Why Purab Kohli is Bollywood’s Most Overlooked Dependable Performer

nTypewriter, Sujoy Ghosh’s new horror-mystery series which premiered on Netflix last Friday, Purab Kohli plays Ravi, a cop and a single father. He shares a warm relationship with his school-going daughter, Sameera – one of the show’s young protagonists. There’s a sweet exchange between the two where he expresses his concern for Sameera’s constant yearning to connect with her late mother. “Koi bhoot woot nahin hote,” he tells her, to which she promptly replies, “Woh hote hain,” and goes on to explain her reasons for believing so. Kohli’s understanding and handling of the scene is harmonious; he is neither patronising his young costar nor is he getting waylaid by her precociousness. The specks of grey in his beard only add to the 40-year-old actor’s warm and patient persona.  The scene had me reminiscing about Kohli’s debut at the age of 19 in the hit TV series, Hip Hip Hurray that I watched diligently during my growing-up years. The much adored teen show began airing on Zee back in 1998. A fresh-faced Kohli played Mazhar, a studious 12th grader, raised by a single mother. Mazhar’s mom’s (a glorious Seema Pahwa) nuggets of wisdom and the mother-son camaraderie was one of the show’s many highlights. The series introduced a flurry of talented, young actors akin to Hollywood’s Brat Pack of the ’80s and several Hip Hip Hurray alumni went on to have flourishing careers in showbiz. Kohli is a prominent one among them. It’s also a testament to how far the VJ-actor has come from his TV heartthrob days to being a dependable performer in Bollywood. The actor made his film debut with Bas Yun Hi (2003), an offbeat indie where he played a cheeky mischief-maker. Straight off his Channel V days, the boyish charm and enthusiasm helped but weren’t sufficient to mask his greenhorn status. Some minor roles later, it was with My Brother… Nikhil (2005) that the actor’s competence shone through. The film is a heartfelt story of an HIV positive man and his sister’s struggle for his rights and dignity. Kohli appears as Nikhil’s gay lover, Nigel, and conveys the quiet fortitude of a man fighting against fate and for the legitimacy of his relationship with immense sincerity. Made in a pre-377 India, My Brother… Nikhil was among the earliest Hindi films that offered a empathetic take on homosexuality. Over a decade later, Kohli’s resumé is every bit eclectic. It has mainstream movies, experimental outings, and collaborations with some enviable names cutting across television, films, and the web. He even pops up in commercials, as a quizmaster, reality TV contestant, and even a travel show host.

Kohli hasn’t had the most conventional film career, rarely playing the lead, but the actor never confined himself to a comfort zone.