After Shahid Kapoor, meets Onir’s Hamlet Ashish Bisht

By Subhash K. Jha -

August 29, 2014 - 8:11 AM IST

After Shahid Kapoor, meets Onir’s Hamlet Ashish Bisht

Even as Vishal Bhardwaj gets set to unleash his own version Shakespeare's Hamlet in the quirky form of Shahid Kapoor, director Onir has gone ahead and signed newcomer Ashish Bisht to play Hamlet in Veda.

Ashish is a complete newcomer, with no acting experience. He has been modeling on the ramp and in product endorsements for some years.

After Shahid Kapoor, meets Onir’s Hamlet Ashish Bisht

What made Onir choose a complete novice to play what is arguably the most complicated male character ever written? Explains Onir, "I chose Ashish to play Hamlet for his vulnerable and sensitive looks. Apart from that he's also talented and hard-working. Hamlet according to me is gentle, fragile and volatile. Ashish has all these qualities."

Ashish Bisht was chosen after extensive auditioning. "We've been looking for our Hamlet for over a year now. I auditioned innumerable others before zeroing in on Ashish. Both my producer Bhavna Talwar and I thought he was the ideal choice," reveals Onir.

Adds Ashisht Bisht, "I'm thrilled to be entrusted with such a complex role at the start of my career. To be able to prove myself as one of the greatest characters ever written right at the onset of my career is not a small matter. I couldn't ask for more."

About the creative overlapping with Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider which is also based on Hamlet Onir says, "Vishal and I different filmmakers. We treat our actors differently. Shahid as Hamlet will be very different from Ashish as Hamlet. Ashish has his own distinct personality."