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#KetchupTalks: "This is my calling, being on the big screen, telling stories and expressing myself through films" - Vyom Yadav

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Sakshi Sharma
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Vyom Yadav

Mannu Kya Karegga's Mannu aka Vyom Yadav talks to us in detail about his big screen debut, how he first discovered acting, and the journey that’s taken him from nukkad nataks to the 70mm screen!

Vyom Yadav is that face you might remember from Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Garmior, as he jokes, if you squint hard enough while rewatching Netflix’s Guilty, you might just spot him in the crowd. He’s also been a part of Delhi Crime and Badhaai Do. From being a fleeting face in ensembles to finally leading a film on the big screen, debuting in a rom-com no less, if that isn’t a dream come true for an actor, what is? And yet, the uncanny part is how closely his real life mirrors that of Mannu in Mannu Kya Karegga. Just like Mannu, who is a football player trying to create better opportunities for younger kids in the sport, Vyom too dreamt of being a footballer but couldn’t quite make it. Instead, he stumbled upon his second love - acting.

Almost as if destiny was nudging him towards eventually becoming Mannu on screen, his Instagram bio fittingly reads “from street plays to 70mm.” Beyond being an upcoming actor, Vyom is a young performer hungry to learn, the kind who pesters senior actors on set with questions just to absorb every possible tip and trick. He wants to try his hand at anything and everything, every character that pushes him forward. In this conversation, he opens up about what it meant to play Mannu, his thoughts on the film’s message, the lessons he picked up from Kumud Mishra, and, most importantly, how he truly became an actor.

Also Read: #KetchupTalks: "Actors in general don’t like the spotlight at all", says Aspirants actor Naveen Kasturia

Read all about it here!

From starting your journey in street plays in college to breakthroughs in the streaming space to now making your big-screen debut in a musical romantic drama, would you call this a dream come true? How did this film happen for you in the first place?

Honestly, my Instagram bio says it all - “from street theatre to 70mm.” That’s exactly how it feels. If I ever write an autobiography, that’s probably what I’ll call it. This moment, in itself, feels like a dream. I began with Nukkad Natak’s in Delhi and back then if you’d asked me what my ultimate goal was, I would’ve said to see myself on the big screen. So yes, for me this really is nothing short of a dream come true. The way this film happened was also quite special. The producers had seen my work in Garmi, and they reached out saying, “We have something we think will suit you really well.”They wanted me to at least hear the story. The moment I did, I was excited. It wasn’t just any project, it was a rom-com and to get it so early in my career felt like an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. On top of that, the music was being done by Lalit Pandit. For me, that sealed the deal immediately. A rom-com with Lalit Pandit’s music, it was a no brainer. 

Mannu is that curious keeda who is always lost and confused, trying to find an anchor to life. Have you ever felt that way in your own life? How did you channel those emotions into playing Mannu?

Oh, 100%. I think that’s exactly why this story resonated with me in the first place. The whole idea of creating Mannu came from the reality that so many of us today are confused, not because we don’t have options, but because we have too many. Unlike earlier times when you had just three “safe” routes of being doctor, lawyer, or engineer, now the spectrum of choices has exploded. Kids today can dream of thousands of different paths, and that’s both liberating and overwhelming. For me, personally, football was everything when I was growing up. I wanted to be a football player, and even when I got into NSIT, a prestigious engineering college, my real motivation was that I could play football there without my parents constantly pushing me to study more. I’m a mechanical engineer by degree, but honestly, I joined college for football.

Of course, life had other plans. Eventually, I found myself on film sets, falling in love with acting, storytelling, and the camera. In between, I even worked a six-month corporate job during COVID-19 in a remote, monotonous, and confusing environment. And yet, that confusion was part of the journey. What I realised is that confusion isn’t always a bad thing. It can be the bridge to clarity. When you finally see that light at the end of the tunnel, everything clicks into place. For me, just like Mannu, that clarity came with acting. This is my calling being on the big screen telling stories and expressing myself through filmsThis is my calling being on the big screen telling stories and expressing myself through films. That’s where I want to give my 100%, and that’s what keeps me grounded.

Just like Mannu who begins with football in the film and eventually finds his Ikigai, you too seem to have found yours in acting, doesn't it? 

