Dhadak 2 actor Saurabh Sachdeva reveals he was moved to tears playing film's casteist serial killer Shankar | Interview

Saurabh Sachdeva talks about playing Shankar, the serial killer, in Dhadak 2, and the film's reception.

Shazia Iqbal's Dhadak 2 may not have broken the bank at the box office, but the romantic drama has slowly built on word of mouth. The film, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri, has been praised for its handling of a social issue like casteism in a mainstream commercial film. The performances of the leads have been acclaimed as well. But alongside all this, Saurabh Sachdeva's performance as Shankar, one of the film's villains, has been called a scene-stealer. As the film's casteist serial killer, Saurabh's performance has been called chilling. In a chat with Hindustan Times, the actor discusses his preparation for the role and the film's impact.

Saurabh Sachdeva's performance as the killer Shankar in Dhadak 2 has been praised.

On Shankar's humanity

Shankar bucks the trend of going overboard with a serial killer in Hindi cinema. Shazia and Saurabh made a conscious choice to keep the performance understated. "I really wanted Shankar to be a very understated character and not one of those scary characters. He is a violent man, but I wanted him to come across as a very ordinary man. I tried keeping him very different from the villains I have played before. He is someone who moves in society, around us. Anyone can be a sociopath," explains the actor.

Saurabh says that initially, when the director narrated the character to him, he was moved to tears, "I don't even remember when or how I began preparing for this character. I do remember Shazia coming to narrate the character to me, and it moved me so much that I had tears in my eyes. We were at the Dharma office, and I remember being very vulnerable and moved."

In his preparation, the acting coach-turned-actor studied sociopaths and psychopaths, and even developed a backstory for Shankar. He explains, “I studied the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath, and even watched documentaries. I found that Shankar was a sociopath, wherein his belief system caused him to kill. He was disturbed, felt bad after each killing. But his belief was so strong that it pushed him over that. I liked that contrast in him.”

Saurabh Sachdeva says he tried to keep Shankar as human as possible.

Dhadak 2 is a remake of the Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal. The killer was played by Karate Venkatesan in the acclaimed film, but Saurabh says he ensured not to watch the film while preparing for his role. "I never take references from a film," he says, adding, "I haven't watched it yet, although I want to, now. I deliberately did not watch that film, because I did not want my performance to be influenced. I draw my references from the real world. People have told me to watch it, because whoever has watched it has loved it."

On Dhadak 2's impact

Dhadak 2 has earned over ₹25 crore worldwide, which may not seem like a lot, but is sizable for a commercial film with caste undertones. "Shazia has no idea what paradigm she has opened for others," exclaims Saurabh, "Directors can now once again consider making films like these in the commercial space. Also, it is a big deal that Dharma Productions is backing it. So, when others see that Dharma is making a film on a social issue, they feel we can, too. A lot of directors will find confidence now that we don't need to get into action or make any other kind of films if we want to go mainstream. A film can speak so much on an issue, and the audience can still love it."

Dhadak 2 is currently running in theatres.