#KetchupTalks: 'When you love your people, you're the most patriotic', says Special Ops 2 actor Karan Tacker

In this interview, actor Karan Tacker discusses Jio Hotstar's latest show, Special Ops 2, working with Neeraj Pandey and the intense preparation required to portray a RAW agent.

Karan Tacker, known for his compelling performances in numerous television shows and the critically acclaimed webseries Khakee: The Bihar Chapter, is gearing up for the release of the third installment of the fan favourite espionage thriller Special Ops 2. As the anticipation for the show is reaching a fever pitch, we sat down with Tacker to discuss what makes this season even more exciting, the endearing connection he shares with his character, and a lot more. The actor, who essays intelligence officer Farooq Ali in the show, also opened up about his preparation for such an action-intensive role and the love his character gets from the audience.

Also Read: Special Ops 2 trailer review: Kay Kay Menon's Himmat Singh and co. take on a mission to protect the country from cyber terrorism

Read all about it here!

The first season of Special Ops garnered immense praise. What can you tell us about the second season, particularly regarding how it builds upon the success of the first, without giving away major plot points?

Well, this is the 2nd season and I've just been waiting for this one to come out because from the inception of it, the idea was that every season needs to be larger, it needs to have more thrill, has to have bigger action pieces, and the scale needs to be much more well mounted. We've shot in some of the most beautiful locations, which include Budapest and Georgia. We've done some massive action pieces, some of which you get to see glimpses of in the trailer. It features great weapons, guns, knives, and a lot of interesting action, which I have never done before. In fact, for this one, I've managed to dabble with my biggest fear - heights. I'm just really excited for this one to come out.

Your character, Farooq Ali, has resonated deeply with audiences, receiving a great deal of admiration. How does this overwhelming love from the viewers make you feel? 

Who doesn't like being loved? And when you get accepted, not just as an actor but also as a character, getting all the adulation from the audience, is humbling, and that's exactly what makes you want to give the audience much more, and also somewhere you start loving the character yourself. For me, Farooq is a character that I love. I owe the character more than anyone else, there is a part of me that feels like him on number of ocassions. A lot of times, especially when I'm at the airport there's this part of me that comes on which almost feels like I could be an agent, which I'm nowhere close to being.

Given the intensely action-oriented nature of the show, how do you approach and prepare for a character like Farooq?

It’s difficult to define preparation. I feel, it’s such a subconscious silent effort that you put in as an actor there's a lot of action prep which is the obvious one on the surface- You're learning hand to hand combat, the flips, the tricks, you're learning how to use real guns, knives, and it's not about learning, the idea is that if you're playing a RAW agent who's undercover and who's been called every time trouble hits the roof, you have to be so good at it that you don't miss even one opportunity of a kill. So you have to look well-trained, that is where the real challenge lies. It's not about just moving a gun and shooting in the air, right? It's making it look like it's a part of you, like weapons are a part of your physicality.  It's something that I actually might be just carrying with me right now that you don't know I might have a weapon in my coat, it has to feel that covert. So that is very silent mental preparation that you do, and of course at the bottom of it all, you're playing a RAW agent for your country. It's for India, so you live with that feeling of patriotism. You live with that feeling of loving your country, and you live with that feeling that if it came to it, you would be at the front line yourself. So you have to live with that emotion somewhere to even go out there and throw punches, so that’s what you silently keep telling yourself as an actor.

Working with a visionary like Neeraj Pandey must be a unique experience. How would you describe the dynamic of being directed by him, especially considering his significant role in shaping the world of Special Ops?

For me, Neeraj Pandey is Himmat Singh, Kay Kay Menon sir plays that character in the show. Kay Kay sir and I have never shot together in the show, right? But there is a silent relationship where you can see fondness, love; you can see a beautiful guru-shishya relationship. And for me, that's the easiest to emulate because I get to shoot with Neeraj Pandey. For me, he's the original Himmat Singh. So when he's directing me also, most of the time when I'm pitching to Himmat, somewhere in my head I'm pitching to him. His personality itself is what Himmat's character is.

Beyond espionage and action, Special Ops touches upon themes of patriotism. What is your definition or understanding of patriotism, and how do you embody that in your portrayal?

Being there for my country, loving to do what you do and enjoying every single aspect of it. From the people to the environment to nature, and to just keep giving back the love, I feel like when you love your people, you're the most patriotic, and mind you, for me, patriotism doesn't just end at your own country. I feel like if you can't love people in general and if you can't love people as a whole, and humanity as a race, you can't be just patriotic to only your sect or where the border is drawn. So I feel patriotism is much larger, just like religion. 

Which of Karan Tacker's characters is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

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