Actually, it’s a very strange thing and I don’t think I’ve ever said this in an interview before. When I was in my first year of college, I went through what I’d call a very dark phase. Football had always been my first love. I genuinely dreamed of playing at the highest level of national, maybe even international. But in India, back then, football wasn’t nurtured or given the kind of ecosystem it deserves. Very quickly, I was told there’s no real future in the sport here. And that realization broke my heart. Now, when you’re that heartbroken, you need a place to channel all that uneasiness. For me, that outlet became acting, something I’d actually loved since school. I started doing street theatre or as we call it nukkad nataks as early as class six, and I always found joy in performing.

But it was only when football slipped away that acting came into focus as more than a hobby. I still remember how it began. I was just simply acting, auditioning, trying, experimenting, and then suddenly I was on the set of Guilty, my very first project. I was just a background actor, a crowd face you might catch in random scenes on Netflix. But for me, standing there in front of the camera, being part of that process, it was special. It was like life quietly nudging me in a new direction. Looking back now, I think that heartbreak over football was necessary. It pushed me to discover something else I loved just as deeply, if not more. And today, I genuinely feel this is my calling. You know, they say God has his own plans- this was one of those moments for me.

You also mentioned you studied engineering. Interestingly, the film going beyond rom-com also touches on AI, education reform, and startup culture. What’s your take on that, and on the film’s larger message about this “lost generation”?

So, see, this is actually very true - we can’t stop AI, it’s inevitable. I’ll give you an example. When we were in 7th or 8th standard, we used to get questions in exams like, “Write a letter to your parents” or “Write a letter to your principal.” We were literally taught how to structure a letter - the address, the body, the salutation, everything. Now imagine a kid in 6th standard today, in 2025. They have ChatGPT. All they have to do is type, “Write a letter to my principal saying I’ll be absent tomorrow” and within seconds, it’s done. So that child may never learn how to write a letter the way we did. That’s how technology is shifting things. It’s going to completely change how people learn, how they’re taught, even how they think. But I still feel AI is a complementary tool, it’s not a replacement for intelligence or intellect.

If you know how to use it wisely, it can benefit you in a massive way. The catch is, you have to be very careful with it. It’s like a weapon which can either be used to your advantage, or it can backfire if you misuse it. I agree that AI should be treated like an assistant, not unpaid labour. Let it take care of the tedious part like framing a sentence, formatting something while you do the actual thinking. That’s the balance. But yes, the truth is, we’re going to see a generation that is both very inexperienced in certain skills and at the same time inseparable from technology. If you cut them off from AI, it’ll be like taking fish out of water. It’s scary, but it’s also reality. We can’t stop it, we can only learn how to live with it.

Since you mentioned this generation might be inexperienced, I’m curious to know what was it like for you, as a young actor, to work with seasoned performers like Vinay Pathak and Kumud Mishra in the film? Was there something you really learned from them?

Honestly, it was a dream come true. These are the kinds of actors every young actor in Mumbai wants to work with because they’re the real stalwarts of the craft. Their experience, their theater culture, their sheer presence, it’s inspiring. In fact, even this Friday Vinay Pathak sir is performing at Prithvi Theatre, and we’re all going to watch him. That’s the kind of legacy they carry. On set, I tried to make the most of every moment with them. I kept on asking questions about their process, exercises and anything that could help me learn. So, during a song shoot for Saiyaan, Kumud sir gave me something that felt like a live masterclass.

He asked me to stand with him, look at a crew member far away for two seconds, then look back at him. I did, and he asked, “What did you feel looking at him?” Since it was 3:30 or 4 in the morning, I said, “He looks exhausted, like if you gave him a bed right now, he’d instantly fall asleep.”Kumud sir said, “Exactly.”Then he made me do the same with another person. Again, I described what I felt just by looking, and he told me, “See, this is what acting is. You don’t always need to ‘act’ with dialogue or exaggerated body language. If your eyes are honest, the audience can feel what you’re feeling in just two seconds.”That stayed with me. It showed me that as an actor, your eyes can carry everything, you can translate emotion, propagate it, without a single word. For me, that was the biggest lesson, and honestly, one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life.

This film is also a rom-com, so chemistry is absolutely crucial. How was it working with Saachi Bindra? Did it click instantly, or was it something that grew gradually?

