We spoke to Surya Sharma about his experience of working for SonyLIV's upcoming crime thriller Undekhi. Catch him as he shares anecdotes of his preparation for the role.
Based on the true events, Undekhi is a spine chilling crime thriller. The trailer released last week by SonyLIV, gave fans a sneak peek into the web series which showcased a shocking visual of a girl being shot amid a wedding celebration. However, the brutal murder of the girl did not seem to stop the wedding festivities.
We spoke to Surya Sharma playing Rinku (the one who continues the celebrations after the girl was shot) on prepping for the role, why shooting for the show was special for him and lots of chit-chatting.
Did you always want to become an actor? How did your journey start?
I played the role of a solider. And parents encouraged me to participate in all extracurricular activities. When I came to boarding school, I continued with this. Even in college, I continued doing theatre. I always wanted to come to Bombay. I have been here for 6 years now and I'm enjoying it.
Since you are in Chandigarh right now, what are you missing about Mumbai?
I miss the business of Mumbai. I took my flight from Mumbai on 24th March. The city was silent even then and it felt strange.
How was working for Undekhi? How will you describe your character Rinku?
It was fun working in achieving the goals of a character. It helps you grow. Through Undekhi I see myself as growing in the industry with a good speed. So I'm glad I saw this through Undekhi.
Rinku is ruthless and carefree. But there are some good qualities in him that I like. But for that, you have to watch the show. One quality that I like about the character is the immense love he has for this father. His father is extremely important and special for him and we don't get to see that easily these days.
Character is part of the society and we all should be thankful to the OTT platforms that they are showing such content. In today's date, people watch movies and shows and the story stays with them for days. They don't forget it. And I'm sure Undekhi is one a kind. It's a hard-hitting story based on true events.
The preparation for the role depends on the way you want to see the character. How you bring out the behaviour of it. We have workshops prior to the shoot so we have to stay in character for 7-8 months.
Personally I like to prepare for the character by doing some study on how to build it by taking some references. And most importantly I try to weave my childhood memories and learnings with the character. So in every character, I try to bring a memory or experience of mine which can later be shown in the character and my approach is to show the human side of the character so that people can relate.
One quality I learned during my boarding school days is independence and self-dependent. I started making my own decision, doing everything by myself. I was the head boy of the hostel and I had to take care of 400 students in the hostel of all ages. I had to support them as well as take the criticism. I learned the quality of being authoritative. I've used that in life. I know how to convince a person now. And that virtue I tried to make part of Rinku's character as well.
Do you think Crime Thriller is your comfort genre?
If you have seen me in the show I did, I'm a different character as compared to Undekhi's Rinku. Even though both the characters are aggressive in nature but they are different. So as an artist, we have an opportunity to not be labelled with one kind of character or comfort zone.
I have worked on my body language, dialect and tone to make the character of Rinku in Undekhi successful. Amount of Hardwork put in is the same whether it is of any character. If you give me the role of a beggar, I will do it with such conviction that you'd be convinced that I'm a real beggar.
Obviously, everyone likes to do a good character because you get to work more. But, I'm enjoying the current role and if I continue to work with dedication, I'd soon be assigned good characters in the coming time.
One role you want to play?
I'd like to do Amit Ji's role in Agnipath. Well, Rinku is similar to that character too - angry young man. Rinku in the same zone. The story has a lot of emotions and twist. And I am lucky I already played something closer to my dream role.
What are your expectations from the show? How do you anticipate the response of the audience to Undekhi?
I see the future bright. People are responding positively to the trailer. My friends and people from my home town are messaging me and acknowledging my efforts. I'm happy people are connecting to it and they're liking it.
Any memory from the time of the shooting that stayed with you.
I've very strong memories from Andekhi. I have three -
1. Shooting in my hometown was always in my bucket list and I achieved it. My mom dad saw me shooting the climax. I had a feeling of pride in me.
2. I saw 2-3 puppies sitting near the shoot location and playing in the snow. One of the puppies came running towards me, and I started playing with him. Fast forward, it had turned 1.5 years now. Its name is Tiger and is at my hometown chilling with my parents. So I have a living memory of Undekhi with me and will stay with me for years to come.
3. I performed a stunt for the first time in my life.
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