Exclusive! 83 actor Nishant Dahiya: If Roger sir sees and appreciates me, that would be my biggest reward

Dahiya plays the role of the former cricketer Roger Binny in the upcoming sports drama 83, alongside Ranveer Singh. The film releases on December 24 in theatres

Nishant Dahiya as Roger Binny/Instagram

Actor Nishant Dahiya has been working on getting into the character of the former cricketer Roger Binny, who was part of the Indian team that won the first World Cup for the country in 1983, for a year and a half. He recalls the journey and it has not been easy. Not being able to meet the player in person for the film 83, starring Ranveer Singh, it was even more difficult to understand his personality but he says he heard a lot of stories about Binny during his training with other World Cup players. In an exclusive conversation with OTTplay, the Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge actor spoke about his upcoming film 83, the challenges he faced to play Roger Binny, and his experience working with Ranveer Singh. Excerpts:

Your film 83 is nearing its release. How are you feeling currently?

The feeling has not sunk in yet. I don't have goosebumps or jitters as yet. Probably, when it is really close to release, I might get some jitters.

How did you land up the role of Roger Binny in the movie?

I was working out in the gym one afternoon when I got a call from Mukesh Chhabra, the casting director of the film, and he asked me how fast can I reach his office. I told him I am currently running on a treadmill but I could run to his office immediately. I reached his office in an hour or two and gave my audition. The next morning, they called me to play cricket as the basic requirement for the actor was someone who can play the sport. I bowled and Balwinder Sandhu sir was there. They said they liked me and I got instantly selected.

How do you feel to be associated with this movie?

I am ecstatic to be part of such a great historic movie. It talks about what went behind the match, what was going on in the minds of the cricketers during the world cup matches and what they had to go through when nobody believed us. The journey in itself is beautiful. The underdogs went on to become champions.

What were the challenges you faced to get into the shoes of the character?

I met Kabir sir and he said I had to lose about 15 kgs for the role that I had put on for my previous work Raat Akeli Hai. But that was not really the challenging part. The challenge was to pick up Roger sir's body language on the field, his actions, his mental aspect, his psyche. He had a natural swing when he used to bowl as he was a javelin thrower back in the day. It took me so much time to get that sort of right.

Being an Anglo-Indian, Roger Binny has a certain accent too...

Roger sir spoke a little differently. So I had to work on the tone and try to present as close I could to that person physically, mentally, and verbally as well. It's been a journey of a year and a half and I hope I have done justice to his character. If Roger sir sees and appreciates me, that would be my biggest reward.

The entire cast was trained by the actual team players of the World Cup. So how was it being trained by Roger Binny?

Unfortunately, I could not meet him. He could not make it due to his prior engagements. I spoke to him over the phone once. But most other cricketers had come and they used to always give this ted talk. They told us what was going through their minds at a particular moment. You can learn the physical aspect and style by watching the videos. But it is difficult to understand their psyche and know what's going on in their heads by just watching videos. So, they shared great insights that helped us shape our characters. They are very funny people. They talked about their memories of the game and mostly, they were just pulling other players' legs. They talked more about other players and it was fun. (laughs)

So what stories did you hear about Roger Binny?

They said Roger sir was a quiet person. He did speak a lot. He is fluent in English and Kannada but was not so comfortable in Hindi and Punjabi. So when someone would speak Hindi or Punjabi real fast, it was difficult for him to grasp what they were saying but he would indulge in conversations. And say, everyone is laughing during the conversation, he would laugh out too without even completely understanding what they said in Hindi or Punjabi. Roger sir spent a lot of time with Srikkanth sir since they both speak Kannada.

Were you into cricket before?

I always wanted to be a cricketer. I am an all-rounder, primarily a fast bowler. But who knew one day, I would get to play the role of Roger Binny in such a huge film. I never thought something that I started playing at 5 would get me here. I would dream of becoming a cricketer but it didn't happen then and this film fulfilled my dream. I already feel like a world cup winner.

You were not even born in 1983 and might have grown up hearing stories about the World Cup match from family and other elderly people. What were the fond memories that you have heard from them?

My father is a huge cricket fan. When I told him that I am playing Roger Binny in the movie, he got very excited and started talking about him. He said he used to bowl like this and looks like this. He also talked about his son Stuart Binny who also represented India in cricket. He has never been this excited about any other project that I have done.

Ranveer Singh is known as this bolt of energy and it looked like you guys had a lot of fun shooting. You two follow each other on Instagram as well. So how was the experience working with him?

The more I say about the man is less. He is such a wonderful, warm person. Despite being a superstar, he is so grounded and humble. You come across many people from different walks of life who have achieved a lot but you would not meet someone like Ranveer Singh. I am saying this from my heart. He is very friendly and always helps people. He doesn't have that attitude that I am Ranveer Singh. He makes you feel comfortable and he is more like a friend than just a co-star. Even if you don't talk to him, he'd come to you, poke you, and prank you. He is very secure as a person and an actor and would give leverage to others to perform. As good and phenomenal he is as an actor, he is even a better human being. I can put that on record.

You have worked on films and OTT shows. Do you find working on these mediums any different?

There is no difference. The process is the same. You cannot compare the two as they do the same thing differently. OTT takes your work to people in their homes. But since I have grown up watching films on the big screen, it gives a high when I see myself on a 70mm screen. So for me, cinemas will always be the priority. There is no difference. The process is the same. You cannot compare the two as they do the same thing differently. OTT takes your work to people in their homes. But since I have grown up watching films on the big screen, it gives a high when I see myself on a 70mm screen. So for me, cinemas will always be the priority.

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