Vivek Mushran speaks about importance of ensemble casts and strong supporting characters  

Netflix India’s upcoming crime drama thriller ‘Mai’ has got viewers hooked to its nail biting trailer. ‘Mai’ stars popular actress Sakshi Tanwar in the lead role of ‘Sheel’, and versatile actor Vivek Mushran as her husband ‘Yashpal Chaudhary’. 
 
Mai beautifully emphasises how a couple can grieve differently after the bereavement of their child. The story revolves around ‘Sheel’, a middle-class mother who uses her grief to seek justice for  her daughter after her shocking and brutal murder. Within the show, actor Vivek Mushran plays the character of an equally grief stricken father who mourns the death of his daughter, Supriya, by taking up odd jobs to distract himself as opposed to his wife who is hell bent on seeking vengeance. 
Vivek believes that writers and filmmakers have now given birth to a clique of actors who might not be referred to as ‘lead’ in the credits, but nonetheless, shoulder the series like pillars with their exceptional performances. Be it Pankaj Tripathi in Gunjan Saxena, Manav Kaul in The Fame Game or even Ashutosh Raina in Pagglait. 
 
Throwing light on the same, actor Vivek Mushran says, “OTT has changed the game. It has opened horizons for artists like never before. Now, directors and screenwriters don't just emphasis on anchoring the story around lead actors, but also use supporting characters to create a compelling backdrop in the process of building the universe and plot. I think credit should also be given to the audience because they truly appreciate a nuanced performance, so our filmmakers are also writing strong, well-etched parts for all the actors because as we all know, stories don’t move on their own, characters take them forward.”
 
Sharing how his role adds weight to the story, Vivek Mushran says, “On the surface, ‘Yash’ is a grief stricken father who is mourning the loss of his daughter but as the story progresses, one realises that his complexities and the nuances of his personality, actually further deepen the subliminal power of the story’s thematic premise.”