Vikrant Massey is finding his way home

There is a particular kind of relief that comes with watching Vikrant Massey on screen. I say this to him almost as a sheepish confession: that I came to our interview having just binge-watched Musafir Cafe mid-way through what I can only describe as a full-blown crime fatigue, courtesy of my father’s subscription to every OTT platform on the planet. “Watch this instead,” he’d said. I did, and cried. Tears of joyous relief, if I may add. As it turns out, Massey understands this fatigue better than most others. Musafir Cafe, Netflix’s slow-burning, deeply-felt romance, is a lot more than just another anticipated release for the Crop top, Diesel; denims, Off-White National Award winning actor. At 39, it’s his first work as a producer, made under his newly minted banner, Homemade Stories. And, it arrives on the back of his critically lauded performance in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s National Award winning 12th Fail (2023) and a recent laugh-out-loud turn in Avinash Arun’s cybercrime comedy Pritam and Pedro. Somewhere in the middle of all this, Massey also became a father, took a self-imposed break from the brouhaha of his celluloid life, and rediscovered his undying love for the mountains.

Ask Massey why Musafir Cafe, and the reply is unrehearsed. “The answer is in your question itself,” he says, showing a rare ability to parse through interview questions that takes me by surprise. “Like you said yourself, it’s a beautiful story and is that not reason enough to do something?” Created by Sharanya Rajgopal and directed by Ruchir Arun, Massey was approached to be a part of the project as an actor, at almost the exact moment when he’d spent over a year preparing to produce something of his own.

New, real world

The series follows Preeti and Chander—and, in an earlier timeline, Sudha and Chander—two relationships that mirror and refract each other across time. He doesn’t shy away from how messy that mirroring is. “It’s a very complicated relationship, like most relationships are,” he says. “Despite being the one that unfolds over cute, whimsical flashbacks, Sudha and Chander’s relationship is not without its complications. But that’s how it is, and we just wanted to reflect what most people have been through.”

He credits the show’s old-world tenderness, a kind of unhurried, ache-in-the-quiet-moments romance Hindi screens used to specialise in, largely to his collaborators. Homemade Stories, I tell him, has an almost maternal warmth to its name that’s hard to miss. Massey in turn laughs. “That’s really sweet of you. I wanted to tell stories that resonate with people without complicating matters. My motto has always been, less is more. Cut the frills, the superfluous, and just keep it as simple as possible.” It is an exciting venture in a space with a successful history of actors turning to production, in a bid to champion independent storytelling.

Case in point: Anushka Sharma’s Clean Slate Films which bankrolled a series of experimental feminist horror films, and Alia Bhatt’s more recent Eternal Sunshine Productions that has backed female-led action thrillers. But, as for the genres Homemade Stories will dabble in, Massey’s answer is deliberately non-committal. “There are certain strengths every creative has, but I would not want to restrict myself to them, because it’s an ever-evolving market,” he says. “The idea is to go out there and tell good stories that are worth people’s time and money.”

Finding his voice

We inevitably circle back to 12th Fail—the film that, as Massey admits, was “a major turning point” in his career. From being the spoilt, hopelessly romantic South Delhi business heir in Zoya Akhtar’s ensemble Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) to the introverted, yet quietly seething lead of Konkona Sen Sharma’s critically acclaimed A Death In The Gunj (2016), Massey went on to become a nationally loved boy from Chambal fighting his way into the Indian Civil Services against all odds. It is a role that got him the National Award, but also one that announced his arrival in the mainstream. I recount to him watching the film in London on a Netflix night with five friends, all of us in joyous tears by the end. “I’m so happy to hear that,” he says, visibly moved.

On playing a character so far from his own world, he locates the connective tissue in something universal. “Irrespective of your socioeconomic background, I think we all strive to live a life with dignity, and we all hang by that very delicate thread of hope,” he reflects. “These are things which are universal in nature—that’s probably the reason why people see a lot of themselves in the characters.” He is candid about how his relationship with scripts has changed with time. “Ten years ago, I was not in a position to choose,” he admits plainly. “Today, when I am in a position to sit back and choose what story I want to be a part of, I would definitely want it to be closer to my own worldview.”

But dedicating oneself to a project with the intensity that an actor like Massey does comes at a cost. “There are so many moments wherein you bring the character home, and it gets a little difficult to completely detach yourself from the parts you’re playing,” he shares. “It takes a fair bit of time to completely let that go away from your system. But, I think that’s the nature of our job. It’s not something that bothers me a lot because I like being challenged and I hate complacency. I’m not here in this business just to be famous or make money—although they are equally important—but I want to test myself as an actor, test my own boundaries from time to time.”

A Massey affair 

For an actor with a filmography as varied as his, I’m curious what’s still on the list. His answer comes without hesitation: “I would like to sing and play a musician.” And he means it literally, too. “I would love to sing by myself and play an instrument—to dedicate some time to developing a character who is very creative. I haven’t done something like that.” A sports drama is on the wish list too. “I would devote a lot of time to learn the sport, the art of it, and go out there and not just act, but also imbibe and live the character.”

Being in the limelight also includes navigating the idea of red carpet and fashion, in sync with Bollywood-backed glamour. And then, there are brand collaborations that resonate with not only the star—but the person. “It’s rare that one gets the opportunity to associate with a brand like Titan,” he says of his partnership with the 42-year-old legacy brand. The made-in-India story of Titan also strikes a particular chord with him—not least because it mirrors what he’s trying to build with Homemade Stories. “It began with the idea of Indians, but today it is for the world—and hopefully that is what Homemade Stories would be in the future; an offering from India to the world.”

Climbing mountains

When the fastidious schedule of his celluloid life permits, Massey makes it a point to take time out for travel. “My love for travelling is one of the things that I’ve rekindled in my life,” he says. “These are things which are very important for one’s growth and personal development. I travel at least twice a year now and make it a point to schedule my life around it.” There’s no single favourite destination, he insists, though there are places that clearly hold weight. “Mussoorie is that one place which my wife and I love to visit, and I was lucky enough to shoot Musafir there, too,” he says.

For a self-described “coastal boy” from Mumbai, the pull towards the mountains is a relatively recent, but deep calling. “It’s only in the last 10-15 years that I’ve started spending a lot of time in the mountains, and I really enjoy that,” he says, before quoting, almost involuntarily, his own character from Musafir Cafe. “I love how tiny a mountain makes you realise—whatever self inflated ego you have, whatever you think of yourself, the moment you’re standing in front of a mountain, you tend to realise your true worth.”

Editor: Snigdha Ahuja (@snigdha.ahuja)
Interview: Anwesh Banerjee (@anwesh_writes)
Videographer: 
Stylist: Amoli Goyal (@amoliigoyal) & Pranal Said (@pranalsaid)
Cover Design: Mandeep Singh Khokhar (@mandy_khokhar19)
Makeup Artist: Rohan Shelker 
Hair Artist: Vinit Sharma
Editorial Coordinator: Shalini Kanojia (@shalinikanojia)
Photo Assistant: Pratik Natani 
Location Courtesy: Soraia Bombay (@soraiabombay) and Fielia Bombay (@fieliabombay)

On Vikrant Massey: Outfit, Cord (@cord.in); watch, Titan Classique Sleek fit Quartz Analog Executive Style (@titanwatchesindia); necklace, Dhora (@dhora_india); shoes, Brune & Bareskin (@brunexbareskin)