#NewsBytesExclusive: Vivan Bhatena on playing pedophile in 'Kafas'
Actor Vivan Bhatena plays superstar Vikram Bajaj in the recently released series Kafas, co-starring Sharman Joshi and Mona Singh. Bhatena's character is of a pedophile who sexually abuses a 15-year-old. Though he has delivered a fantastic performance, Bhatena says that when the role was offered, he feared he would never be able to recover after playing the character. Read our exclusive conversation.
What made you say yes to the role?
Kafas talks about child sexual abuse. It is important for such shows to come out to tell the people that you do have a voice. You don't have to sit quietly; you can make your voice heard and seek justice. It's a very important message that we have tried to send out, especially for the kids. It's because of the subject I did it.
How difficult was it to play such a character?
When (casting director) Mukesh Chhabra told me about the character, I was kind of shocked. I felt I'll never be able to recover from doing this kind of role. But when I met (director) Sahil Sangha and discussed how it'll be presented, my fears faded. It's done in a way that it puts across the message without relying on a graphic format.
What was the most challenging scene for you?
There's a scene where I lay my hand on the child's leg in an uncomfortable way. Even before shooting it, bombs were blowing off in my mind. I was making sure that Mikhail Gandhi (the teen actor) was fine with it. It was difficult for me to put myself in that position, and I was constantly worried about the impact on the kid.
Is sexual abuse against men taboo in India?
In India, there are a lot of things that are taboo. I've met many boys from smaller towns who've been through these unpleasant experiences. When I started modeling, I had a couple of uncomfortable encounters, too. I was shocked to be approached in that format. What we tend to ignore is the mental impact that it leaves on the person affected by it.
What's the impact that the series wishes to make?
Telling children that nobody can touch them inappropriately is an important lesson that we have to give our kids. We still discount the fact that there's not enough awareness about this (child abuse) among the masses. You read horrific stories of child abuse in the newspapers all the time. It's disheartening! Through this show, we want to get a discussion started on this.
