Open to coming back and doing more work in India: Sendhil Ramamurthy

CHENNAI: Indian-American actor Sendhil Ramamurthy says he loved working with Vidya Balan in Do Aur Do Pyaar and hopes the film brings more opportunities from Bollywood, an industry he stayed away from for over a decade due to familial responsibilities.

In Do Aur Do Pyaar, Ramamurthy plays the role of Vikram, an NRI photographer who falls for Vidya Balan’s Kavya, a married dentist. The film, directed by Shirsha Guha Thakurta, is earning praise for its depiction of an urban marriage, where a long-time couple seeks love outside of the relationship.

The actor last worked in a Hindi production, Shor in the City, in 2010. He said his absence from Hindi cinema was not driven by “a lack of desire”.

“I didn’t want to be away from the children for too long and be so far away where I couldn’t fly home on a weekend. I hope to be doing a lot more because my kids are teenagers now. So I’m much more open to the prospect of coming back and doing more work in India,” Ramamurthy said.

Best known for his works in It’s a Wonderful Afterlife, Heroes, Covert Affairs, New Amsterdam, The Flash and Never Have I Ever, Ramamurthy said language was also an issue that kept him away, but with the global proliferation of platforms such as Netflix, Amazon and Disney everywhere, the opportunity for crossover has never been better.

Calling himself a fan of romantic comedies and relationship dramas, the actor said he loved the “understated” nature of the story and how there was room for actors to improvise.

As someone who found success at a time when representation was not even a buzzword in Hollywood, Ramamurthy said he is just grateful for the “incremental gains” that South Asian artistes have made over the years. The actor is hopeful that the next generation will have an easier journey. “In India, it’s the norm. But in the US and even in the UK, to have a big mainstream hit like Never Have I Ever, where it’s centred on South Asians, has been one of the great joys of my career. I hope that it has opened many doors for younger people and elderly people.”

The actor said there were many actors before him who didn’t even have the opportunities that he had. “It is those incremental gains that I’m grateful for. There’s still a long way to go, but we’re getting there. It takes time.”

According to Ramamurthy, there are many South Asian actors in the United States who would love to come over to India and work. Do Aur Do Pyaar also stars Ileana D’Cruz.

Sendhil has an animated series and another romantic comedy in his pipeline.