Exclusive! Rajesh Khattar: My Karm Yuddh character never gave me respite for a single second

Disney+Hotstar’s web series Karm Yuddh has been making the right noises on OTT. Its cast members Rajesh Khattar, Anjana Sukhani and Soundarya Sharma got into a candid chat with OTTplay where they spilled beans about their role, what attracted them to the project, how did their character come into being and much more. Excerpts from the interview…

Tell me about your role in brief.

Rajesh Khattar: I play Vardhan Roy. As the name suggests, he's from the Roy family and they are two brothers. This is the saga of Roy family. Since there's Yuddh, there's also a lot of conflict among the characters.

Vardhan's entire journey is a gammit. You see him in flashes - the way he was. In the present situation though, his life is very different from before the yuddh started.

The character was unique to me because I have never played this role before. He's specially challenged, somebody who's incapacitated and you will know more once you watch the show.

We actually couldn't understand through the trailer...

Right? It was such a blink-and-miss that I blinked and missed seeing myself (laughs). Don't worry though. He has a graph and a strong presence. He might not be there all the time but is an important character and has a whole journey. One of the reasons that the whole story and issue begins, is Vardhan Roy. Paoli plays my wife Indrani on the show.

What was it like romancing her? There needs to be a certain chemistry. How did you both bring that forth?

The director is very cruel. He gave us brief romance, that too in flashbacks. He got me bed-ridden in the rest of the story so that I couldn't express myself a lot (laughs).

Anjana: You have expressed a lot with your eyes, sir.

Rajesh: We're waiting for that itself. I want to see people's reactions to that. It's completely different. It was wonderful working with her. She's a brilliant actor who is very much into the character and the entire story. You can understand how experienced an actor she is when you see her perform.

What was it about Karm Yuddh that made you say yes to the project?

Anjana: Actors are very greedy. We always look out for something different and when we get it, we're very scared whether we can or cannot pull it off. That's the challenge of being an artist. What intrigued me first was not just the character of Monisha Ray but also the way it was written. We all have some dark secrets and unsaid truths in life. We all have a great shade, a very personal life and a very different professional life. We're like two people living in one body always. Monisha is not very different from that. Professionally, she's very ruthless and detached. Personally, she's very emotional but she's come to a point in her profession so strongly that it starts reflecting in your personal and professional life. Having said that, primarily this is a story of the Roys in Kolkata. The dispute that goes on, whether it gets solved or goes extreme. Where there's power, there's always certain amount of crime. A massacre has happened where many people have lost their lives. In order to investigate their lives, CBI comes in and Monisha is all about. That's how I come into the picture.

Once again you play a brief but impactful role. Tell me, what makes your character here special?

It was very enriching to play something that I haven't played before. I never dreamt of playing. I didn't think that any director thought I could pull off a cop, which is great because it helps me tap into emotions I've never felt or maybe never feel again. Touching those chords was really great for me. In terms of the tangible specialness of the character, I would say that I lived a very fulfilling life through this character. Where it starts is as curious as where she is now. She's an investigative cop who needs to know and delve into everything. In that way, it was really special. Sharing the screen space with unbelievable actors who are veterans in everything they do and so, this whole journey has been special for me overall.

Rajesh: The interesting fact which crossed my mind right now is that I never share screen space with either Anjana or Soundarya in the series. That makes us intrigued about what the others are doing.

The entire graph of the character. It is very fascinating. Vardhan is a man of power. He is the brain as well as brawn behind Roy's. How from that position, he has relegated into a different zone in his life - of course there's a conspiracy, intrigue, whodunit factor - you will stay hooked to know what exactly happened and who's doing what. The story is moving on constantly with various characters who are throwing gauntlets to the audience time-and-again that people will be intrigued. If you don't binge-watch the show, then you wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully at night. It is that kind of a show.

Anjana, when we spoke for Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd, you told me let's see where OTT takes you. Now, you have this project at hand. So, tell me, what is it like currently?

I'm glad. This is 180 degree from what I did in Saas Bahu. Here, you will see me and say that this cannot be me. If this was her, then probably that wasn't her. That's where the battle is won for an actor. I remember having a chat with Balki sir and he told me actors are supposed to be chameleons and supposed to believe that the character isn't them but of course, it is. I believe just that.

