Thoda late hua, but I am finally here: Vatsal Sheth on D-Town debut

Vatsal Sheth, who recently made his D-Town debut with Surprise, says he felt “very nervous” about it. Vatsal, who has done TV shows like Just Mohabbat, Haasil, Ek Hasina Thi and films like Taarzan: The Wonder Car (his Bollywood debut) and Adipurush, says, “Although I am a Gujarati and speak Gujarati, it is a different industry. I hope people in Gujarat will accept me as their own.”

‘Unfortunately, nobody offered me a Gujarati film earlier’
The actor has also shot for another Gujarati film with Esha Kansara and Vrajesh Hirjee. He says, “It’s amazing to see Gujarati cinema doing so well. It is on the rise, and the talent here is amazing. There is Mallhar, Yash (Soni) and many National Award winners. Gujarati films are being remade in Hindi, and even my family watches Gujarati films now. I am happy to be entering the industry; thoda late hua, but I am finally here.”
So, why did it take so long? He shares, “I’ve always wanted to do a Gujarati film, but unfortunately, nobody offered me one. Probably they thought that I am not a Gujarati. Also, the budgets in Hindi films and television are very different, so they must have thought, ‘Yeh Gujarati film karega ya nahi?’”

‘I worked on my Gujarati accent for my D-Town debut’
Vatsal, who has worked in Bollywood for almost 22 years, says, “I speak Gujarati at home. But when it comes to performing in front of the camera, there is a bit of a struggle as I am so used to speaking in Hindi. I become conscious when I have to speak in Gujarati, and I worked hard for my role. I attended workshops for language training and diction. People in Gujarat speak very differently but that’s the challenge for actors, and it was fun to portray the character. My accent is very urban in the film.”
He wants to work in all mediums and says, “I enjoy all the mediums. I also have a web series slated for release later this year. For me, the character and role are most important. When I did Adipurush, I put in a lot of effort and it was also released in many south Indian languages. So, language doesn’t matter for me.”

‘I do whatever my heart tells me’
I was reading an amazing book recently, which talks about how to stop overthinking. I’ve actually applied that. If I really enjoy doing Gujarati films, I will do it. I won’t stop myself, thinking that agar main Gujarati film karunga toh mujhe Hindi ya Tamil offers nahi aayenge. When I took up Ek Hasina Thi, many people told me that I will not get films anymore. But that didn’t happen, and I learnt many things by doing TV. Ek Hasina Thi became the number one show and I got several offers after it. So, I do whatever my heart tells me.

‘Will take some time off when the baby arrives’
Vatsal and his actor-wife Ishita Dutta Sheth are expecting their second child soon. Vatsal says, “I am not taking up any new projects now, since Ishita is due in June. I want to take a paternity break and spend time with Vaayu (their son) and Ishita. A lot is happening in my life right now. The release date of Surprise was preponed. It is an exciting time in my life, and I will take some time off when the baby arrives.”
Asked about how they plan the journey ahead with two kids, he adds, “I like to live in the moment. We know we’ll figure out a way when the baby arrives. I always take inspiration from my parents, and everyone else around me.”