‘Theatre will always remain my first love’

Gopal Datt, a familiar face and voice in Indian theatre, is now an integral part of The Viral Fever’s (TVF) core talent team. He is one of the finest television and theatre actors, and his performances over the years have been very well appreciated by audiences across India and the film fraternity.

We have all seen him in almost every All India Bakchod video, and he will now be seen in a web series Pitchers. He is currently juggling freelance projects with theatre and he confesses that he will never branch away from the latter to pursue his dreams in the film and television industry.

“As an actor it’s great to experiment with every medium. The web series is youth oriented, and it’s good to see youngsters getting together to brainstorm and come up with fresh ideas,” he says. The actor has been seen in movies like Samrat & Co and Filmistaan.

Gopal hails from Nainital and spent his early years in the picturesque hill station. He joined the local theatre group Yug Manch after hearing about it from a friend. His first opportunity came knocking when, on the very first day of the rehearsal, he got a chance to read for a missing actor! After that, there was no looking back.

“I was in high school when I joined theatre and then there was no looking back for me. Theatre will always remain my first love,” he adds. He has also won the Best Supporting Actor for his part in the play Kaumudi at the Mahendra Excellency in Theatre Awards.

His first acting experience was in the TV series Missing followed by a role in the Pankaj Kapoor-directed TV series Drishant. He has now started his own theatre group Aarambh and has produced the much acclaimed Aaj Rang Hai, Ok Tata Bye Bye, Tunni Ki Kahani and many more. “I don’t do many films, as they can typecast you very easily. The only role close to my heart is in the film Filmistan. Even though I had few lines, the character was in itself very strong,” he adds.

His web series Pitchers is about four friends who enter the business world by launching their own start-up company. “I really enjoy working with the TVF guys, they are well informed and intellectuals. All of them are IITians and keep coming up with different ideas. This is what excites me about working with them,” he adds.

zainab.kantawala@goldensparrow.com

Originally published on The Golden Sparrow