Exclusive! Surya Sharma: I’m not choosy with projects because I need to survive in the industry and prove my worth

Undekhi is back with season 2 and with it are the men – Surya Sharma, Harsh Chhaya and Varun Bhagat, who play the roles of Rinku paaji, Papaji and Lucky respectively. The trio spoke about their reunion, how the character and series happened to them and much more while talking to OTTplay exclusively. Surya also revealed that people will get to see Rinku’s emotional side in Undekhi season 2. Excerpts…

How does it feel coming back to Undekhi, which was one of the earlier hits on OTT?

Harsh: It’s great to be back. It’s a successful thing. Since it has worked so well, we all are very happy and excited for the new season. It’s a good thing, it’s fortunate that it worked and here we are for the next season and hopefully, it will go on to the third.

Surya, after Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen, you are back with the one of your earlier series Undekhi. How excited are you for all that's happening?

I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling. I was shooting when Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen released. After the shooting ended, Undekhi is releasing. It will take some time to sink in. Obviously, I feel blessed to at least see my hardwork pay off. We shot both the projects during the pandemic.

Harsh ji, what attracted you the most about playing this power-drunk man, Papaji?

That he’s power-drunk, mad, abusive, alcoholic and incorrigible. Everything about him was so attractive. There’s nothing to say no about it. You get to live your wild side and fantasy which you cannot otherwise. It was a great experience. These are the things that I liked.

Did it take preparation? Were you actually getting drunk when you had to? What was it like?

(Nods in no) If that was the case, then we couldn’t work only. The shooting would stop on day one and that would have been the end. I was sick and tired and dying of drinking Appy whole day. It is so sweet and I had to gulp down 20-25 glasses. That was a bad experience. I wish I was drinking instead of Appy. I did have a reference for this character. It was a co-incidence, you could say. The first time I was given a one-line brief of the character, I straight away went to 40 years back where I have seen this myself. It wasn’t memorable so you don’t usually think about it but strangely, 40 years later, I saw the exact thing. I have seen this kind of a person first-hand but from far-off. I have seen these people day-in and day-out from my neighbourhood where I lived for six months. It was like those six months was happening 40 years later in the form of this show. I picked up things from there.

Varun, you play this loyal bodyguard, Lucky, who has no qualms even if he has to get his hands dirty. Was the preparation of this character completely fictional?

There were a lot of workshops which happened. We found a lot in that. What fascinated me about Lucky was that he is loyal. There’s no conscious level in him. He’ll go to any extent to protect his family and Rinku who is his brother and has done so much for him in his past and who has made him who he is today. He doesn’t want to leave this opportunity of protecting his brother. That makes him do evil or bad things but in his mind, he’s doing the right thing – he’s just protecting his family. There were a lot of workshops and I was fortunate enough to be working with Surya. He’s also very giving as an actor. You know, you push each other’s game. That’s what we did. He really pushed me hard. Me and Surya got along and became really good friends. The workshops also really helped. I don’t see him as the villainous character but as what I said, a brother.

While we know that Rinku and Lucky share a brotherhood and a strong bond but we still don’t know where it all started. So, will we get to see a backstory to them?

I’m not sure about the backstory but you will know that there is a connection. You’ll see why he does what he does. That’s all I can say at this point. You’ll have to see it.

Surya, you became quite the name after Undekhi. Tell me, did that help you bag more projects?

Yes, there are projects coming and again, I feel lucky that Undekhi gave me such a platform that people started considering me an actor. The medium that we are in, we cannot introduce our own selves. The audience decides if you are an actor or not. They give you the respect and I’m fortunate to have got it. I can’t say that I’m choosing projects at this point. I don’t have a choice so I take everything that comes my way since I want to survive and show myself. I want to perform and work with other directors and co-actors. I’m doing that. I’m happy with how my life is at this point. I’m doing projects. There are times when you feel upset about a project going in a new direction but then again, that’s not in your hand. The same thing happened with Undekhi. When we worked on the project, nobody knew how will it be shot, where will it release and how will people perceive it. Then it released, became a sleeper hit, everyone’s characters became a hit and they gained popularity. Some time back, I was talking to someone who asked me if the season will be a hit or not. One thing I learned in my life is to not expect a lot from anyone. With expectations come disappointment. I had not expected the response even with Undekhi season 1. None of us knew actually but we got such a good response. Then we had the responsibility to perform better. Working with the Undekhi team is the best time of my life. I have a lot of memories with them. We talk about life, work and other things. Nobody has an ego or behaves out of ego. We all want to help each other. There are times that when there is an intense scene and you want to stay in the character so we help each other stay in the character during the time. I love the fact that people love Rinku paaji in Undekhi.

