In a career that has seen him win fans and acclaim on TV and OTT, Nakuul Mehta has seen his fair share of ups and downs. As he takes on the role of a rocket scientist in his new show, Space Gen Chandrayaan, the actor speaks to Hindustan Times about his role, the preparation, and his acting journey so far.
Nakuul Mehta on Space Gen Chandrayaan
Space Gen Chandrayaan is based on ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 mission, dramatising a true story with added fictional elements. Nakuul plays an ISRO scientist in the show, which also stars Shriya Saran and Danish Sait. The actor admits that the hardest part of the performance was delivering his lines and getting the emotions right, while memorising the complex jargon in the dialogue. “That was the major part of my homework,” he says, “The month before the shoot, people must have seen me around Versova, Bandra, and Juhu. I was in different coffee shops because I just wanted to keep reading those technical things so that they don’t sound technical when they come out. And honestly, it was still a struggle whilst I was doing it because I realised, ‘you can say it as many times you are not that guy!’”
To Nakuul, getting the finer details right was important to make the character believable. “In my head. I thought if I can get this right, everything else I will manage. I have the emotion under control; those skills are there, but this is not inherent to me.”
Nakuul on self-worth and self-esteem
The series opens with the failure of Chandrayaan 2, following which Nakuul’s character enters a phase of self-doubt, even believing himself to be a failure. The actor says he has not faced such an existential crisis due to his work. “I’ve never been that person whose self-esteem or self-worth has been tied to my career or work,” he explains, adding, “It could also come from some amount of privilege because I’ve had decent education; my parents have supported me in my dream. I’ve always felt that I am skilled enough to survive in this world, maybe not as an artist but as a human being. I will find things, and I’ll find joy in them. So it’s not like oh, ye nahi chala to kya hoga (what will happen if this does not pan out). I will find joy in whatever and make this life worthy.”
Nakuul says that because of this attitude, he has managed to keep his work and personal lives separate. “Because of that, I also don’t seek entertainment or friendships in my business, hence it becomes damn light to work,” he says.
The birth of his daughter added to that push for work-life balance, says Nakuul. He adds that his two co-stars on Space Gen – Shriya and Danish – are also parents to young children. “I think what is common between the three of us is we’re all new to parenting, which also means you want to finish your work, have a good time, and get home. I’ve always been very focused on that: I work here, and I seek life outside,” says Nakuul.
Space Gen Chandrayaan is currently streaming on JioHotstar.
