Skipping the fine print

Jim Sarbh

For most actors, preparation means research, reading, and immersing themselves in the world of their character. Jim Sarbh chose a different route for the Amazon MX Player series Made in India - The Titan Story. Cast as Titan visionary Xerxes Desai in the six-episode series, the actor deliberately avoided reading the source material, preferring to place his faith in the script and the filmmakers' vision.

"I didn't read the book. I [wanted] to go by the script and follow the director's vision," says Sarbh. He believes audiences who are unfamiliar with the complete story are more likely to engage with the world the creators build on screen.

(L-R) Naseeruddin Shah as JRD Tata and Jim Sarbh as Xerxes Desai in ‘Made in India - The Titan Story'

A major draw was the mentor-mentee dynamic between Xerxes Desai and JRD Tata, portrayed by Naseeruddin Shah. For Sarbh, the casting felt especially meaningful. "What could be better than having my mentor in the show played by Naseer? [It was] a pleasure, a treat, like a dream [come true]. I'd hoped and imagined it, and it finally happened," he smiles.

Working alongside Shah proved to be a masterclass in itself. Looking back on their scenes together, Sarbh admits there is still much for him to learn as an actor. What impressed him most was Shah's "skill of manipulating the camera, maintaining a stillness [when needed], knowing exactly what the frame is and what he needs to do within that frame." Equally remarkable, he says, was Shah's attentiveness. "You would think that someone so established, doesn't need to listen as intently. But he does. He sees every little change and modulation, and incorporates it into his performance," explains Sarbh.

On playing a flawed visionary

While Jim Sarbh was fascinated by what Xerxes Desai represented as a visionary leader, he was aware of the character's shortcomings. "He had pitfalls [like] overcommitting, living in the hope [without realising] that he may not be able to sustain it in reality, and disregarding people's opinion."

Mira Nair

Up next

After ‘Made in India - The Titan Story', Jim Sarbh will be seen in filmmaker Mira Nair's cross-cultural biographical drama ‘Amri'. The film traces the life of pioneering Hungarian-Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil, widely regarded as one of the most influential avant-garde women artists of the 20th century. Sarbh plays Karl Khandalavala, a prominent real-life art critic, lawyer, and close confidant of Sher-Gil in the movie.