Kay Kay Menon on returning as Himmat Singh in Special Ops 1.5: ‘It’s about relationships, it’s more of a personal journey’-Entertainment News , Firstpost

After having traversed the theatre-television-film format, Kay Kay Menon is in the process of making his mark in the OTT space what he calls as the level playing field, “because the remote is in the hands of the audience, and not the exhibitor or the distributor.”

Menon was recently seen playing the role of a tormented prosthetic man in Netflix India’s Ray anthology, Bahrupiya (Impersonator). His next digital release is action spy thriller Special Ops 1.5.  The second instalment examines the origin and the backstory of Menon’s character Himmat Singh, and traces his journey to becoming the best RAW agent. The Neeraj Pandey series dropped its first season in 2020, days before the lockdown came into effect, and soon became one of the hugely popular web series, centred around a RAW agent on a 19-year hunt to find the brains behind the Parliament attacks of 2001.

In a chat with Firstpost, Menon talks about his love for action, enjoying the attention of youth, and getting more recognition through the digital platform.

Special Ops was well received. It became one of the most engaging shows in the Indian OTT space. Are you anxious about the audience reaction to Special Ops 1.5?

I am never ever anxious after the job is done. I maintain equanimity as far as that is concerned because it is pointless now that the bullet is already fired from the gun. All we can do is be very conscious while making it. We have made the show very passionately with the best of our senses, intelligence… everything put together. Once it is done then it is for the audience to view, and for us to receive both bouquets and brickbats (laughs).

How did you approach the youth part? What was the process?

It is basically bringing in that element within you which is youth. It is like any other character that you play. You sculpt, you remove the excess that is there from within you, and search for particular characteristics for that particular persona that you have within you which matches the character that you play. It is an internal process. I brought in a bit of impulsiveness and everything else that embodies youth, and at the same time, tried keeping the intelligence of  Himmat intact. Later on, that intelligence becomes wisdom in the old Himmat. It was just recalibrating Himmat Singh to portray him in a way that is different yet people can extrapolate that, and say, “Yes, this person can be the younger Himmat Singh, and he can become the older version.” It maintains that kind of a balance. It is a very interesting journey for me. Unlike Special Ops which was plot-oriented, Special Ops 1.5 is a kind of personal story. It is more about relationships. We have explored the possibility of that side of Himmat Singh that people haven’t seen. It is more of a personal journey.

Which one did you enjoy more?

I enjoy Neeraj’s (Pandey, director) writing. Period. He writes so well that when you start reading, half your job is done. His writing is so precise, so succinct, so well thought out. As an actor, all you need to do is explore the depth and the height within that writing. You have the facility of going very internal in your performance. For us actors, it is a pleasure.

You have said that you love action because you are a sportsperson. So you must have really enjoyed doing an action-thriller series? How did you react when you were offered Special Ops?

I have done plenty of work in this genre, and I love it. Being a sportsperson, it comes very naturally to me. This genre is a kind of extension of sports. In sports, you might be hitting, you might be playing without injuring anybody. Similarly in stunts, you do everything possible without injuring yourself or anybody else.

Neeraj, Shital (Bhatia, producer), and I go a long way. We have had a long relationship which started somewhere around 2001-02. For me, it is kind of blind faith. If Neeraj tells me that he is working on something, I will go ahead and do it. I know that here I will not be misused. Whatever will be offered will be commensurate with my calibre. That kind of confidence I have when I am working with them. Even if I don’t hear the story, it is fine with me. For Special Ops, Neeraj told me, “Roughly, this is what I am thinking about,” and I was on. I didn’t even have the screenplay with me. I just had a rough idea.

Youth that might have missed seeing your earlier work on the big screen now seems to be getting familiar with your work with your regular appearance on OTT, as you mentioned recently. Is that an advantage?

Special Ops has definitely become one of my most popular works. Many among the current generation have seen the show. They haven’t had the opportunity one way or the other to watch my other works. So some of them have gone back in retrospect, and seen my earlier work as well after watching Special Ops. This helps you and your work stay alive. It helps you be in the moment, and keeps you in the present. Some of these youngsters have even written to me privately that you have great potential (chuckles).

Most actors/writers/directors in the last 18 to 20 months have said that it is more liberating for them when working for OTT. What are your thoughts?

There are few things about OTT. One is that it is kind of a middle path. Cinema is about two-and-a-half hours long, and television serials comprise endless episodes, so digital is somewhere in between where you have around eight episodes, which is optimal length for a creator to juice out everything — story, characters. And at the same time, the maker is not very worried about the time it comes to a particular emotion.

Also, OTT has given us a level playing field because the remote is in the hands of the audience, and not the exhibitor or the distributor. The fact that your release is not dependent on an exhibitor or a distributor who decides the fate of the film before its release, and perhaps don’t give you enough shows. So everybody gets to play on the same field, and if the content is good, it will succeed. In cinema, only a particular kind of film gets a mega release, which cannot be called a level playing field. You can release whatever you want to release on OTT. Depending upon the content and appreciation of the audience, it will succeed or fail. Sometimes, it gets difficult to release good content in theatres.

You must have never had those box office jitters?

No, never.

I belong to that category of actors who are dispassionately passionate about the film.

Till the time I finish my work, I am extremely passionate. The moment I finish my last day of work I am completely dispassionate about it because everything has been done. Then there is no point in trying to latch on to it all the time and spoil your sleep and mental health. All you need to do is let it go because that particular product has been born now, and what is born has its own destiny. Let it go on its own path.

Are there any challenges when you are doing a thriller as compared to other genres in cinema?

There are no challenges. I categorise any journey as interesting or uninteresting. Yes, there could be fear or inability to do something. We really don’t think of the genre before doing the film. Genre is a post facto statement. After the film is made, probably some cinema expert will categorise it. We are only in the business of storytelling. As long as we can tell that story well, that is where the satisfaction lies.

The series is turning out to be a successful franchise. It looks like there will be many more seasons going further building the universe of Special Ops.

It will all evolve. Neeraj doesn’t plan these things right in the beginning. Ideas gradually come to him, and that is the best way to write. It is the storyteller’s instinct that he wants to tap, something that is inspiring comes to him, and he puts it down on paper. There is no working backwards. Writing should never be a marketing strategy; writing should be an inspirational event. The idea is to write exactly what you felt was very true at that point in time, and that also trickles down the line, and whatever the result would be, you take it on your chin (smiles).

Special Ops 1.5 will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on 12 November.

Seema Sinha is a Mumbai-based mainstream entertainment journalist who has been covering Bollywood and television industry for over two decades. Her forte is candid tell-all interviews, news reporting and newsbreaks, investigative journalism and more. She believes in dismissing what is gossipy, casual, frivolous and fluff.