PremiumApurva's Dhairya Karwa on the film industry: Nobody has a secret formula; that's the beauty of it | Exclusive
In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Dhairya Karwa shares insights on the filming of Apurva in Chambal, working with Tara Sutaria, and more.
Last Updated: 07.32 PM, Nov 14, 2023
In 2022, Dhairya Karwa shot into the limelight with his performance as Deepika Padukone's live-in partner in Shakun Batra's Gehraiyaan. The actor's role as an ignorant partner and a failed writer caught the attention of many. Now, he is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film, Apurva, in which he plays Tara Sutaria's character's fiance, who gets into panic and fear mode after she gets kidnapped.
Ahead of the release of the Disney+ Hotstar film, OTTplay caught up with Dhairya for an exclusive interview in which the actor spoke at length about his character in the film, facing rejections in the film industry, and more.
Excerpts from a freewheeling chat...
What were your thoughts when you first read the script for Apurva?
I thought that it was an engaging story and that the spotlight was on Apurva, the titular role played by Tara. It's a demanding character and she (Tara) has performed exceptionally well. My character is a key part of the story. What attracted me to the role is the character's emotions — the emotion of love, which is what drives him. It's the most relatable emotion in everyone's life. At some point in everyone's lives, people will go to any lengths to protect the ones they love and care about. I think that's the most universal emotional energy that everyone will connect to at some level.
The film is set against the challenging backdrop of Chambal, one of India's most dangerous places. How did the setting impact your portrayal of the character?
When you shoot at real locations, the world becomes so much more believable. When you believe in the world, you're already sucked in; you're engaged and become a part of the story. Then, it becomes a helping hand because shooting at real locations influences your performance. It makes it seem real as opposed to shooting on a set, where, as an actor, you have to put in extra effort (to make it seem believable). Of course, the conditions, the weather, the situation that I was in, and the emotions that I had to feel — everything just comes together, and it really helps the film visually. It helps the actors perform very honestly and connect with the story.
You shared a lot of screen space with Tara Sutaria in the film. How was the collaborative experience on set?
It was effortless and we really had a good time working together. We have a lot in common. First, it is uncanny that two actors working together share the same birthday; we're both born on November 19. We also have similar personalities since we are ambiverts. We keep to ourselves but are out there when it's required. We come from a non-film background and we both support the Liverpool Football Club. So, there's a lot that's in common. We had to shoot together for two weeks and time just flew by.
Were there specific aspects of your character that you found particularly challenging or rewarding to portray?
Both! The emotions that my character feels are very relatable. For instance, even when you're away from home, you leave a part of yourself with your loved ones. The story of Apurva is about how an ordinary girl's life changes in a moment after she's thrown into extraordinary situations for survival. Now, for us also, in our day-to-day lives, we have a plan, but life has different ideas for us, and everything can change in an instant. When you find yourself in unfamiliar territory, you find the strength within yourself that you didn't even know you had. So, these were the relatable aspects and were something that I wanted to explore since I hadn't portrayed such a character earlier.
How do you strike a balance between the professional aspect of rejection and the personal emotions that may arise from it?
That's the challenge of having an objective point of view, which is so difficult at the moment. Rejection is the nature of the business. Almost 99% of the time, an actor will be rejected, but that doesn't matter. It's the 1% of the time that you hear a 'yes' that matters and has the possibility and ability to change your life. That's what matters. Absolute mathematics doesn't apply here. The important thing is to not take rejections personally. If you understand this from an objective perspective, it's as simple as the fact that you didn't fit the character in somebody else's vision. It's not personal. But it's hard to do that because we are all emotional beings, especially artists. We suffer emotionally because we put our worth in how good or bad we are. So, it's difficult to strike a balance, but there's no other way around it.
It also highlights the unpredictability of the industry...
It is absolutely unpredictable. You don't know when your next job will come. You don't know how your project is going to be received. You don't know when things will turn around or how they will happen. On the flip side, that's the beauty of it. No one has a secret formula and everybody has a shot.
You are getting a release after a long time. How did you stay calm and patient while waiting for your projects to be released?
Thankfully, I had two projects to work on that kept me occupied. You can't be too worried that the world is moving at such a fast pace that everybody has to leave, because that's not in your control. What's in your control are the opportunities that come your way. You make your best decisions and are honest with your work. Do your best and then just leave it all up to the Almighty, because that's all you can do.
Another reason why there's been such a big gap between Gehraiyaan and Apurva is because after Gehraiyaan, I signed two massive projects that didn't work out for different reasons. But then you have to recalibrate and reassess. I'm really fortunate that that was when stories like ucame along. I have another release lined up shortly. It's a series called Gyaarah Gyaarah, which is produced by Dharma Productions and Sikhya Entertainment. I'm really looking forward to that. It's an investigative crime thriller, and I play a cop. I've been fortunate that I have some really exciting parts, so that's really kept me going.