This was completely new territory for me. Before this, I had done Garmi, Tigmanshu Dhulia’s series, where I was playing this very intense character in the world of student politics, with a lot of violence and aggression. That intensity comes naturally to me. But rom-coms are a different ball game, it’s a much softer, more vulnerable emotion to portray, and I hadn’t done that before. When we started prepping, almost a year ago, I was honestly nervous. Especially when it comes to romancing a female co-actor on screen as no one really teaches you how to do that. You’re taught about emotions, body language, dialogues, but not about standing so close to someone, holding her by the waist, pulling her in. That part you only learn on the go.

We had workshops in Mumbai for 15–20 days before going to Dehradun, where Saachi and I would sit for hours reading lines, rehearsing difficult scenes, just spending time together. Then we reached Dehradun about a week before the shoot and continued doing the same with the director, it really helped us get comfortable. But I’d say the real ice-breaker was when we shot a song in Mauritius called Teri Yaadeinthat comes in the film as end credits roll. It was quite an intimate sequence, and honestly, if you look closely, you might notice how uncomfortable I was at first. It was my first time doing something like that, so it definitely shows a little in my eyes. But once we shot that, I felt much more confident when we came back to shoot in Dehradun. By the end of the film, I had grown comfortable with the idea of onscreen intimacy, it became something I could approach naturally rather than nervously. So yes, the chemistry definitely grew gradually, but once it clicked, it felt easy and organic. As an actor, it added another feather to the cap.

Since this is your big-screen debut, debuts often come with a mix of excitement and pressure. How are you balancing the expectations that come with a theatrical release while also enjoying the process?

I’m actually really glad you asked that, because the last three days have been such a whirlwind. Ever since the film was released on Friday, I’ve been sneaking into theaters across Mumbai just to watch the audience’s reaction. And I mean properly sneaking in with mask on, cap pulled low, blending into the crowd so nobody knows I’m there. At a couple of places I got recognized, but for the most part, people had no clue. I’ve been doing this because I wanted the most honest feedback. I’d sit through the film, watch people react, and even wait outside after late-night shows just to talk to them. In fact, last night I came home around 3:30 am after catching an 11:05 pm show that went on till 2 am. I spoke to the audience as they walked out, asked them how they felt, what worked, what didn’t, it was like my own personal survey. It was exhausting but also so fulfilling.

This is something you don’t experience with OTT. On streaming, numbers and reactions are hidden behind a curtain, you never really know what the actual response is. But with theaters, it’s transparent. You can feel the energy in the hall, you can see whether people are laughing, crying, or bored. And of course, there’s the box office, which is open for everyone to see. I once heard someone say, “Releasing a film in theaters is the only sport you play with two balls.” And I think that’s true. There’s risk, there’s thrill, and there’s a huge adrenaline rush. For me, I’m just trying to soak in every bit of it while also learning from the audience in real time.

Looking ahead, what kind of projects do you see yourself doing next? Anything specific you’d like to explore?

So, there’s already a film that I’ve shot, it’s called Durlabh Prasad Ki Doosri Shadi. It’s a theatrical release and we’re hoping it comes out this November. If not, then probably by January. It’s a full-on comedy-drama, very much along the lines of Bareilly Ki Barfi. We shot it in Banaras with Sanjay Mishra sir and Mahima Chaudhary ma’am, and it’s a really beautiful film. I’m very confident about it and really looking forward to audiences watching it. Beyond that, I honestly want to do anything and everything that challenges me.

But if I have to be specific, I’d love to do more college-based stories. I’m 25 right now, so I feel like I only have a few years left where I can convincingly play a student. Once I hit 30 or 35, I doubt I’ll get to do that. So in the next 3 to 4 years, I really want to grab as many campus stories as I can. Apart from that, I’d love to do thrillers, some intense action films, detective or conspiracy-driven stories, something like a Sherlock Holmes vibe. Comedy too excites me a lot, and I definitely want to explore that more. Basically, I want to try my hand at everything.

Have you watched Vyom Yadav in Mannu Kya Karega yet? Head to a theatre near you to catch this film!

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Mannu Kya Karegga Vinay Pathak Kumud Mishra Saachi Bindra