MUMBAI: After Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap and Tigmanshu Dhulia, it’s the acclaimed filmmaker Nishikant Kamath who’s being recognized as an actor of substance.

Praise for his performance in 404 as a psychologist, who turns into mental wreck in the course of the film has taken Kamat by surprise. “I had no reference points for the film. Although the director Prawaal Raman is a dear friend and we worked together on my character I had no way of knowing whether I was doing the character right. I could’ve easily ended up hamming in the key dramatic scenes. The fact that I managed to walk the tightrope is gratifying to me. As a filmmaker I can tell when I’m going wrong,” he tells Businessofcinema.com.

Kamat is not new to acting in films. Six years ago, he had acted in an Indo-French production called Hawaa Aane De. “No one in India saw the film and I don’t think I was good in it. I think I’ve managed to give the required performance in 404,” Kamat says.

Before plunging into the part Kamat read up as much as he could on the Bipolar disorder. “But I refused to meet people who suffer from it. I didn’t want my interpretation to look academic. I’ve two friends who are mildly Bi-polar and while researching for 404, I discovered I had the symptoms too. Bipolar disorder is a prevalent mental state that remains harmless and dormant unless it turns acute,” Kamat adds.

Next, Kamat finishes directing Force. “It’s a completely different world from 404. I want to surprise myself all the time by doing unexpected things. Another acting role with the 404 Prawaal Raman is on the cards. Additionally, two more friends have asked me to be part of their film. They’re still looking for finance and have told me to not talk about their projects for now. However, I really don’t want to plan anything for the future. Such careful planning never really works out,” he says.