (2000), Maqbool (2003), and Begum Jaan (2017), he has also featured in several TV and web series including Son Pari (2001), Kittie Party (2002-2004), Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (2005), Parichay (2011-2012), Never Kiss Your Best Friend (2020), Marzi (2020), The Talent Manager (2023), and Maamla Legal Hai (2004). He also made his debut as a director with the short Morning Majnu (2018) which he also scripted. In 2004, he provided playback for the action comedy film Paisa Vasool. 

Born on 9 August 1969 in Renukoot, Uttar Pradesh, to parents Anasuya Mushran and Deepak Mushran, he studied at Sherwood College, Nainital. Films beckoned and he succeeded in bagging his debut in well-known filmmaker Subhash Ghai’s drama film Saudagar which released in 1991. Ghai would later reveal that he himself had wished to cast Aamir Khan as the male lead, as the latter’s charm and person matched that of the character Vasu. However, Khan, already a star with films such as Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), declined the offer, deeming the role not sufficiently significant. The role then fell into the hands of Mushran, making him an overnight sensation upon the film’s release.

Saudagar cast Hindi silver screen legends, Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar as warring clan chieftains, who maintained a blood feud for decades and then had to contend with the romance between their respective grandchildren, played by Mushran and Manisha Koirala respectively. The story line was influenced by Shakespeare’s famous play Romeo and Juliet. 

In a more recent interview, Mushran analysed his career pointing out, “I had the chance to work with the biggest superstars and banners, but unfortunately, my career didn’t shape well. Then television happened, and I got lucky, but the TV industry is highly unpredictable if your show is on air people know you, and once it goes off the air, then people may not even remember you. But again luck played its charm on me and casting director Mukesh Chabra gave me the opportunity to work in films like Tamasha (2015) and Begum Jaan (2017), where my work got noticed.”

Discussing what kept him going in his tough times, he maintained, “I kept myself open to every opportunity that came my way, and that kept me going. Length of the role didn’t matter, the substance in the role does matter. It’s not the lead or the second lead that matters, what counts is how you portray that role.”

Getting out of the hero mould proved to be a liberating experience for him. As he said in the interview to Business Standard, “I loved the new range of films that I got to do. I got out of that hero mould. I feel that a hero has limited space to work on. In the character actor space, you can do so much more. I look at everything from a positive side rather than lamenting the past. I am happy with my career right now.”

Tamasha was his first non-hero, non-chocolate boy type of role in a film, and it was after this Imtiaz Ali directorial that some filmmakers were convinced that he could break the image he had created in his first film. Revealing that he would like to be flooded with more acting offers, he shared, “I am a greedy actor. I want to do a lot of work and a lot of variety. I want to be in every film. That is my dream.”

Further assessing his career in an interview to Hindustan Times, he said, “I feel people got stuck with my ‘ILU ILU’ image from Subhai Ghai’s Saudagar. They still remember me from that, though it’s encouraging in a way. Even youngsters and kids, who were not born then, whenever they see me, they mention that [song]. That chocolate boy image was so strong that it stayed on, which is good also but the other side of it is that people don’t see you doing other roles. I am happy that it’s finally changing.”

He also admitted, “As an actor, I’d love to do more and more kind of roles and obviously lead roles too. Basically, you get to only choose from what is offered to you rather than whine about what can be there. I believe in being realistic and do what I am getting. Though, whenever I see any actor doing a great role, whether it’s lead or supporting, there’s that desire that I wish I got to do that. Woh bookh toh rehti hai hamesha.”

Mushran’s range as an actor was further seen in Veere Di Wedding, where he played the character of a gay man, Cookie Chachu, who is Kareena Kapoor’s character’s uncle. He maintained that it was not really tough essaying the character. “As an actor, it’s a challenge to play such a role and the manner that your director wants you to. He (Shashanka Ghosh) didn’t want the character to be in your face. It’s like my character happens to be gay. And that’s what we wanted to show. The difficult part for me was to do less and I had to always keep that in mind and that’s how we got out the beauty of the character.” He also revealed that he had no apprehensions when he first heard the part, explaining that times have changed and viewers have started seeing people as human beings rather than giving them any tags. 

He looked upon his roles in Tamasha and Veere Di Wedding as an opportunity to break perceptions that the industry formed about him. Dubbing himself “the most untapped actor,” he claimed, “Well, I’ve survived but I’m not at all content. I’m really hungry and want to do a lot of good work… There’s so much more in me… I understand it takes time to break them (perceptions) and I hope to do that.”

Besides featuring in many successful TV serials, his recent series include Never Kiss Your Best Friend (2020) in which he played the character Tanie’s father; Marzi (2020) in which he played a weary and cynical senior police officer in the webseries which focuses on the subject of sexual consent; Mai (2022) the crime drama about a grieving mother who discovers the criminals behind her daughter's tragic death, and transforms from meek to merciless to get the real story; Dr Arora (2022) which focuses on the travels of Dr Vishesh Arora, a sex consultant from a small town; the comedy drama The Talent Manager (2023) which offered a dive into the world of showbiz; and Maamla Legal Hai (2024) in which chaos collides with the letter of the law at District Court Patparganj, where quirky employees work to uphold justice but not without a few objections.

In 2018, he wrote, directed and acted in the short Morning Majnu, a take on the entitlement and fearlessness of a man in a position of power, making a comment on sexism and sexual harassment.