Exclusive! Nandish Sandhu: I won’t decide about doing or not doing a certain role based on people’s feedback

Television actor Nandish Sandhu is all set to make his OTT debut with the upcoming web series Undekhi 2. The actor, who was also seen in Grahan, does consider this series as his debut. He speaks to OTTplay at length about what people can expect from the new season of this underrated series, his character and other characters on the show.

Nandish also talks about his upcoming project with Vikramaditya Motwane, his tough times in Mumbai and more. Excerpts…

You are very loved on Television. Now that you are doing more OTT projects, is it your way of embracing the trend?

Yeah, absolutely. After Television, I moved to films and now OTT. I’m just exploring all the possibilities and going with what is in at the moment.

While you made your debut in the web world with Grahan, Undekhi season 2 is being tagged as your OTT debut. Would you believe the same?

Yeah absolutely because Grahan was only a special appearance. I only had four scenes in the series and that was also put as a special appearance in the credits. This is my first full-fledged role in a series on OTT. This would be my debut because like Uttaran, when I did Uttaran, that was my debut on Television because all the roles I did before Uttaran were not such big roles that you call them mainstream lead roles. So, yeah, this is absolutely my debut on OTT.

You making your debut in the world of Undekhi, which is like so real and one of the more underrated series loved by many. It is also a new territory that you are exploring. What are you feeling like currently?

I’m feeling slightly nervous and excited at the same time. Nervous because I don’t know how the audience is going to expect me in a role which is not completely positive. It is not something that is driven by values or someone who is a mumma’s boy or someone who always stood for the right. People had that kind of perception and image about me in their minds. In both the films also, I was playing a righteous man. Here, it’s breaking those boundaries and trying something new. It’s a risk but I’m okay to take it because I want people to get surprised in whatever I do. I’m ready to take that risk and I’m sure people will not let me down.

It is actually every actor’s dream to break out of the stereotype and do something new. Finally you got that…

Absolutely. I’m happy and excited about it. I’m excited because I could gather the courage to do this. I wanted to break that stereotype and I’m nervous because, obviously, I’m not sure how people are going to take it.

Will your future depend on how people perceive this character or are you still going to be open to doing more darker characters in the future?

I’m open to doing all sorts of characters. My decision is not going to be based on what kind of feedback people give me. That feedback is going to be used constructively to better myself. If there is some flaw or weakness in the character that I’m portraying, I want to know about it. To be honest, actually, you should always give time to the audience also to accept something. You can’t just give the audience something and expect them to accept it only because you are doing it. There have been a lot of examples of this in our cinema where people have tried something new. They have not accepted them in those parts and later on, when they did it again, people have appreciated it. My decision is completely going to be based on what I feel creatively. If I feel that I’ll be able to do justice to a character or role and if the script demands me to be that way, I would definitely do it. Ultimately, we’re all doing it for the audience so it would make me feel good if my work is appreciated.

When the first look came out, one could say that you bring a fresh air to this series. Obviously, you play a dark shade but it comes in the trailer suddenly and you wonder, ‘What happened here?’ Is that the kind of response you received? What kind of response would you say you have received after people saw the trailer?

What you said is absolutely right. That’s the kind of response I’m getting right now. It’s a two-second thing. They don’t want to reveal too much about Samarth. They’ve just placed him in the trailer in a way that it creates a shock value for people and they want to see what is this guy doing now. The story is amazing. Season 1 did amazingly well. People have a lot of expectations from this show, all the characters who were there in season 1 and the new ones like me and Meiyang Chang. A lot of people are waiting for that. I’m sure they’re going to get a good surprise.

Have you seen season 1?

I did but not before getting a call for season 2. When I got the call, I had to and wanted to watch season 1. I wanted to see that what I’ve read on paper, how is it when I’m visualizing it and what is the thought of the director behind it. To understand the director’s thought and the makers’ point of view, I watched season 1 and it was a big decision-maker in whether or not I want to be a part of the series. How well season 1 was executed, was a big deciding factor for me.

