Interview: Amit Sadh on AI: I have faith the technology will be used to benefit humans

Indian actor Amit Sadh has been part of many big films and shows in a bunch of critically acclaimed roles that proved his mettle. He has most recently charmed the audience by playing the serious yet intriguing Sammit Patel, a man who comes out of a coma after years in the Zee5 show Duranga.

In an exclusive interview with WION, Sadh talked about how he brought the role of Sammit Patel to life, his preparation, and much more. He also shared his views on AI, a technology that has been perceived as a threat to the human race in many different aspects. Sadh also shared the names of two actors he dreams of working with. To find out who they are, read on!

Edited excerpts from the chat below.

Is that Anushka Sharma trying to hide her baby bump? Watch new video

WION: Your character in Duranga 2 looks very interesting, as he's all set to take revenge on Gulshan Devaiah's character. So, what do you love about the role and find interesting in season 2? 

Amit: For me, Sammit Patel is a character shrouded in mystery and intrigue. He’s a complex individual with hidden motives. He’s also someone you can't put a finger on. Which I think makes him more interesting. He’s been in a coma for 14 years, and how he will wake up, how he moves, his body language, complexity and of course, he wants his identity back. What attracted me towards the show was the script and its unique and very gripping story that immediately caught my attention. It also kind of goes into the dark aspects of human nature, and that complexity appealed to me as an actor.

WION: Tell us more about your character Sammit Patel, how did you prepare for the role and what do you think of it? 

Amit: For the preparation of this role, I had to understand the physicality and emotional depth of this character. One crucial aspect for me was also harnessing the C-shape of the spine, which is fundamental in conveying the character’s emotions and intentions. Like a person, who’s been in a coma for 14 years, how will you walk? how will his spine be? how will his muscles be? Understanding the inner world is when you create it, when you kind of align the physical presence and all this understanding of the emotions. I think this character is so childlike. When he’s angry, he’s angry, when he’s happy he’s happy. For me, it was like creating a physical embodiment that resonates with the audience.

Every character has its own psychosis. I’ve never done a character like this, and I also dedicate considerable time to researching real-life cases of individuals with similar traits and then kind of add my imagination of how I think this character would behave. In that, I think I have gone all out, and it’s been a fun journey for me to also understand the emotional journey of this character and this character's motivation, so it’s like a chef will never like talking about his recipe.

Watch: Salman Khan's hilarious reaction on learning about Tiger 3's 6 am shows

WION: You have played so many roles in your career. Name one character of yours that had a huge impact on you.

Amit: I think it’s my character Kabir Sawant in Breathe: Into the Shadows. Also, I played it for three seasons. I was with that character for 7 years, and it gave me a lot of love. It was a tough character. So, that is something. I mean, I still feel that some parts of that character are still in me, and will take time to go.

WION: OTT has been a game-changer for many actors, and in recent years, we have gotten many good actors from the medium. Your views on this!

Amit: It’s just that in OTT, more movies are coming out, and more web shows coming out. Because the movie business is dominated by distribution aspects, that’s why we can’t make so many movies, and we only have 52 weeks. How many movies do you make? Now because there are so many OTT platforms, you can tell more stories and you’re not worried about distribution. Plus, OTT is under the net, which means you're just not making movies for India, the whole world can watch them, and that means you’re just not making movies for India the whole world can watch and that if you ask me has shrunk the world. It has also brought a lot of inclusivity, a lot of countries understanding each other's cinema, culture, people, and behaviour, and because there’s so much work now, a lot of actors who maybe got ignored or missed because of that distribution pressure got the opportunity. 

For example, I did a movie on ZEE5 called Barot House, which was a huge hit, and it would have never been made if it was just theatrical. So, it’s of course positive, it’s amazing, life is growing, AI is coming, these all tools are here for more work and more distribution, and I just hope we use them properly and responsibly.

WION: When it comes to AI, what do you think of it, especially looking at the actors’ and writers’ strikes in Hollywood?

Amit: My only suggestion to everyone is that we really don’t have much knowledge of it. Just because we think that there is a strike in Hollywood, we are all talking about AI; it’s very integrated. We are not that qualified to talk about it.
I have trust in humanity, I have trust in human leadership, and I know we’ll all have solidarity, whether it is us actors, associations, or different media in different aspects of life where there is human life, there is human talent and human protection. Yes, the world is growing forward, and yes there is the technology and I am sure I have complete faith in the human race that we will utilise these inventions and marvels of today’s world in the world of tomorrow for the benefit and growth of human beings for the livelihood to be protected and the sanity to be protected, so I am very very confident about that. It’s just that I think it’s a nice conversation, everybody saying that AI is going to mess it up. AI is much more integrated. There is much more in our lives than we know.

WION: Over the years, you have worked with so many actors. The one actor that inspired you a lot?

Amit: Working with Mr Amitabh Bachchan was my dream, and I will always cherish that experience for the rest of my life. If there is any actor that I want to work with right now is Shah Rukh sir. I would like to do a movie with Shah Rukh Khan. I just hope he doesn’t make me a villain in it, because I will not be able to hit him. I would like to do a movie with Mohanlal. I dream in my dreams that I'm acting with him.