'Limbo' Actor Vikash Bhai Talks Shooting in Scotland, 'Friends,' and Chickens
The cast of LIMBO.
In director Ben Sharrock’s charming melodrama LIMBO, a group of refugees seeking asylum find themselves paired together in the off-shores of Scotland, trying to find hope, laughter, and joy in the little moments. The film stars Amir El-Masry as Omar, a refugee from Syria who struggles to keep his chin up as he lives with the guilt of leaving his family behind. His foil, Farhad (Vikash Bhai) is an eccentric, witty, American-pop-culture-loving optimist who tries to keep everyone’s spirits up.
The film balances the seriousness of topics such as immigration, asylum-seeking, and the pursuit of “the American dream” all while keeping a steady through line of heart and humor to carry it afloat. A lot of major studio films that take on similar topics tend to present themselves in a flashier style, yet LIMBO is subtle in its approach and equally effective. Bhai largely credits Sharrock for the success in this method of storytelling. “There’s just so much heart and humanity in this piece,” he begins. “When these sorts of stories are often told, it’s kind of from the perspective that these men, women, [and] children are the victims of their circumstances . . . and I think what Ben [Sharrock] has done really, really well in the way that he has put this film together is it allows this audience to see these human beings . . . and I think that allows us a way in.”
Vikash Bhai and Amir El-Masry in LIMBO.
Shot on a 4:3 box format, the many wide shots of Uist, the collection of islands the film was shot on, play almost as another character and serves to emphasize how small and displaced the main characters feel. In real life, the actors faced unpredictable weather conditions from 90mph winds, to rain, snow, and shine. These elements forced the filmmakers to make adjustments and allow for some happy and not-so happy accidents on film. “You feel like you are in limbo,” Bhai says. “So the whole environment adds to the experience of what these characters would also be living through.” The lack of cell phone service in the area also forced the actors to spend some more one-on-one time together, which only continued to enhance the relationships between themselves and their characters.
The cast of LIMBO.
An excellent recurring motif for Bhai’s character in the film is his connection to chickens. There are many great scenes where he is paired with a chicken for laughs, but a poignant moment in the film finds the characters of Farhad and Omar using the chickens as a metaphor for their own circumstances as refugees. Bhai again compliments the script and continues giving credit to Sharrock’s ability to ground the story in heart and humility. This scene in particular was an important part of Bhai finding the foundation for his character, saying, “One of the things we get to see, and one of the reasons I enjoyed playing Farhad so much is because he is unashamedly himself . . . that’s what this journey has meant to him. So keeping that in mind, always, about who he is and what being here right now, in this place, means to him . . . and letting that be the work you’ve done underneath.”
Another heartwarming component of Farhad is his love of pop culture. Aside from assigning himself as Omar’s friend/manager (Omar was a musician prior to having to seek asylum), he possesses a deep love for the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and has a particular liking for the classic sitcom, FRIENDS. These character details were already in the script when it was presented to Bhai, but his impeccable comedic timing and his commitment to his character’s passions allowed the audience to connect with him deeper beyond the laughs. So what, then, is his opinion on the age-old question of whether or not Ross and Rachel were on a break? “My interpretation is that they hit pause,” he emphasizes heavily. “It wasn’t like they had finished. But that’s just me—oh my god, what have you done?” He laughs. “You’ve made me answer this question that plagues all of humanity!”