Vijayendra Kumeria: I think one is born an actor, you either have it or you don’t

Mumbai, May 4 (IANS): Starting his television journey in 2011 with ‘Chotti Bahu 2’, actor Vijayendra Kumeria has done a good number of shows.
Over the years, he has done shows such as ‘Tumhari Paakhi’, ‘Shastri Sisters’, ‘Naagin 4’ and ‘Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha’. The actor, who is presently doing ‘Mose Chhal Kiye Jaaye’, believes there is a long way to go.
“I believe that people consider me a good actor. I have a body of work and a variety of characters to my credit. Every project that I have done I have put my heart and soul in it. From makers to fans, everyone has acknowledged that. I feel grateful,” he says.
The project that has been the turning point of his career, according to him, is ‘Udaan’. “The kind of recognition that show gave me is still helping me get work. As an actor, I got to portray a lot of shades in every track in that show. It was a long-running daily soap and the numbers were good. A lot of people still recognise me as Suraj,” smiles the actor, who is also an entrepreneur.
He runs his production house and recently co-launched an OTT platform called Flock.
Ask if he ever watches films and web series just to observe how the other actor has performed in a particular scene and take inspiration, and he replies, “Whenever I see a series or shows I always observe the actors. As a performer, subconsciously you tend to pick up and learn a lot. I do not go back to watch a particular scene when I am acting, I like to do my scenes my way.”
Vijayendra believes that research is very important for a performer. “When you are doing a particular character you need to know a lot about their profession, mannerisms and lifestyle. Watching films on the similar line helps, but if I have played a role of a police officer only by watching a film that won’t help me at all. Like when I played a visually impaired person [in Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha] I did a lot of research on the Internet apart from watching films and also read up on it,” he adds.
Some people say they are natural actors, while some become one with their sheer hard work. “I think one is born as an actor, you either have it you or don’t. And yes, your skills do get polished with experience and hard work. But I don’t think you can turn yourself into an actor only by hard work,” he says.
Unlike a film where an actor gets to see the final result, in a TV show one gets the opportunity to see episodes and learn what you did right and rectify in the next. “I don’t need to see the episodes to know if I have nailed it or not. Once you give the shot you know it if you have done it right or not. I have this happy smile on my face when I know that I have done a good job. I don’t shy away from taking the credit too,” he concludes.