The way Rinku paaji is, it is role-defining. It comes once-in-a-while. So, now that you have played that character, are you getting similar offers or something different?

I am getting different work. I just finished a film with Red Chillies Entertainment. I’m opposite Bhumi Pednekar in the movie. It’s a totally different character. They have just announced the film. It was an opportunity for me. After the kind of zone I’ve created for myself, whether I could come out of that zone was challenging for me too. I feel I have worked well. My director praised me so I’m hoping it is good but the audiences will decide how it is.

Varun, did you start getting more projects after Undekhi?

Yeah, touchwood. I’m currently shooting for two projects and really phenomenal stories. God willingly, they are different characters as well. I’m lucky to actually just even get work at this point. I want to be a working actor. I don’t want to sit at home but do work. I hope to get good stories because they don’t just fall on your lap everyday. I’m very fortunate to have been a part of really good stories. I hope they come out nice. On paper, it’s very interesting. I’m currently shooting for both of them. Yes, Undekhi has been very kind. As Surya said, being on Undekhi sets is one of the best moments of my life. That experience was something else. I do it just for the experience. I hope it does well but I do it just for experience.

Harsh ji, you have been a veteran actor. You would get more offers and can choose from them, am I correct?

Not really. I have nothing after Undekhi (laughs).

Even now, you have many projects already lined up. How do you go about when it comes to picking projects? Do you take up a project that offers you a substantial role or one that pays well or a good mix of both? How do you pick projects?

It’s very simple. The first and foremost thing is – what kind of role am I being offered. If it is a good project and I like what I hear, then I instantly say a yes. If I don’t like it, then I look at my financial status. If you feel like there is a need for money, then you take the work. If not, then I don’t do the project. Sometimes, you feel like you haven’t worked for four months and have been refusing everyone, then you go for a cameo appearance too. Other times you get a pivotal role but don’t like it and don’t need to earn more for three to four months then you let go of the project. It depends on the role and where are you at the given point in life. For me, that’s how it works.

Surya, Rinku paaji is the 'ideal family man' who takes the so-called 'business' ahead. That required a certain body language which you brought to the table. Tell me your preparation process. Because you were one of the characters that has stayed back with fans of the show.

Again, we did a lot of workshops. Back when I had signed Undekhi, I was the first actor to join the show. I had just finished shooting for Hostages and was on Undekhi sets already. I would go to the script-reading sessions. There was a lot happening back then. The draft for the script was changing constantly. The first thought I had when I read the script was that this is sail or sink situation for me. If I can work on this series, then I’ll do it or I’ll pack my bags and go back home because there’s no point in thinking twice. When you get such a character at your initial stage and you don’t pour efforts into that, then there is no fun in doing that. We are here for that. We have been working hard in order to sustain. During workshops, we defined the character – about how will and won’t he behave. We worked on his body language, jaw movement and the sudden pauses that create the dramatic effect. We just tried to show intimidation. After a point, all of this became an automatic response. Before going on the sets, we all sort ourselves out mentally. I asked all the questions regarding my character and the story during the workshop. I didn’t want to ask in front of 10 people. Once I get the answer, I never repeat it. If I’ve been told to not perform in a certain way, that is what I’ll do. We took those steps and started shooting for Undekhi. If you work on a character, you can’t say you have cracked it. It takes time. Even when you shoot, it takes three to four days. When you shoot with real actors on sets, you get to understand things better. Season 2 will show Rinku’s emotional side as well. I hope people like that.

In Indian societies, men are usually asked to put up a strong front. Rinku is actually a perfect portrayal of that. Was your upbringing similar – where you were told you have to be strong, which made it easier for you to get into the character of Rinku?

I think everyone should be strong because of how the world is. My parents simply asked me to shut my books and play in the playground. They wanted me to be practical and street smart. They believed in not bringing study home because you already have school for that. They taught me to explore the world outside when back home from school. I’ve been in a Chandigarh hostel. There is a different culture there. I cried when I had just reached there. I was ragged too. Within four-five days I realized that it isn’t the right way. I could either give it back to them or keep taking everything they throw at me. I did the former with them. You learn and experience a lot in life which you then use for your characters. I just feel that everyone should be strong.

Shouldn’t there be a balance?

Rinku has many loopholes, actually. He is a very sorted person. He knows what he wants and loves. He is protective about his father and his introduced the love of his life to him too. He doesn’t play mind games.

Will he soften or get darker with the new season?

You will see him put in a situation where he has no option but to fight and overcome that situation.