Soundarya, your character plays out interestingly in the trailer. For the first few minutes, I actually confused you with Paoli and then when I went back, that is when I realized that there's this big twist and you are at the centre of it. Anything you would like to spill?

As an actor, it's very important to be intrigued and getting challenging and interesting roles. I'm quite thrilled that Ravi actually got me to play this girl Payal Rana who can look larger-than-life and yet, she has her own challenges of coming out of the closet of her own emotional trap. Though she's not a part of the Roy family but plays an important and integral part in one of the Roys' life to win the race of power game within the family. It was very challenging and yet, very subtly done. I was very excited to play this character.

What was it about Karm Yuddh that made you want to say yes to the project?

The ensemble cast, story and plot. When I was narrated the story, I was very thrilled and interested to know what happens next. It might sound like power-hungry family saga but it's not just that. There's much more to it. The complexity and layers of this plot will intrigue you to know what next. It's been curated in a manner that it intrigues you what is next and who is doing what. My character changes and flips into someone else. The way it takes you ahead, that keeps you hooked. I was very interested about that and what my co-actors are doing. You don't work with everybody in all the scenes, right? So, the win for a story as an audience and as a person who's part of a project and a story like this, you are more intrigued to know what next and how does it happen. The journey is really important rather than just the conclusion that who has actually won the throne.

Did it take any kind of research to get into Karm Yuddh? I ask this because the story itself is very unique. You cannot understand from the trailer either. So, what kind of research did it take?

Rajesh: For me, it was. My character is very complicated and bed-ridden. An actor expresses through his entire being and body. That body was taken away from me and thus, I was left with expressing through the eyes. I had to look around for some reference points. I went to my writers and director and added some imagination to bring my character to life. We have come up with the final result after that. When you get a character, then get the gist of it after two-three days. After you get a grip of it, you become a little relaxed as an actor. This character never gave me respite for a single second. All the time you have to think and work out how the scene went. After years, I have got such a character. We took a little while to work that out. These were challenges which were very exciting.

Was it tough to find the sur of your character? Since you said that it took two-three days but were you still not comfortable with the character?

No, it wasn't that I'm still not comfortable. There's a saying that the toughest job for an actor is when he is doing nothing. When you have dialogues, you use that. If you have facial or hand movement, you do that. For me, I had to express through whatever little I was given. Throughout performing all these years, I never had to work around such limited scope to work around my acting. It's like sending a person to war without any weapon in his hand. Then, to convey what the director and writers are trying to convey through the character, that is a challenge. I wasn't uncomfortable but on the edge. I couldn't afford to be complacent anywhere - in any shot. There are people who are doing the scene with me. They are enacting it out. For me to convey just through the eyes, that was challenging but I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Anjana and Soundarya, did you have a reference point for your character? Tell me what went into bringing your character to life.

Anjana: Yes, of course there was a reference point but even that was very limited. Me and Ravi discussed what is needed. Since I haven't played something like that, it was very important for me to know not just her graph and journey till the day she starts the case but also the fact that even though we see cops in so many Hollywood or Hindi films, what is something different that we can bring to the table with it? Of course, we tried to delve into a lot of body language and something that sets her apart but decided to stick to her routine. She's also a very complex character who has a backstory going on within the framework. In terms of research, yes, I saw some shows to understand the attitude of the cop. No matter how emotionally entangled people they are, otherwise when on the job, they are very detached, ruthless and their whole focus is to solve the crime. I was a little jumpy about how would I bring that because I don't know how to do that. It is why I saw certain shows on repeat. The writer and director made my journey really easy.

Soundarya: My only brief was once they narrated the story to me, it sounded very simple when Ravi told me about the character but when I read about her, she's not that simple to portray. Bringing in my element made it more difficult because my perception of this character is totally different from how he wanted me to act as per his vision. When I actually started to read the scenes and perform, we did have inputs initially but then I did my entire homework on my own. She has her own challenges, complexities, how things are taken forward for the rivalry and power game. It wasn't that simple. You have to show it simple but it's complex. It is a self-preparation and internalisation rather than watching something. I play a starlet and so, we all know how they behave around paparazzi and socially. It was not the same adaptation. Eventually, it's the emotion of the scenes.

Your upcoming projects?

Rajesh: All over. Even on the big screens.