Abhishek Banerjee has built a career defined by versatility, taking on roles that range from the comic timing of Dream Girl, intensity of Apoorva, the horror-comedy of Bhediya, the gritty world of Paatal Lok, to the layered drama of Stolen.
His performances often leave a lasting impression regardless of whether he plays the lead or a supporting character. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Jagran, Abhishek spoke about his craft, the evolving definition of a hero in cinema, and why he believes actors must constantly push themselves into unexplored spaces.
Speaking about the difference between OTT and theatrical films, he said, “Actually, if you notice, last couple of years, I’ve not been really doing a lot of series. Series, I mean, I think the thing is that with me, because my stuff keeps coming on OTT, like, you know, probably releases which have been in films or like Stolen was a film which was, you know, released on OTT. So, I mean, I don’t know, for me, the format doesn’t really impact my performance or characterisation, to be honest.”
When asked if he feels sidelined as a “side hero,” Banerjee explained, “Yes, I take it as an opportunity to redefine what is hero on screen. I mean, the thing is that every character in life generally, we all are thinking that we are heroes. Now, wo doosron ki mazhar mein kya hai, that’s a very different thing.” He also added, “Audience doesn’t like labelling. They don’t like it. They just come to you and say, we loved your performance.”
On the issue of typecasting, he said, “Yeah, I like to keep some kind of mystery about my performances. So obviously, I like to deter myself from, you know, typecasting myself.” He further added, “An actor is a hungry person. We are very, very hungry. Maybe not for food, but for good characters.” Additionally, Banerjee’s thoughts reflect his admiration for legends like Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee, Om Puri, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, and Kamal Haasan, who he says have shown immense range throughout their careers. For him, acting is more than work it is his first love and a way to connect deeply with audiences across generations.
Concluding the conversation, Abhishek said that acting continues to give him both escape and connection. He sees his journey not just as building a career, but as following a passion that allows him to “daydream, explore, and connect with people.” For him, every role big or small is an opportunity to redefine screen presence, and he remains determined to keep chasing characters that challenge him and inspire audiences alike.