Karanvir Malhotra makes feature film debut with What Are The Odds?

For his first lead role in What Are The Odds? (2020), actor Karanvir Malhotra plays the dutiful head boy Ashwin in the Megha Ramaswamy film. The young actor has previously been seen in Amazon Prime Video's The Forgotten Army and Netflix's Selection Day. With his new role, he graduates from web-series to film.

In What Are The Odds?, which premieres on Netflix on 20 May, Malhotra shares screen space with Abhay Deol, who plays a rockstar named Val, and is paired opposite Yashaswini Dayama. The two young stars play Ashwin and Vivek, who bunk one day from school and traverse through a whimsical version of Mumbai. 
 
Speaking about his first film, releasing during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Malhotra said, "We’re living in extraordinary times and we all are extremely overwhelmed by the happenings around us. I think my role as an actor and entertainer is to help people escape their reality, so I’m glad that my first feature is a light, fun and slice-of-life-film about two teenagers and the extraordinary events that happen within the span of a day."

"I play the character of Ashwin, who is a ‘good boy’ but certainly not conventional. The film’s tone is playful and fanciful, hence even a straightforward character like Ashwin had to be played with a lighter shade. There’s always a feeling of nostalgia and euphoria simultaneously, when you play a character younger than you. The most fun element for me in the film was the relationships Ashwin discovers, realises and builds in a single day, not just with human beings but certain other species too," he continued.

The actor sees What Are The Odds? as a major building block in his career, especially because of the talent he got to work with. "Megha is a brilliant story teller - distinctive and original," he shared. "I’m thrilled to have had her as my director in my debut film. Working with Yashaswini was a treat. Her ideas are ingenious and I learnt heaps from her as she’s a natural! Not just that, getting to work with Abhay was icing on the cake. I have always admired his craft and his ability to pick up unconventional roles and narratives, staying within the framework of mainstream Bollywood [Hindi cinema]. His sense of humour and impeccable demeanour make him the star he is!”

The ensemble cast of What Are The Odds? also features Monica Dogra, Priyanka Bose, Manu Rishi Chaddha and Sulbha Arya.