Jee Karda actor Suhail Nayyar: Having a female director really helps with the sensitivity; they just know it | Exclusive

It's been almost two weeks since Prime Video released Jee Karda. Although the series received mixed reviews, the lead actors, namely Tamannaah Bhatia, Suhail Nayyar, and Aashim Gulati, received praises for their respective roles. Suhail, who was earlier loved for his character in Sharmaji Namkeen, plays the role of Rishabh in Jee Karda. The actor is paired opposite Tamannah in the series, and the finale episode shows his character facing the most difficult task of processing all the information at once.

During an exclusive interaction with OTTplay, Suhail spoke at length about the response he has been receiving for his role as a relatable millennial character. The actor also touched upon the much-discussed intimate scene with Tamannaah.

Edited excerpts below:

How are you taking in the responses you have been getting over the past few days for the show?

Very positive, and I'm very happy. It's like everything is still sinking in. People are actually loving it, especially the younger crowd. So my DMs are flooded with lots of love.

What was that one compliment that you got that stood out from everyone else's?

The compliment was about people feeling Rishabh's pain towards the end. People were understanding the subtle nuances that I did, so that was a good thing. When you do something subtly and people catch it, it becomes really special.

The show is about millennials, and it's quite relatable for the generation. Which was the hardest fact that you could relate to from the show?

The guidelines were simple: we had been friends since childhood in the show, and the camaraderie had to be on point. So, that's one thing that's very relatable: when we've been friends since childhood and we're growing up together, we don't give up on each other. So no matter our issues or whatever is happening, we always stick around. That was a very relatable thing, because I'm like that with my friends.

How much are you similar to your character from the show?

When I'm in a relationship, this is how I am. I'm always head over heels for my woman. So well, that's how I love, and that's what I brought to the character. I think when you love someone, you should just express it all the time.

The series ends on a cliffhanger with major information that changes your life instantly. So please decode the whole climax sequence.

Rishabh got this recent information, which just totally broke him, and then his restaurant caught on fire. So there was a lot happening. So if you see the scene, he's also unsure because it hasn't even sunk in. So that's what was happening, and seeing Arjun there, he didn't have anything to say. So he just says one line, "Tune mera ghar jala diya, bro." And then he says, "Lavu, Kyu?" At that time, you didn't know because your brother and your partner had cheated on you. It's one thing. Your best friend, who's like your brother, is doing that to you. And then your restaurant also gets caught on fire. It In the end, he gets this message that his app was sold for $10 million, and now it doesn't mean anything to him.

What was your state of mind during the whole scene, given that it becomes all about you in the end?

I was really happy, because when there's a lot of meat, you get to do a lot of things for the character. I like such things. We played around with a lot of nuances and silences. When it happens to him, there's one way to do it: he gets angry. But I don't like to take it that way, because when something breaks your heart this badly, you are numb. You just don't know; that was a good thing to experiment with.

How was your equation with each of them? Was it easier to break the ice given that it's an ensemble cast?

It was exactly like what you saw on screen because we became such good friends. We've just met; we started shooting in August, and we did three days of workshops together. There was only one day of workshop for all the cast members. I did workshops with Aashim and Tamannaah, but it was just so organic with everyone. There's something very extraordinary about this cast. Even if you see the promotions, we've never decided what we're going to wear, and all of us came colour coordinated.

What do you have to say about the intimate scenes between Tamannaah Bhatia and your character that have been discussed so much on social media?

Those intimate scenes were not to titillate anyone; they were there to show the dynamics of the relationship. When you are in a relationship with someone for more than 10 years, there's some kind of comfort that you have with the other person's body; that's why the bedroom conversations are such. They're very generic, non-romantic conversations, like we were talking about, "I'm not shaved down there," and things like that. In one sequence, I asked her, "You don't find me attractive anymore, or what?" So these are very couple-centric, and I think they were really aesthetically shot. We had an intimacy coordinator on board and did some intimacy workshops. It was really professional, and I personally think the chemistry was really good.

I think the time is right. India is such a big country; we have the largest population in the world. So we have a lot of opinions. But I think if there is one kind of opinion, then there's another kind too. So there will be people who will say, "What nonsense is this?" But there will be people who will say, "These kinds of conversations happen, and it's okay," and it's really lovely.

Having said that, was it easier to perform these scenes when there was a female director?

She was seven months pregnant when we started the shoot. We shot through her delivery and post-delivery. She is Superwoman and amazing on set. She's an amazing director and very sensitive. I will give this credit more to Arunima than to the fact that she's female. She has this sensitive eye for catching real emotions in real moments. Having a female director really helps with the sensitivity; they just know it.

You were a part of the world of OTT before it boomed. So looking back, how do you see it as a medium?

I think it has given not only actors but a lot of technicians a lot of work. It's a great medium because you're just there; your content is there for people to consume in the comfort of their homes. So you are easily accessible to them. Then you get to experiment in the long format; you have a lot of time, and you can show a lot of layers of your character in the story. So I love OTT.

So when you are deciding on a role, how do you zero in on a project? Do you look into your previous projects and make sure you don't repeat yourself as a character?

I don't like repeating myself. I tried to do different things, like in Sharmaji Namkeen, where I was the eldest son but I wore pants in the house. I was actually doing things that a normal Indian father would do. But here, I was a submissive son. Sometimes you don't agree with your parents, but you do things anyway. But I wasn't my girlfriend's pet or my parents pet; I was very clear about it.

At this point in your career, what's something you look forward to doing?

I want to do more meatier roles and more central roles. I keep experimenting with my roles; if you see my filmography, every role is different from the other. I have quite a few projects that will be coming out this year and next year. So all the parts are very different from each other. Even if you see Udta Punjab and Hotel Mumbai, both the characters are Punjabis. Yes, that one was a Pakistani Punjabi and the other was an Indian Punjabi, and there's a massive difference in the dialect. So I try to do these small things.

Is it easier for you to detach from a character?

It is easier for me to switch off the character. I might take the character home while I'm shooting. But once I wrap up a project, I even forget the dialogue. I don't know how it happens. Maybe my father forgets things, and maybe I'm getting that from him. I just forget and detach myself from the character because it easily takes a toll on your mental health.

When it comes to OTT as a medium, do you think there's a fear of saturation at some point as an actor?

There will be saturation because it happens in every field. Like with music, you can't listen to the same kind of music all the time. But then something else will come out. So art will always find a way.