In the realm of Hindi cinema, where language often becomes a character in its own right, Jaideep Ahlawat stands out as a compelling force. Having gained widespread recognition over the past four years, Jaideep compares his journey to a package that has only recently been delivered, despite always holding its contents. He imparts this thought with a characteristic half-smile, thoughtfully pausing our conversation to reflect on his burgeoning career, particularly at the cusp of Zee5’s The Broken News second season launch. This series critiques the moral ambiguities tinged in the world of news presentation.
Jaideep’s ascent in the acting domain initially commenced in 2010, but the defining moment of his career was his portrayal of Hathiram Chaudhary in the groundbreaking series Paatal Lok (2020). Masterfully, Jaideep transcended his robust physical frame to portray the vulnerability of a beleaguered Delhi Police officer from Haryana, virtually embodying the creature that inspired his character’s name. He recalls an interaction with director Vishal Bhardwaj, who acknowledged missing out on Jaideep’s versatility, as a pivotal incident that signaled the opening of new avenues for him.
In his subsequent projects, Jaideep continued his intricate probe into the psyches of multifaceted characters. He portrays Naren in Jaane Jaan and featured in Three of Us, two pieces that challenged him to dig deep into complex emotional landscapes. Speaking about his process, Jaideep emphasizes his approach of letting the character rearrange him through multiple readings of the script. This was evident in his role as Naren, whom he saw as a figure ensnared by a constrained existence — an existence translated into a distinctive walk, perfected over several days on set, evolving discernibly through the narrative.
Jaideep’s exploration of Pradeep Kamat in Three of Us introduced him to what he describes as ‘pure souls’, characters devoid of double agendas, with simplicity etched into their being. Sharing behind-the-scenes insights, Jaideep tells us how he interpreted Pradeep’s backstory, perceiving the character as intrinsically feminine and expressive through the art of embroidery while simultaneously being comfortable within his skin. The absence of manipulative tendencies or jealousy in the character was something Jaideep found refreshingly different.
Graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Jaideep conceptualizes an actor as a prism through which the writer and director’s vision becomes a spectrum of images for the audience — a belief that actors should not overly credit themselves for the transformative light that passes through them.
Conversations then moved to the linguistic panorama in films, where Jaideep candidly discusses the challenges faced during Three of Us, attributed to linguistic disparities. The film, set against a Konkani backdrop, retained Hindi dialogue despite Jaideep’s proficiency in chaste Hindi, a point he raised but which was intentionally styled by director Avinash Arun.
Jaideep then delves into the motivations behind his character, Deepankar Sanyal, in The Broken News, highlighting his journey from a modest village to the convoluted world of sensational journalism. The actor certainly hopes for a measure of introspection within media circles, bringing us back to a childhood recollection when 24-hour news channels were a novelty that initially brought excitement, later giving way to the realization that the creation of news isn’t always straightforward.
As our dialogue comes to a close, Jaideep Ahlawat, a native of Hisar in Haryana, leaves us pondering the evolving facets of information dissemination and the authentic representation of characters on screen. His nuanced understanding of cinema as a mirror to society emphasizes the importance of portraying characters with honesty and depth, reminding audiences that while the spectacle of performance is transient, the resonance of a well-crafted role is eternal.
