EXCLUSIVE | Jim Sarbh: 'Wouldn’t say anything to Homi Bhabha if I met him, would just sit across & observe him'

Jim Sarbh has carved a niche for himself in the industry with his choices of roles as an actor. If you follow his interviews, he seems to be a tough nut to crack, and is very precise and meticulous in his answers.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Sarbh talks about season two of Rocket Boys, playing characters that have actually existed way too often (Sanju, Neerja, Padmaavat), and what if he met Homi J. Bhabha.

Jim, your first film as an actor is a film called Shuruaat Ka Interval back in 2014, and now cut to 2023, how do you see your journey?

That wasn’t a feature film, that was a series of short films. Very honestly, I don’t consider that as my first film, I consider Neerja my first film.

On Rocket Boys season 2 and the excitement

I’m very excited since I also haven’t seen it. I am also going to see it with a lot of excitement and anticipation just like you guys.

On shooting both seasons simultaneously

We got the whole script from the first episode till the last episode of season 2. We did the workshopping process, the readings and rehearsals but it’s the same, it’s just like you’re doing one very long season.

On playing real characters and essaying real-life stories like Padmaavat, Sanju, Neerja, and Rocket Boys.

Yeah I know, this has become the hot question for me now. I also realized yesterday that I have played a lot of characters based on real events. I don’t think about it at all in terms of joy of playing somebody that’s real, I just look at them as the phrase ‘Truth is stranger than fiction’. The best stories already exist, you don’t have to imagine them, you just have to do a good job of telling the stories truthfully, and good amount of suspense and drama. The way I approach it is similar to how I would approach any character because you have to rely on the writing team and the research teams to do their jobs. Then you are required to do what you were talking about; I don’t think you should get bogged down by that part because that is not your job. If I am the researcher or the writer, then it is my job, then I better must have done it all. But I feel an actor’s job is to be truthful, to be entertaining, and most of all, not be boring.

What if you could meet Homi J Bhabha and ask him something!

Never thought about it, never thought about it. You know the truth is I have been asked this before in a variety of ways but not specifically related to Homi Bhabha. I wouldn’t say anything, I would just sit on another table close by and observe him through the course of the evening, and how he talks to other people, what he says, how he behaves. I would be more interested in that; talking means suddenly I have to think about myself, I don’t want to think about myself, I just want to observe that person. There will be a pressure of not letting a great person down, I will feel that kind of nervousness, I don’t want all that. I would just sit quietly on the other table and watch.

On his first experience on stage

My first experience in front of a live audience was in the seventh standard, Romeo and Juliet. I liked it, I like attention, especially when I can hide behind another character so I don’t have to be myself too much. Myself, I like to keep private so it’s a tricky scenario now. A lot of people like to equate their roles with themselves which I don’t like because that’s your work life. In my private life, I like to do whatever, feel free and not feel I have to present a public image. I hate that, I hate that.

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