The (Rising) Legend of Kumud Mishra

In case you are worried there’s going to be a sequel to the recently released The Legend of Michael Mishra starring Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani, no my blog isn’t about that. (Do I hear a collective sigh of relief?) Anyway, today’s post puts under the scanner someone who contributed to the success of films like Rockstar, Filmistan, Badlapur, Airlift, Sultan and Rustom. I’m talking about an actor who has managed to hold his own among the heavily star-led plots of today, to gain a steady spot in many a film as well as win critical acclaim. So say hello to the very ubiquitous character actor Kumud Mishra, who is very well becoming the quintessential supporting cast member in every film of worth these days. A good film is impossible without a cast that manages to convince you of the twists and turns that a story takes you through. What this man is effortlessly able to do is stand out for his performances, each more different than the other. What this essentially does for him is keep him malleable to any form of character- without getting typecast and add to what most actors only aspire to achieve but most often cannot in their lifetime- versatility.

Having your roots in theatre always helps an actor discover aspects and shades to a role he might not have ever dreamt of otherwise. Films are the glamorous outcomes of your creativity. Meanwhile, theatre is what hones its making through learning the grammar of how to assimilate technique and spontaneity to form a novel mix of self-expression. I have met Mr. Mishra much before he hit bull’s eye in Bollywood and remember him as a portly gentleman with a glint in his eye, all excited and a tad impatient to start his workshop with kids during the first edition of the NCPA Summer Fiesta in Mumbai. He was accompanied by another fine actor Gopal Dutt. Little did I know then that this man was going to become such an indelible part of mainstream films that would resound with the impact he left on them, however small or big his role.

So just to start off, Rockstar which propelled Mishra in to the big league of films was a fine example of how he can add an earnest and endearing edge to his characters. In the role as Khatana, a college canteen owner who goes on to offer support as the faithful and well-intentioned agent to an unruly star Ranbir Kapoor, he lends a quiet, all-observing, resilient air to his character throughout the film. You know Ranbir may not achieve redemption in his life but you also know that there is someone who will stand by him, no matter how hard his fall.

In Filmistaan, Mishra dons the forever agitated, fanatic garb of a menacing terrorist pathan, out to kill his Indian hostage at the slightest discrepancy of behaviour. The film for the most part rests on the shoulders of Sharib Hashmi, the kidnapped victim of circumstances, Inaamulhaaq the solicitous caretaker and Mishra who keeps the stoicism of the oppressor intact till the end.

One of my favourite picks among his recent successful outings are however, him as Inspector Govind Mishra in Badlapur. Working on a case without much promise of justice to the wronged, he convincingly magnifies the languorous, ineffectual and ultimately corrupt workings of a decrepit Indian legal system, which has often generated severe criticism, cause for concern, and the need for reform.

The second is his depiction of Joint Secretary Sanjeev Kohli in the Akshay Kumar starrer Airlift, who goes out of his way to play an integral role in the rescue of 1,70,000 Indians in the country’s biggest evacuation operation. We don’t know whether his role has a real counterpart in the incident that unfolded close to three decades ago in Kuwait but his character manages to make you hope that such a man existed, and such men do exist in an otherwise negligent bureaucracy.

Mishra has not stopped to enjoy the laurels of his efforts and has continued to ignite the screen with his passion, albeit in less significant roles in films like Sultan as the hard-to-please wrestling coach Barkat and the incorrigible tabloid editor Erach Billimoria in Rustom.

He is soon to be seen in M.S Dhoni- The Untold Story coaching Sushant Singh Rajput on the cricket field based on Indian captain M S Dhoni’s journey so far. While I hope Mishra continues to get multi-faceted roles which he can bite in to with the same fervour and spark he has shown so far, I am also hoping he can make time to be a part of children’s workshops to hone their artistic skills again!