Delhi lad Darshan Kumaar has scored his second hit with Navdeep Singh’s road-film-meets-slasher-flick NH10. With his misogynistic Satbir getting special mention from aam aadmi and critics alike, Darshan was “on cloud nine” when t2 met him in Mumbai. 

You’ve gone from being the too-good-to-be-true husband in Mary Kom to evil incarnate in NH10!
(Laughs) Thanks... that’s what being an actor is all about! You have to remember that when someone bad is doing something, he doesn’t think he is wrong. So when my character in NH10, Satbir, is beating up women, according to him, he is doing the right thing. He is not in the wrong. Playing Mary Kom’s (Priyanka Chopra) husband Onler was a challenge and a dream come true because every actor wants to portray a real person at least once in his career. 

Is it true that you shot Mary Kom and NH10 around the same time?
Yes. I was shooting in Dharamshala for Mary Kom and the same day, I flew to Jodhpur to join the NH10 set. On the flight, I kept talking to myself and psyching myself to go from being a nice guy to being bad. I am sure people on the flight thought I was mad! (Laughs)

What did Navdeep Singh tell you about how he wanted you to play Satbir?
Before we started shooting, we had a few workshops. Once we started shooting, I used to travel every day on the NH10 highway and interact with the locals. I would have conversations to pick up their dialect, accent, body language and mindset. In the workshops we charted Satbir’s life — starting with his childhood and how he was brought up. Navdeep saw Satbir as a common man. He is not evil to begin with, but societal pressure makes him think about women in a certain way. We were supposed to shoot a few scenes that showed the humane side of Satbir, but we couldn’t for some reason. 

Was it easy for you to see yourself on screen beating up women?
No it wasn’t. I kept thinking: ‘How did I do this?’ But as an actor, this is my job. You have to be true to the character you are asked to play. Good, bad, ugly…it doesn’t matter. When you are in character, what you are doing is the right thing. I am just happy that people have appreciated my work. 

One hears that you tried to channel Satbir even when you weren’t in front of the camera during the shoot.
That is correct. I used to sit far away from everyone and wouldn’t talk to anyone. I think Anushka was scared of me. I wouldn’t even say ‘hi’ to her! (Laughs) I read stories of why people believe in honour killing. So for me, the process of being Satbir started with thinking like most people in that area — love affairs are wrong, and men are stronger than women. 

Growing up in Delhi, was this a world that you were aware of?
Absolutely. You can’t escape this world if you live in Delhi. Regardless of whether you are rich, poor, posh or uneducated… you would have encountered these kind of people at some point in Delhi. You see a car accident and people are ready to fight at the drop of a hat. Everyone is so aggressive. My friends and I would help people get away from fights because we could talk the dialect. So that scene where my character slaps Neil’s (Bhoopalam) at the dhaba was something I was so familiar with. 

How would you compare Anushka Sharma and Priyanka Chopra as co-actors?
What can I say? When your co-actor is as talented as these ladies, half your work is done. So, I have been very lucky to work with two actors who are not just gorgeous, but tremendous talents as well. My relationship with both was different because, like I told you, I didn’t interact much with Anushka. So, I got to bond with Priyanka a little bit more. But they are both so hardworking and passionate about their work. They both push themselves to the limit to perfect a scene. Like in NH10, when I pull Anushka’s hair and push her against the wall, she is the one who said that I need to be more forceful. It was very clear that she got hurt when I was hitting her, but the scene became so much more real and impactful. 

What are we going to see you in next?
I have signed two films as the lead, but I am waiting for the filmmakers to make an announcement. 

Karishma Upadhyay