Sep 07, 2026 10:30am IST
Bhuvan Bam: ‘I Believe People Should Pick Stories First, Then Chase Other Things’ (EXCLUSIVE)
In real life, Bhuvan Bam is known for doing several things: acting, comedy sketches, being a singer-songwriter and a YouTube personality. In the upcoming series, “The Revolutionaries,” based on Sanjeev Sanyal’s “Revolutionaries: The Other Story Of How India Won Its Freedom,” he plays Indian freedom fighter, Rash Behari Bose, the founder of the Indian Independence League and helped organize the Indian National Army (INA). In an exclusive chat with Variety India, he reveals how he came onto the show with doubts, but emerged with a conviction and understanding of what “The Revolutionaries” stood for. Excerpts:
What was the first thing you did on ‘The Revolutionaries’ that you had never done before?
After 12 years, I saw what’s actually under this beard. I was petrified. I was like, “I’ve never seen myself like this.” I was even prepping myself to go to Nikkhil Advani and request him to please let me at least keep a stubble, because I had not seen myself so clean in a long, long while.
But then, with the diet and discipline, I tried to get back on track and after a month or so, I started liking this look. I had all the girls prepped to say, “Wow, you are looking so lovely,” as soon as I came in. I was so sad to hear this! [Laughs] I thought I needed to prepare them, but I didn’t have to.
What went through your mind when you first got the narration for this project?
A lot of things. But I remember asking Nikkhil sIr passionately – because I’m a BA History graduate and studied History (Hons.) in college: “We have seen so many independence and patriotism shows. We know the climax. Why would people want to watch this?”
He said, “People don’t know how.” It’s the story of four boys who did not have any backing and still went on this spree just to get rid of the British. It’s an espionage story. When he said that, I knew what we were there for, and I was sold at that point.
We were on set talking about this. You Google it and realize this actually happened. To pull something like that during those times, when social media and the internet were not there, how do you connect the entire country? How do you bring them together? What they have done is beyond our comprehension.
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What did Nikkhil Advani bring out in you that another director might not have seen?
When you’re starting out and doing your first two or three projects, directors and producers make the safe bet. They make the most obvious choice. I think we are lucky that Nikkhil Sir took this chance on us because we are all fairly known in certain ways, but we’re not huge stars or anything. To take a chance on younger talent and put them on this huge spectacle of a show, I think that is a first for me. To be able to do something that has so much riding on it and have the complete faith of the team around you, without a single iota of doubt, was special.
For me, it has always been about going up a notch — doing something different from the last character I played or the last thing I did. I think this will hopefully break a lot of barriers because there is so much action and so many emotions hitting a different note. I hope it translates and that there are bigger and better things that we all do together.
If you could change or rebel against something in the social media and entertainment space, what would it be?
There are a couple of things. The first will always remain set food. It bugs me so much. I’ve been to so many sets. Good food can actually elevate either your performance or the efficiency of the crew, which I feel is important. The second thing that I’ve recently realized is that multi-movie contracts, where you bind someone for a number of movies, are scary. My question is, if the first one doesn’t work, will they give me a second or a third? If it doesn’t work, then I’m stuck with them for I don’t know how long. What an unfair rule this is!
There is also a larger conversation about working hours on sets. What are your thoughts on that?
If I could change one thing, it would be that most things today are made using the formula first, and then they build a story around it. I feel like people should start picking up stories first and then, later on, chase the stereotypes and all those things. I feel like that would be better because at the end of the day, if we don’t make a story or a film or a show with heart, then everyone who watches it will be able to tell. That’s what I feel with most of the content nowadays. If that can change, it would be commendable.
Did you take anything from ‘The Revolutionaries’ set back home as a keepsake?
I took Bagha Jatin’s (played by Gurfateh Pirzada) kada. So that, and this thing that I used to wear around my neck. Those are the two things that I guess I’ll keep.
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