We catch up with Luke Kenny in a freewheeling conversation
Tell us about the idea underlying The Economic Times Listening Sessions.
Most conversations tend to be all about talking. How often do we really listen to a conversation? Hence, here is a property that is about listening to a casual conversation between two people, one of whom is a super achiever of entirely independent means. People who’ve made successes of themselves through their own strength and determination, independent of external forces that might have gotten them to do otherwise. Using the best of technology during this lockdown period and reaching out to the ones who have taken the road less travelled and made it their own freeway to success. It feels great to be a part of this.
What does being an independent spirit mean to you?
The liberty to make one’s own artistic decisions with regards to one’s creativity, yet not without disregard for commercial and popular acceptance.
You have been a VJ, Musician, Actor and a Director. What did you enjoy being the most?
I am and will always be a creator first. All of these have been opportunities that came my way, that allowed me to contribute in many ways, and most of them continue in various ways too. Every aspect has been part of a larger journey that I still am on, so each one of these roles are special and important in themselves.
Having worked on two Emmy nominated web-series, tell us something about Sacred Games and Inside Edge that no one knows?
Both have been immensely creatively satisfying as they were opportunities to do something that revealed a different side of me as an artist. In Sacred Games, I got to work with Anurag Kashyap almost 18 years after he met me to be in his debut film, Paanch. And in Inside Edge, it was another reconnection of sorts as it was an Excel production, who had produced Rock On!!
When was the last time you performed, and where was it?
My last gig was on March 13th at a place in Bandra called Door no.1.
Nobody gets where they are alone. Who are the people who have helped you along the way? From family to friends to mentors?
That’s a really long list. But it all starts with your family, my grandparents, and my father, who were artists themselves. Their passion for the arts conditioned me to be a relentless pursuer of creative contribution. Then a couple of my teachers in school who put me on stage and set the ball rolling. And it goes on…
The world only sees the success-story. But before that come hundreds of ‘No’. What was your first no? How did that spur you to continue down your path?
I always look for positivity in every opportunity so from that perspective, there is never really a NO. I have always said yes and welcomed every aspect and chance that life has presented to me. There’s got to be a good reason to say NO and so far, I’ve always been able to work around those reasons and stay afloat.
If you had the opportunity to perform with any artist, who would it be and why?
The list is very long, but the problem is, they’re all dead.
This lockdown has given many a much-needed time to think about how they will approach their personal and professional life now, the new normal, the economy etc. What are your thoughts at this time?
I think the main thing that we need to wake up to is hygiene and sanitation. And some of the few things that lead to these issues are garbage disposal & waste management, animal slaughter and wet markets, and an overall sense of being more vigilant with regards to polluting the environment. And most importantly, we need to hold our administrative governments more accountable for their decisions and not cow down to dogma, agenda and propaganda.
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