Avinash Tiwary: ‘It took me 15 years to get my first opportunity in a film’

In his upcoming film, Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, Avinash Tiwary plays a hapless man who becomes the object of a cop’s obsession. For Avinash, facing such obsession is not new, as he has seen it in his fans often. But he says he can also relate to the other character (played by Jimmy Shergill) for his resilience and obsession. In a chat with Hindustan Times before the film’s release, the actor talks about the film and his career. (Also read: Sikandar Ka Muqaddar trailer: Jimmy Shergill, Tamannaah Bhatia, Avinash Tiwary pull off a diamond heist)
Avinash identifies with the resilience shown by both characters in the film. “What really stands out is the resilience of both the characters—the one who is obsessed and the one who is the obsession. That resilience I kind of relate to and connect with.” When asked how he deals with such resilience in real life, he just smiles and says, “You try and not engage. That’s all.”
And while his character may be the one hunted here, Avinash says he has been on the other end, too, in his career. He explains, “It took 15 years for this man to chase this obsession of his. Similarly, it almost took me 15 years to get my first opportunity as an actor in a film. I can relate to that 15 years of resilience to stay in the game. That is something I can connect with and understand.”
The film’s trailer was released last week and one word caught everyone’s attention. A line where Jimmy’s character talks about people’s moolvriti (intuition) has gone viral. Talking about his intuition while picking films, Avinash says he has been lucky that everything he has let go has not worked. “Honestly, everything that I have let go has not done well,” he says with a laugh, adding, “I see and feel ‘thank God’. So, there is no regret. Except for one, which I do not exactly regret leaving, but I wish I could have found time for it. I didn’t want to let it go. I had chased the director, but I had already taken on something else at that time. It just kind of collided. But when I saw it, I wished there was a way I could have done both of those. I have no resentment for doing what I chose.”
Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, directed by Neeraj Pandey, also stars Tamannaah Bhatia in the lead. The film releases on Netflix on November 29.