Saurabh Sachdeva is a fine actor and his recent work in Vadh, Haddi and Bambai Meri Jaan is a perfect example of that. The actor who is a protegé of the legendary acting coach Barry John, made his entry into the showbiz world with the 2016 film Maroon. However, what heaped him praises and critical acclaim was his character of Suleiman Isa in Sacred Games, one of the first web series of the country. Since then, Saurabh has appeared in a slew of interesting projects like Laal Kaptaan, Taish,
Good Luck Jerry, Kaala to name a few.
As he gears up for his next big release of the month, Kareena Kapoor starrer Jaane Jaan, Saurabh Sachdeva got candid about his performance in Haddi and Bambai Meri Jaan, working with Kareena Kapoor in Jaane Jaan and his role in Ranbir Kapoor starrer Animal. In addition, as an acting coach to countless stellar actors, Saurabh also went on to share his words of wisdom.
Here are the excerpts:
Let’s start with Haddi. The character that you essayed was itself a brilliantly written character. So when a character is so well-defined in the context of the script, how much room did you have to improv and bring your own flavour to it? What were some mannerisms that you attributed to it, which wasn’t part of the script?
The body language, the voice, the attitude. Akshat helped me. He knew his character well because when he was writing, he had me in his mind. We then discussed the body language that it shouldn’t be exaggerated. He wanted to keep it very subtle so that it should have a glimpse of it. Because the character wanted to be a politician and he is hiding his identity. I was pushing a little bit and he was bringing him down. I always told him that anytime you feel that it’s not working, you can correct it. So he was always there. I also tried to work on the voice and the attitude of the character. I didn’t want him to be too dominating, in the sense that he also feared a few characters like Pramod Ahlawat(played by Anurag Kashyap). So I needed to keep different dimensions to it where he is stronger when he is among his people and when he feels that he will be bullied by others, he becomes slimy or calmer. So the attitude was a difficult thing to bring. People should not relate from my previous projects where I’ve come very strong and dominating.
Your showdown with Nawazuddin Siddiqui towards the climax was another highlight of the film. And your screen presence with Anurag Kashyap, Vipin Sharma or the other actors was top notch. Do you feel the cast of the film including yourself elevated the impact of the story?
Definitely. I feel Akshat did a very good job in casting all the great actors. He got 70% of the game with the casting bit. I always feel that great script with a great cast definitely creates wonders. The cast was so talented and they were trained actors and they knew the subtlety of performance and they didn’t want to disrespect anyone through caricatures. So when that happens, you get inspired. I was always inspired by all the actors when they were acting with me, around me. I always say that if there is a great actor in front of you, your performance will go up.
Coming to Bambai Meri Jaan, I have yet to watch the series but I have been hearing good things about it. There is a difference between playing a bad guy and playing a character based on Haji Mastaan. How did you go about prepping for it and what sort of references helped you?
I am not sure if it’s based on Haji Mastaan. We were talking about it but when it came to me, it came as a fictional character to me. They might have gotten inspired from him but that also I don’t know. Because I was always told that you have to find your body language, your voice. And I wasn’t told about any references as such.
The director was helping me to keep the body poised and more aristocratic. But playing this character was quite challenging for me initially because of the attitude that the director wanted. He wanted an aristocratic and poised atitude which I am personally not. In real life, I am little fidegty. I use things around me, I use props around me. This was different because I had to contain my energy when my impulse is to go and touch somebody, to go an pick something, eat something. The director wanted me still and calmer with my body, which has worked very well. Initially, it was difficult and we were not on the same page but lockdown happened and we somewhat connected with each other.
While people are praising the series, some are also criticising it by saying that it glorifies the mafia leaders. What are your thoughts on that and whether such criticism holds any merit?
I don’t mind that criticism because if people have a different taste, a different way of seeing cinema, we have an audience for everything. I respect their way of their being and I have no problem. The major thing is that people are watching it and they are talking about it. And this has happened to a lot of films in the past and they have been a big success. For example, I am working on Animal and Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s first film also got these kinds of criticisms. I respect my audience but when this kind of feedback comes, I also feel that something has moved in them and that is why they are talking about it. They are not oblivious about it. It did leave an impact on them. Majorly people are saying good things about it and that’s what matters.
Now you’ve said in a recent interview that the script of Jaane Jaan was very challenging since your character was poles opposite to your values and morals. What do you mean by that? And whenever you come across such characters, how do you go about making it more convincing?
There are a lot of characters that you play, they are against your values and morals. But that’s what acting is all about. You find
empathy for your characters, you find things that make them the people they are. I do that by finding their childhood where somebody has not taken care of them or something in their family has happened. And then I bring empathy and I start advocating for my character. Whenever you play an antagonist, you feel challenged because as an actor you train yourself to be more humble. And these characters are against these values. Vadh was very difficult for that reason.
You also said that many of your scenes in the film are with Kareena Kapoor. How was your equation with her and what sort of performance should we expect from you two considering it’s a Sujoy Ghosh’s world?
When I got the role and I heard Kareena Kapoor was playing the lead, I was very skeptical. There was a sense of nervousness since she is such a big star and how am I going to get into her space, how she will get into my space, how we will get comfortable with each other. That was there, but when I went on the sets, I found out that this person is very free, open, respecting my craft and giving me space to work with her. And that was very powerful for me and I was very moved by that. There wasn’t a shield or a wall whenever we were talking. I was very comfortable with her. And Sujoy is a beautiful director as he doesn’t let the actors settle on the sets. He just wants to keep them on toes. He jokes around and sings and that made the whole atmosphere light.
