Ashish Vidyarthi: The man who embraces life beyond labels
At 59, Ashish is rewriting the rules of stardom with his foray into stand-up comedy
Actor Ashish Vidyarthi
CHENNAI: Some actors tend to live confined by the walls of their most famous roles. But Ashish Vidyarthi refuses to be imprisoned. At 59, he isn’t just an actor — he embraces multiple hats not out of necessity, but out of sheer hunger for life itself.
From portraying menacing villains on-screen to delivering inspirational speeches, from food blogging to now, also cracking jokes on stage — he is an artiste who refuses to sit down. “Which is precisely why my stand-up got titled Sit Down Ashish,” he is quick to add.
Decades after playing vigorous, often terrifying characters, you will now see Ashish standing alone under a spotlight, armed with a microphone and his wit. “Where there is fear, freedom sits right next to it,” Ashish muses. Comedy to him is an extension of his natural self.
With Sit Down Ashish, he tries to build an intimate conversation with the audience. “I joke about myself. I give people permission to laugh at me.” His comedy is every bit clean, relatable, and often therapeutic, allowing audiences to chuckle at life’s absurdities.
Unlike a scripted film, stand-up is live with no retakes, nor safety nets. “You don’t get to work on the audience before you meet them. You step in, feel the room, and dance with them.”
With a career spanning over three decades, the National Award-winning actor, who is known for his powerful performances in films like Droh Kaal, Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin, Ghilli and Uthamaputhiran, admits to being more selective of the roles he takes up. “Earlier, I kept saying yes. Now, I only choose what truly speaks to me.”
Ashish consciously awaits for central, pivotal roles that challenge him. “I know I have amazing work still left in me. I’m in no rush — but I’m ready when the right script comes.”
His tryst with Tamil cinema goes a long way, which was quite evident as his eyes lit up when asked about the industry’s evolution. “It’s become humongous. The storytelling, the scale — everything has grown.”
Would Ashish ever direct a film? “No,” he laughs. “I lack the emotional caution to hold onto a story for that long.” Perhaps his storytelling has thrived in immediacy, in the form of his YouTube vlogs, spontaneous humour and wisdom.
It’s safe to say that he lives his stories – travelling with his wife Rupali, challenging societal norms surrounding ageing, and relishing street food with childlike glee. His YouTube channel Fifty Plus Zindagi, which he co-hosts with Rupali is an example. “People often believe happiness has an expiry date. We want to show that life doesn’t just end at 50 — it can be just as exciting.”
The conversation diverts back to comedy as he has a line-up of shows coming up. Deliberating about the ongoing debates around censorship in comedy, Ashish acknowledges that pushing boundaries often invites backlash. “Let’s be honest. Anything edgy will face resistance — that’s the nature of life.” Though he advocates for there to be creative freedom, he also admits that there are no ideal times for expression.
As he recently wrapped up Sardar 2, Ashish is all praises for the entire team. “I had a lovely time working with Karthi and PS Mithran.” But he is certainly eager for more. “I’ve personally reached out to directors. I tell them — I’m 59, but I’m hungry for great work.” Despite working across industries, Tamil cinema stands out for him. “There is an emotional honesty in Tamil films which is rare. The industry respects artistes. There’s an appetite for strong characters, not just heroes and villains. It has the knack of blending commercial elements with real storytelling.”
Ashish is particularly amped about his upcoming online acting course. “People think acting is about pretending. I want to show it’s actually about truth – about accessing the most authentic parts of yourself.”
Ashish will be in the city with his stand-up comedy special Sit Down Ashish on April 26. It’s a tongue-in-cheek take on his life, from Delhi to the city of dreams – Mumbai, a journey which over the last 30 years has taken him across the country, doing more than 300 films across 11 languages, which will take place in Trinity Studio, Kodambakkam, from 7 pm.
