'Increasing digital platforms, intelligent casting a boon for actors'

Imagining the fun-loving Liquid from "Pyaar Ka Punchnama" holding a gun or the beautiful Safia Manto of "Manto" entering a mind game and a gunfight in a world predominantly ruled by men, is not a common practice in the world of Bollywood. But the possibility has opened up thanks to the emergence and popularity of digital platforms, say actors of web series "Mirzapur".

Whether it is Divyendu Sharma, who played Liquid, or Rasika Dugal, who essayed Safia, or the versatile Pankaj Tripathi -- they are of the opinion that right casting and a receptive audience is opening the doors for performers like them.

"I think the casting of actors is a very important thing for all of us to experiment with our roles and that is why I would like to give a lot of credit to the casting directors these days. It is very important for a casting director to see an actor in a neutral light to cast him or her for any kind of role instead of stereotyping," Divyendu, who is seen as Munna, the son of a gangster in "Mirzapur", told IANS in an interview.

Seconding him, Rasika said: "It is a calculative risk and worth taking a risk to give an actor an opportunity to do something different. We always tend to box an actor, especially once he or she is accepted by the audience in a certain manner. I think more OTT platforms are gaining consumers, as well as audience becoming repetitive towards good stories; opening the doors for us."

"Of course the audience is maturing and watching good stories in all platforms, which give us the confidence to experiment. It is also true that as a performer we are always on our toes to deliver our best," Divyendu added.

"Mirzapur", streaming on Amazon Prime Video, is a revenge saga set in Uttar Pradesh, where Kaleen (Pankaj) runs an illegal firearms and drugs business, and how two young men of the city get into the fight with his people, leading to a bloodshed.

Pankaj says the world of the show is similar to his film "Gurgaon" because both the stories revolve around the crime space.

"That was a challenge for me as an actor because I do not want to make it look similar. Since the world has a resemblance, the comparison is natural. I, therefore, made a conscious effort to create a difference. There is a free flow of performance that happens on digital medium," said the National Award-winning actor.

Produced by Excel Media and Entertainment, the show also features Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey, Shweta Tripathi and Shriya Pilgaonkar.

"Mirzapur" was screened at the Jio Mumbai MAMI Film Festival last month.

Asked about the reception at the show's premiere, Pankaj confidently said: "Even when you are making a story, you know in which direction the execution is going. At times, in the shooting only you know that it is not coming out as it was expected at the script level. With 'Mirzapur', we had confidence from the beginning."

Divyendu added: "At the script level, it was written so well that we were discussing among us that even if we do not add much and perform exactly the way it has been written, we know it will come out well."

How do they look at the growing opportunities due to the influx of digital entertainment?

While Rasika said she is juggling between several projects on various platforms, Pankaj felt nostalgic about theatre.

"This is so far a good year for me with the variety of work and busy schedule. I am trying to grapple with time management... At times people are calling me and saying how these days actors like us are so busy in cinema that we are giving no time to stage and theatre. Honestly, I am not missing stage plays," Rasika said, breaking into a laugh.

Pankaj instantly smiled in response, and said: "After all she is from film school... We are NSD (National School of Drama) people. Theatre is our first love. No matter what, there is something about stage performance that is always special for people like us."

Adding to that, Divyendu, who was involved with theatre for three years in Delhi before enrolling in a film school, said: "Yes, there is something very romantic about stage theatre -- the energy, stage lights, instant audience reactions... am I over-romanticising?"

Pankaj said: "No, it's true that stage ka nasha hi kuch aur hai (the stage gives a different high)," said Pankaj.

(Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in)

--IANS

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