With his films Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (TEPK, 2017) and Batti Gul Meter Chalu (BGMC, 2018), Divyenndu has shown that his award-winning act as Liquid in his debut film Pyaar Ka Punchnama (PKP, 2011), was not a one-off thing. While there may have been a few duds along the way, the Delhi lad has never regretted any of them. Instead, he says, it’s been a learning experience for him. And now, people are curious about his next, the web series Mirzapur, which is garnering a lot of attention for its gritty and intense trailer.
Divyenndu plays Munna, a negative character, for the first time. Here, the actor tells us more about the show and his journey...
What attracted you to Mirzapur?
To begin with, it was the writing of the show. It’s an authentically-written show. If you’re going in a different world, it’s very important that it looks original and I found it in the script. The second factor was the production team and set-up. They are genuinely cool people, who know how to respect artistes. All these things matter to me.
You’re playing a dark character for the first time in your acting career...
(Cuts in) Yes, but I wasn’t approached for Munna’s role. I was supposed to play Babloo (played by Vikrant Massey). After a couple of readings, they called to ask me how I felt about portraying the character of Munna. I thought it would be interesting. I’m not saying this because I’m playing Munna, but I think he’s the most complex character written for the show. He has got so many layers. So, here was a chance to essay a dark character who has motivations for his actions. When I read the entire script, I was really happy to do it.
It must have been liberating to play one?
Yes, definitely. For any artiste, it’s really important to do different work in different genres. I have never played it safe to carry on with a franchise or one genre of films. I’m really happy with the way people have reacted to the trailer of Mirzapur. That’s why you work as an actor, so you can give something new to your audiences.
You started with a bang with PKP but there weren’t many exciting projects before TEPK and BGMC.
It’s something you can’t do much about. As an artiste, you want to try out new things and will fail or succeed accordingly. So, it’s important to keep on doing stuff that takes you out of your comfort zone. I did some movies that didn’t work, but I was appreciated for Ekkes Toppon Ki Salaami. So it was a learning process and I’m more than glad I had this journey.
Did you feel the pinch of losing out on the PKP franchise?
Like I said, I never wanted to be associated with one genre. I was trying out different things and I knew that the path I’m taking is the one less travelled. It will be hard at times, but I don’t get scared by all this. I enjoy my journey and at the end of the day, every artiste is a selfish person. We do stuff for ourselves. So, I genuinely don’t regret anything.
What’s next?
I have finished an indie film called Assi Nabbe Poorey Sau, which is in post production. I’m reading a lot of scripts, for movies as well as for the web. I’ve always taken it easy in my career. I’m not someone who keeps thinking about the next project. I finish one, enjoy the process, take time out to travel and if something excites me, I say yes to it.
