Get real, folks!

Nonika Singh

Ever since Undekhi dropped in 2020, there was no way you could ‘unsee’ him. Surya Sharma, our dashing lad from Himachal Pradesh, like his reel avatar Rinku Paaji, is a bit smug, a lot honest and not in the least bit coy or bashful about his success.

As Undekhi Season 3 streams on SonyLiv, the Rinku Paaji of the nail-biting thriller is once again basking in the limelight. In a candid unplugged interview, Surya talks about playing the bad guy audiences love so much, the process of getting into the headspace of a ‘gangster’ and being an outsider in Bollywood. Becoming the Rinku Atwal over three seasons, reprising the same part, comes with its own set of challenges. “Director Ashish R Shukla lets you be and gives the freedom to think out of the box,” he says.

Only when the first season dropped, the world had no clue who Surya Sharma was. Second time over he was a tad nervous by the weight of expectations/appreciation. For Undekhi 3, he did a bit of introspection and felt he had gone overboard in the second season and tried to sublimate the rage of Rinku Atwal. He reasons, “When you are the CEO of the company you don’t shout at your employees, similarly to appear menacing you have to be seething from within.” What he likes about his grey character is his fierce desire to save his family, especially the bond Rinku shares with his foster father Papaji.

Liberty to create

For those who can sense a similarity between this bonding and that in Animal, well, first things first, he loved the Ranbir Kapoor film. Of course Animal which came much after Undekhi, courted as much controversy as rustled up magic at the box-office. “Heavy-duty words like toxic and misogyny are best left to the dictionary. In the art of entertainment, makers have the liberty to create what they care to.” Thus he has no compunction about the use of abusive language, rampant in many series on OTT, including Undekhi. He observes, “We are okay with series from the West using profanities and nudity, but become squeamish when it comes to our own content. Look around, for most people gaalis are akin to a helping verb.”

Open to experiment

Though Rinku’s character is closest to his heart, Surya is not averse to playing a range of characters, good guys very much included. Take his supportive husband act in Bhakshak. Indeed, the film belonged to Bhumi Pednekar, indeed the length of the role does matter to him. But so does what the film conveys, its subject and the director’s vision. He recalls how the unique part in the prestigious Red Chillies Netflix film fell into his kitty. “I got a call from the director Pulkit and since he told me he had seen Undekhi, I assumed it would be of some vile politician or something on the same lines.” Realising this was not ‘a world I belonged to’ he worked extra hard through workshops, mastering the Bihari diction and breaking the ice with lovely co-actor Bhumi. In future too, we will see him as a good cop, a part his mother in particular is looking forward to.

Being an outsider in filmdom does mean you are easily replaceable. He agrees with what Rajkummar Rao said recently about being replaced overnight by a star-kid and admits to having faced similar dilemmas. But Surya also adds, “That is the cycle of life. Today I am sure Rao is replacing other actors and who knows tomorrow I might replace another actor.”

Happy space

As an actor he is certainly not insecure, “What is in my destiny will come to me.” Inshaallah, and those who are wondering whether Undekhi 4 is in the offing, the game is certainly not over. Rinku Paaji is just cooling his heels and sharpening his fangs. Surya, meanwhile, is lapping up the waves of adulation coming his way. And while he has gained a number of fans with Undekhi he himself remains a diehard admirer of Shah Rukh Khan, the human being, not just the superstar we see on screen. Any wonder on top of Surya’s wish-list is to become a better person. Amen!

Open to receiving love

Married recently to his long-time best friend Manasi Moghe, Surya Sharma’s relationship advice to commitment-phobic young generation is simple — be open to receiving love.

Fondness for Chandigarh

The Himachali actor Surya, who studied in Chandigarh, remembers the city with great fondness. While the City Beautiful remains his and his family’s shopping hub, Pal Ka Dhaba’s chicken savouries linger on his taste-buds. As for his home state and the fact that Undekhi was set in HP, expectedly he was very much at home while shooting for the series in Manali.