Keshav Uppal happy to essay gay character without stereotypical comic relief in Hiccups And Hookups

Actor Keshav Uppal has essayed the character of Kirit, a gay art gallery owner, in the Lara Dutta Bhupathi-starrer web-series Hiccups And Hookups. Also starring Prateik Babbar and Shinnova, the first Indian production of Lionsgate Play is an entertaining urban drama on relationships in a dysfunctional family.

Previously seen in the Shah Rukh Khan film Dear Zindagi (2016) and the Amazon Prime Video show Hear Me. Love Me., Uppal is happy that he could play the character without having to provide stereotypical comic relief.

In the series, directed by Kunal Kohli, Dutta plays single mother Vasudha, working in Uppal’s art gallery. Mother to teenager Kavu (Shinnova), Vasudha is quite eager to resume dating after her divorce. After a few failed attempts, her commitment-phobic brother Akhil (Babbar) steps in to help her find a date.

“In Hiccups And Hookups, I play the owner of an art gallery that Lara Dutta works for," Uppal said. "I was told that the role needed a classy gay artist-businessman vibe without the typical flamboyant stereotype personality."

Before he began shooting for the series, the actor had a conversation with the director about what gestures and vibe he wanted him to bring on set. “He gave me a lot of space to bring in my own movements and gestures before we shot my first scene on my first day on set,” he said.

For Uppal, the challenge of playing a gay character was mostly in picking the right subtle gestures. “We didn’t want the obvious like most gay characters in Hindi films," he said. "They are used as comic-relief characters whereas this was the exact opposite. The character is in a position of power, a young businessman and an art gallery owner, so when to have what gestures was what I found challenging.”

The prep for the series included Uppal observing the gestures and gait of others at his gym and in the colony where he lives, regardless of their sexual orientation, because he wanted something that was not his but at the same time wasn’t the stereotypical homosexual.

Regarding the casting process, Uppal said he got a call for an audition from Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company one afternoon. “They told me they wanted to audition me for this character called Kirit, who is gay, but it is not explicitly stated, and I thought that playing gay without being too obvious would be a good challenge for me.”

The actor said Babbar and Dutta were incredible on set. “They brought this amazing energy every time we were in front of the camera or just chatting between breaks," he said. "We had some good conversations about acting and shared some funny lockdown stories.”

Elated with the response and reviews the show has received, Uppal said, “A lot of people who have seen the show told me they really enjoyed my performance and the subtlety I performed with." Uppal’s upcoming series A Cold Mess is slated for release on MX Player next month.