‘Storytelling now is character driven,’ says Sacred Games actor Saanand Verma

Tell us about your upcoming project with Madhur Bhandarkar.

It’s an anthology, titled India Lockdown. There are four stories in the backdrop of the lockdown. Extraordinary situations have been shown in this film which actually happened in our country. All the stories are engaging and hopefully touch the chord with the audience.

Please share details of your character.

I am playing the antagonist in one of the stories which is about a sex worker. My character is called Tipu. It is something that I have never done before. That’s what I can say as of now.

How was it working with Madhur Bhandarkar?

Madhur sir is a great human being and has a mind-blowing sense of humour. Not many know that he is good at mimicry. During our shoots he used to mimic so many Bollywood actors and make us laugh.

You have worked in different mediums. Which one do you find satisfactory?

Cinema is most satisfactory for any actor and the reason is simple that it is the biggest platform to be a part of. It is something where you can really feel the larger-than-life feeling that storytellers want to create for the audiences.

There was a time when character actors were not considered significant. But the trend has changed now. What is your viewpoint?

Character actors were always very important but now they are in the limelight because the pattern of storytelling has changed and things are now more focused on characters. The script is the hero. This much-required change has happened more after the advent of OTT. We are lucky that the style of storytelling is character driven.

Did you face any struggle?

Yes, there was a struggle to make ends meet. I always wanted to be an actor but I had to do a lot of other work, which was not acting. I started with Mardaani, which was produced by Yash Raj Films, but I was not getting movie offers and I ended up becoming a TV star.

What was the turning point in your career?

Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain was a big hit and my character became popular. Now, finally I am happy doing good work in cinema. I have already done films like Raid, Pataakha, Chhichhore and others.

What makes you happy in life?

When I do something on screen that I am not in real life, it makes me happy. Now, if I am able to play the same role convincingly and audiences accept it, then that’s my biggest kick.