How would you say both the seasons are different from one another?

Season 1 is Atwals and their power-game. It was about their monopoly in Himachal – how they don’t want anybody going against them and how everybody is scared of them. People are on the run and the Atwals are chasing, killing, shooting them in the process of trying to maintain their fear. There a line also, “Darr khatam ho gaya toh samajh lo banda khatam ho gaya.” That’s the feel of season 1. In season 2, the Atwals are challenged by Samarth. It is about all the big challenges Atwals will face with Abhaya (Chang)’s entry. It is not going to be easy for them because now they are tied down because of a lot of things that Samarth brings on the table. How their business is going to be challenged by Samarth, how their values will be challenged by Koyal and Abhaya and what is going on within the family of Atwals – that is being carried on from season 1, how and what Teji will do to get back at them – there is a lot happening. It’s going to be really fun.

Your character does sound interesting. I’m curious to know how he brings about the 360 degree change…

It is something nice and different from how I am in personal life too. Samarth is sarcastic, he is arrogant, cut-throat businessman but he is somebody who doesn’t like breaking the law. He works within the confines of the law but he’s sharp enough to know how to corner somebody. It will be interesting to watch how without doing what the Atwals do, which is picking up the guns, Samarth still challenges them. He plays mind games which will be interesting to watch.

What is your favourite part about Undekhi 2?

The twist and turns in the crime-thriller. If I tell you which scene then again, it will reveal too much but how the dynamics change suddenly, when you’re not expecting it. When you’re just about to go with the flow and you think that the plot has become predictable, that’s when suddenly something else happens. That shakes you up and you really want to watch what will happen in the next episode. The hook points and thrill part of it, is something that will be very interesting for everybody to watch.

Undekhi talks about class difference. Is season 2 following the same storyline or are we expecting something different here?

It’s definitely a carry forward from season 1 but it’s not the same thing exactly. There are a lot of other things as well. It’s not an entirely new story so it will be slightly difficult for people to connect with the second season if they haven’t seen the first. The story is connected and not entirely new.

Have you ever come across a situation like class difference or been differentiated in another way?

Nobody did this with me purposely but without realizing it happens sometimes. People don’t intend it but you feel it. I’m from a small town in Rajasthan. I was in a military school so 98% of the students were boys. Coming from such an environment, I straight away landed in Mumbai for college. When I did come here, I found arrogance in people. Maybe people didn’t mean to do that to me but because I came from there, I felt that the other students who were from Mumbai, looked down upon me. If they laughed or joked, I felt like they were talking about me or laughing about the way I dress up or talking about the place where I come from. Even if it’s not intended, you could feel that. It's there because of the diversity we have in our country. It’s a huge country with so much population. The class difference is there. People are filthy rich and there is so much poverty in our country. Thus, people do tend to fall victim to such kind of thoughts and feelings but eventually, it’s a matter of getting confidence. There’s nothing to be bogged down about. People could be enjoying their life. They don’t always try to look down upon you. It’s about understanding your self-worth and how you are unique and don’t need anybody’s authentication to be what you are. You should feel empowered in yourself. It takes time to gain that confidence but once you know your self-worth, it’s all just a matter of your thinking.

How did you grow out of that phase? Also, was that a driving factor to become an actor because being an actor basically screams ‘I am here’.

No, that wasn’t a reason I wanted to become an actor but it did help me gain more confidence. How I grew out of the phase was majorly through the time I spent in the city and making the right friends. When people like me come to Mumbai, it becomes very easy to sway the wrong way. You get into wrong company, don’t utilize your time productively. Making good sets of friends who tell you what is right – people who are slightly experienced in the city or industry – that helps a lot. If you have the right guiding force and some friends to show you the right path, it becomes really easy to go and use your time productively.

What are your upcoming projects?

There’s a series I’m shooting for. It’s being directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. We’re waiting for the series to release this year. We’ve wrapped up its shoot. Apart from that, there’s a film that I have signed but don’t know if it will take off this year or next.