Exclusive - Divyenndu Sharma on his return as Munna Bhaiya in Mirzapur The Movie: 'It was emotional to see how people miss the character'

You were the most loved character of Mirzapur as Munna Bhaiyya and was missed dearly during the new season. How was that feeling?

It was quite emotional for me, how people just miss that character and how they expressed their love. It's quite overwhelming that way.

How was it returning to the role that has become iconic, and the Mirzapur world looks incomplete without you?

It was quite surreal to be that character again, to be part of that world, to see those characters, be that character again, quite surreal.

How did you prepare to bring Ratan Pandit to life in Saali Mohabbat? How do I prepare

It's emotionally always the same because I've been doing this for so many years now. I have my own process where I read the script, I think of the character a certain way, experiment, and try to make him more human than anything. That's very important for me that people can relate to the character. It's very difficult to explain the process, but the prep is the same; it's just that you see new characteristics in the character.

And accordingly, like for Ratan, what I understood from reading the script is that he's a guy who wants to achieve a lot in life. to make his eyes a certain way. And the Tula rashi people wear this yellow sapphire. So, I did include all those little details when I prepared my character. I'm very eager to see how people like it now.

What was it like working with Anurag Kashyap and Radhika Apte on Saali Mohabbat, and did their presence or guidance influence your portrayal of Ratan Pandit?

Yes, it was fun. Radhika is a great actor, Anurag, who we know more as a director, it was great fun to see him being an actor. And with Radhika also, she's such a good actor been doing this for so many years. So, in a scene, it really helps that when you get a good actor who can uplift the scene. The burden is not only on your shoulders, two people carry it. So, it was really good fun to experiment with it.

Was there a particular scene or moment in the show that challenged you as an actor?

No, nothing like that. It's just that how I perceived the character was the most difficult to crack for me, to make Ratan relatable to people, make him great, yet likeable, make him an opportunist, but at the same time, still be relatable, likeable, I said. So, that to crack that was really important for me.

What drew you to the role in Saali Mohabbat?

The way it was set and written, set in a different world, everything in combination. When we read a script, there is not a particular thing which you say, okay, I will do this film. You see the whole world, the milieu. It's not just your character, it's everybody else's character. You see the whole story arc, because you want to be part of a good film, you don't want to be part of a bad film where people say you were very good.

With Saali Mohabbat, the good thing was that the script was beautifully written, every character was beautifully written, and their arc was beautifully defined.

How do you balance comedy and drama in a movie like this, where tone might shift?

I don't have to balance everything. The script gives you that things to play with. It was on paper, and it was very easy for me to rather navigate the whole process. It's both things you have to make sure that you don't want to go overboard.

You have worked in OTT web series and movies, and all these platforms, especially OTT and web series, are allowing actors to explore more unconventional roles. How has your journey been in this evolving space?

I'm glad that I could be, this could be part of my journey. And it really gave a different perspective to me. And I think more than to me, it's the audiences also. OTT has really educated the audiences is what I believe, you know, what stuff they want to watch, what they can watch, and, what else is happening in the world.

It's much more competitive that ways, but I think it allows you a lot of experimentation there to do so was just very happy that it gives you a scope to experiment a lot. And people are very open to be with you in that kind of experiment. They're much more easy when it comes to experimentation on the OTT.

Fans often love your comic timing. How do you bring your own personality into serious and intense scenes?

I don't bring my own personality, honestly, at all. I haven't still played a character which is close to me. It's I believe in becoming the character more than getting my own personality. People should feel that it is part of my personality. But the key lies in the fact that when people see it, they should feel that they have met this person, or they want to meet this person.

You have played a wide range of characters from comedic roles in Pyaar ka Panchnama to intense roles in Mirzapur. And now in your new Saali Mohabbat. Have you ever faced a role that completely challenged your comfort zone?

Almost all these characters. It's not easy to play a character like Liquid, as you said, it's got such a volatile way of thinking. His emotional quotient is so high there. Similarly, Munna, completely different.

You talk about real women; there, the character was completely different. They all are very, very challenging. Every character is challenging if you want to make them relatable and real.

Also Read: Saali Mohabbat Movie Review: Tisca Chopra’s debut falters despite a striking setting and solid cast

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in content creation and filmmaking. How do you feel about AI-generated performances or scripts? Would you be able to? Would you be open to experimenting with AI in your work?

I don't know about that. I feel what AI brings you is something which has already been done. AI is not original. It always copies the human mind, what we already have. It works on data. It can't work on something which has never been done before.

I feel that AI would be very, very limited. And we should, we should make it an AI as a tool to enhance our work rather than being overly dependent it.

Saali Mohabbat is going to stream on Zee5 from December 12.