Ahead of a new storytelling performance in the city, actor-foodie-vlogger Ashish Vidyarthi discusses the healing power of stories, language debates, and his 2026 mantra
Ashish Vidyarthi promises to explore a spectrum of emotions in the new show. PICS COURTESY/ASHISH VIDYARTHI and team
You learn something new every day. Last weekend, we found out that Ashish Vidyarthi, who has acted in over 350 films spanning 11 languages, doesn’t actually speak eight of them. Luckily for the seasoned actor, he doesn’t need to. “There is a universality to all our stories,” he says. Today, Vidyarthi brings that belief to the stage with Kahanibaaz, his new show following his stand-up comedy special, Sit Down Ashish.
Excerpts from an interview
Tell us about this turn to storytelling with Kahanibaaz after your previous experiments onstage.
For years now, I have been making a mental note of all the stories that make me. Right from my school days to the theatre stage and my experiences from more than 350 movies, every interaction has shaped my own story. Kahanibaaz is an intimate retelling of these stories. Children, young adults, and old-timers will all find them relatable. At the end of the day, we all fear something, crave something else, and have hopes and dreams. The show takes a positive route, exploring how we can heal from the experiences that shaped us, instead of bottling stories inside us.
How do you approach the language of the show? Purity of language seems to be the hot topic these days…
Who decides what is pure and impure? We have made language elitist through this obsession with ‘saaf zabaan’ [pure diction]. This reminds me of an interaction I had with a fan at a roadside dhaba in Punjab. He walked up to me with a wide smile and innocently said, “Aap se milna mera durbhagya hai.” Of course, I knew he meant saubhagya [good fortune]. Similarly, I hear kids nowadays say, “That’s sick man!” Obviously, they do not literally mean someone is ill. Spoken language is a matter of conveying meaning, there should be no room for elitism or judgement.
Are you aware that Gen Z is labelling you ‘pookie’ [cute, adorable] on social media? It’s a far cry from how kids from the ’90s would remember you.
I saw that too! I had no idea what pookie meant. I had to take help from younger team members to finally understand it. As for the shift, I believe in living in the present. I grew up in Delhi with a Bengali mother from Rajasthan, and a Malayali father from Kerala. Breakfast at the table ranged from poha, avial, chole bhature, and cheela. In that sense, I have always been comfortably rootless, and continue to be so in all aspects of life.
What mantra are you living by in 2026?
Have hope for yourself. Pivot on what you have, and also what you don’t. I was an expressive kid, so I became an actor. At the same time, I was talkative. I pivoted that to being a motivational speaker. I was restless all the time — I turned that into vlogs. Play your strengths, and your weaknesses.
ON January 26; 8 pm
AT Rasa The Stage, Nritya Shakti, 602, Bangur Nagar, Goregaon West.
LOG ON TO in.bookmyshow.com
ENTRY Rs 499
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