How do you fit in the world of Animal? Give us a little gist about the character you play? And whether you feel that film would give you a mainstream recognition?
Initially, I didn’t understand the world of Animal. I was taking to Sandeep Reddy Vanga again and again and I was meeting him. And I had these conversations about the world I was getting into. I did ask him if it was Sacred Games kind of world or Taish kind of world. He did draw a picture in front of me and he showed me some visuals where I could understand what it was all about.And I created my character from that point onwards. I was very relaxed after those discussions with Sandeep Reddy Vanga because he is a very confident human being and very powerful. His persona, his style, the way he conducts himself and the way he brings his idea on the sets, he has clarity. And when you do something and if it’s not working, he talks to you in a nice way. There is that confidence, without putting the other person down.
Being an acting guru, what are some of your observations of Ranbir Kapoor’s acting? How is he able to bring that intensity irrespective of the roles he is playing?
Ranbir Kapoor is a very impulsive actor. He is so impulsive that he is always ready to shoot. And most importantly, he is always respectful to his co-actors, he takes care of them, really sees what the co-actor is going through. If an actor is not in his comfort space or is dealing with something, he is always standing there for them. He knows that two people can make a scene and he cannot do it all by himself. That understanding is a very powerful understanding for any actor. I really admire that quality.
At the end of the day, an actor is an actor. But when people label them as overrated or underrated, it sends them in in a dilemma whether they are doing what it requires. In you career, have you dealt with such labels? And If yes, how do you process it?
I haven’t dealt with such labels yet. When an actor works on a project, he gets a lot of free time where he is just sitting. So these intrusive thoughts can come in. But for me, that doesn’t happen because I have my acting institute. I go for shoots and then I come back to my institute and I work with my students. So I hardly get that free time where I am sitting or feeling low or thinking about new projects. I love teaching also. My attention and mind is always focussed on other people’s responsibilities so my own tension and problems get sidelined.
The whole entertainment landscape has changed rapidly in the past couple of years. While there are more opportunities for actors in the OTT space, after a point, it sort of puts them in a box ki ye actor sirf OTT ke liye hi sahi hai. Do you feel the medium no matter how fruiful, is also detrimental for actors?
I don’t think so. A great actor is a great actor and if he does good work, he’ll be everywhere. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has done OTT, he has also done films. I started with OTT, then doing films. Like people used to say that those who do television, gets limited to that medium. But Shah Rukh Khan did serials, Manoj Bajpayee did serials, Irrfan Khan did serials. So there are no rules. If you are a go-getter, if you have talent, you will find a way. If I am in the OTT and it’s working well,
then I have to push myself. And if I push myself, I will find work one or the other way. Who thought that Vadh would be released in theatres? I think OTT has given more freedom and more expression to actors, writers and directors and more work also. The only thing is that OTT brings out good work but it should reach its saturation point.
You’ve been an acting coach to Arjun Kapoor and in recent times, he has received a lot of flak and criticism towards his acting. Do you feel people are too harsh on him just because he comes from a renowned acting family? Or whether there is a room of improvement in his craft?
I’ve been a coach to many actors. I was teaching with Mr Barry John and in that institute, several actors came like Arjun Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Harshvardhan, Richa Chadha, Dulquer Salmaan. And from my own school, Tripti Dimri was there. So when Arjun Kapoor used to come in my class, he was very passionate and he knew about all the films. Maybe people are too harsh on him but he is taking challenges like Dibakar Banerjee’s Sandeep Pinky Faraar. Last when I talked to him, he was doing good projects and he wanted me to work with him.
Also can you recall that one movie, that one actor or that one play in your growing up years that made you go like ‘Yes, this is what I want to do’
A play or Izmat Chugtai, that one of my students did long back and Naseeruddin Shah used to do those kinds of plays. I was so moved by his performance that I went to Barry John and cried. I was like whether I would be able to do this kind of work? You can but you have to put your hours into it. And this boy was so passionate and he does that. But I was so moved that I keep giving his references and his example to students that how passionate he was. If you are asking me about people who have inspired me, then I’ll name Richa Chadha, Harshvardhan Rane etc. Doesn’t matter if they are from the film family or outsiders, they all have one thing in common and they all were go-getters. And they were passionate about what they were doing. There are some actors who came from film families but they couldn’t make it big because they lacked passion. One has to take criticisms and keep moving, which only a few people have. I’ve learnt this from many of my students because for 15-16 years, I was just teaching and when I came out in 2017, I opened my own school and started working as an actor. Although I immediately got work, I never had the courage to face people like you or the audience and the critics. I was always like how will I answer a particular question, how will I face them. That also comes from my childhood because I was not a very expressive child. I was struggling with my own self and low self-esteem. My schooling was not happening well and education was not good. So there were lots of things that were coming from my childhood, by being dyslexic.
The fear of facing people was with me till I grew up where I was doubtful about answering people’s questions, my demeanor, my way of responding etc. Till 2016, I was struggling and I did a few more courses and then I came out of this. I started working and things started changing. But honesty is the first step. I keep telling my students that you are standing on the line and before you jump into the pool, you need a lot of training. I’d like to share an example. If you see a Zebra, they have black and white stripes all over them. It’s for camouflage. But Zebras don’t often use that camouflage. But when they are in a group, then they are able to use that camouflage. And that makes it difficult for the Lion to spot them. Human beings live like that in real life. We camouflage ourselves in the cities we live in. So if you want to get out of that group, then there is a risk that the lion will eat you. But coming out of that huddle will make you creative and will teach you things. I was not able to come out and I thought this was my life, these were my people but then I realised If I have to be somewhere, I have to get out of that huddle. And I might get hunted but that’s life.
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