Actor Nakul Roshan Sahdev, who rose to fame with the Zoya Akhtar directorial ‘Gully Boy’ is all set to share screen space with Sanya Malhotra in the upcoming film ‘Pagglait’.
Nakul spoke to The Free Press Journal on how he ventured into films, working with Zoya Akhtar, and the famous fart scene in ‘Pagglait’.
Speaking about bagging a role in ‘Gully Boy’, Nakul said, “I thought I was completely inept to do the film as the audition did not go as expected. I came home questioning my self-worth, riddled with several existential questions. Unexpectedly, I got a call from Zoya’s team once again. I met her, and I think I nailed it that day.
"I repeatedly performed a scene in front of her, trying to get the right pitch and note. To my surprise, Zoya cut me short and said “Okay, enough! Go home, you’ve got the film!” It took me a few minutes to process that. It was one of the happiest days of my life. I learnt a lot from 'Gully Boy'," he added.
The actor asserts that Zoya is the most sorted and clear-headed director he has ever worked with.
“Her vision towards the entire film is razor sharp and clear. It's as if, she has already seen the scene before we began filming,” said Nakul.
Meanwhile, the actor’s iconic scene with Alia also garnered praise and was touted as one of the funniest sequences in the film. Recalling the same, he said, “Alia, the best to describe her is, she can create magic while making it look as if she did nothing extra. It’s like how Messi plays football, his moves look so effortless, it's when you re-watch it you know what he has done. That’s how good Alia is.”
The final bit in ‘Pagglait’ trailer shows Nakul’s character asking Sandhya (Sanya Malhotra) a young widow to marry him, during which the latter’s grandmother releases a fart.
Sharing what happened while filming the rib-tickling scene, Nakul said, “Dadiji legit gave an actual fart during the filming of that scene. So that discomfort and awkwardness were very real during the performance. Dadiji was such a sweetheart. We did have a laugh riot after the cut.”
Nakul’s upcoming projects are ‘Candy’ with Richa Chadha and Ronit Roy, and ‘Farrey’ with Shweta Prasad Basu.
Meanwhile, 'Pagglait' will release on Netflix on March 26. The film tells the story of a typical Indian middle-class family navigating a crisis. As events unfold, Sandhya, a young widow sets onto a path of self-discovery, attempting to find her identity and purpose in life, all this while living amidst the quirky members of her joint family.
Written and directed by Umesh Bist, the film has an ensemble cast that includes Sayani Gupta, Shrutii Sharma, Ashutosh Rana, Raghubir Yadav, Sheeba Chaddha, Meghna Malik and Rajesh Tailang.
