May 06, 2026 12:04pm IST
Neil Bhoopalam: ‘I’m Shooting for an Indie Comedy Film ‘Gadhey,’ which Falls Under the Stoner Genre’
It is impossible to walk away from a conversation with Neil Bhoopalam without being moved by his lifelong reverence for theater. The VJ-turned-actor believes that it is a blessing to be able to convert one’s calling into their profession, and he is one of the lucky few who got to do that. Neil, who has been a part of some high-profile movies such as “No One Killed Jessica,” “NH10,” “Shakuntala Devi” and more recently, “Chhaava” is also a familiar face on OTT with shows such as “24,” “Four More Shots Please,” “Masaba Masaba” and “Made in Heaven.” However, when it comes to feeding his soul, it is theater that has nurtured him.
His latest play, “Death and the Maiden” at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai – Neil believes – is something people need to watch and experience. In conversation with Variety India, Neil shares his views on stagecraft, working in different mediums and what he is excited about next:
When did you first come across the text of “Death & the Maiden”?
It was Ira Dubey who introduced me to it. She was keen on doing this play a couple of years ago. I thought it was too heavy and I wanted to do a comedy (smiles). But when I heard that Bruce Guthrie was directing it for the NCPA, I wanted to be a part of it. I’m a huge fan of his, ever since I worked with him in “Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.” Plus, it has Ira and Vivek Gomber, who is a dear friend. Once I started reading the play, I thought this was something people need to watch and experience.
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What about it?
How do you try to get over the past, and how do you live with it? I think that is what the play is about. These characters are in a world where they’re moving from dictatorship to democracy. It is a tough transition. What does it do to people’s lives? It is very difficult to explain this play in a line or two. I can just say that it is a psychological drama. I play Dr. Roberto Miranda, who comes to someone’s house and is taken hostage there. He gets accused of his past, of the things he did to the lady of the house. The audience has to decide if it is true or false.
You have been consistent with theater. What keeps you going?
This art form really suits me. I ventured into it when I was 19 years of age, when Atul Kumar introduced me to theater. I love the camaraderie it offers – to come together with a goal and spend time with good people for the purpose of putting up a show. My policy as a performer is to do one new play every year. This year, I will probably do two more plays. I take my work very seriously. This is my duty. There are many times I feel that I exist only to act. As Kahlil Gibran says in one of his poems, work is your only way to show your love to the world.
Theater is also a place where you don’t get stereotyped, right?
Absolutely. It is also character-building. Every time I play a character, some of my soul gets polished up. Just like in cricket, you have boundaries. After every play, I realize my boundary has expanded a bit more. It helps me with my understanding of the world and of life. These are benefits that no amount of money can buy.
Your latest OTT release was the Rajat Kapoor-directorial whodunit “Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa.” How was it to work with him again?
We have worked together in the film ‘Fatso,’ which he directed, and then the play ‘Hamlet - The Clown Prince,’ which rocked my world. Films like ‘ELSH’ are a marriage of stagecraft and filmcraft. We worked on it like we would for a play. We would read the scenes over tea in the evenings, and once the sun had set, we would shoot.
You also acted in a few short films recently, including the horror film called “Zarax” and Imaad Shah’s “Tuesday Women,” based on Haruki Murakami’s three short stories…
The director of ‘Zarax,’ Salil Jason Fernandez, and I were in college together, and I had also acted in his college application film. He had a really cool sort of twist for this short horror film, and I was really glad to be part of it. I shot for Imaad’s film almost 12 years ago. The entire film has my voiceover, and every year, we would sit together and go over it. He’s a music genius, and we would polish it up. It is because of Imaad’s vision of performance, cinema and music, that this has come together. We had massive licensing issues because it was Murakami and the feather in my hat is that Murakami himself has seen the film! He is aware of my existence (laughs). That is an award by itself.
What’s next?
I’m shooting for a comedy film called ‘Gadhey.’ It is an independent film and falls under the stoner genre. I’m also a part of Nikhil Advani’s series ‘The Revolutionaries’ on Prime Video. It is a small but powerful role.
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