Actor Divyenndu Sharma is currently enjoying the love and praise he’s getting for his latest short film, '1800 Life'. It is the story of Vishal, a comedian, who is depressed with his life turning dark and takes the decision to end it. However, just when he is about to take the final step, he receives a call that turns his life upside down.
The Free Press Journal caught up with Divyenndu for an exclusive chat. Divyenndu says, “The film 1800 Life has been received quite well and is trending. I absolutely loved working on it as I was collaborating again with this digital platform, which is a really special place for me. I really like and respect producer Guneet Monga’s work. When I read the script, written by the director Maanavi Bedi, I quite liked the concept as it was talking about AI.”
Elaborating further, the actor shares why it was a tough role for him. “It was challenging and surreal to shoot because I had to just react to a voice. It is something that really demands you to be there 100 per cent of the time. Because when you have a co-actor, the responsibility gets shared. Here you are the only person on-screen, and you better be good with what you do,” he explains.
Divyenndu reveals that the film made him go back to where he began his acting journey. “Whenever anything like this comes, it takes me back to my roots which are theatre and film school. Back in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), when I was studying and acting in Pune, we used to do a lot of short films and a lot of exercises like that. So doing a short film is always something I really like. So when people like it and praise it, it’s like a double win,” Divyenndu gushes.
In '1800 Life', Divyenndu’s character is bothered by a random call. Recalling an interesting incident from the past where he was at the receiving end of random calls, he says, “After Pyaar Ka Punchnama, my number got leaked on the internet, and I used to get random calls from people. From Delhi, people used to call me and ask, ‘Arey tujhe yaad hai hum dost the. Ek baar, tu yahan pe aaya tha’, and then I used to wonder how these people had my number. Then one fine day, one of my fans messaged me that my number was there on the internet and that I needed to change my number. So yes, it bothered me because random people used to call me day in and day out.”
In one of the promotional videos of the short film, the actor is seen reading comments of the trolls. However, he feels that he is lucky and fortunate to have no trolls in real life. “People only love me, and they never say anything wrong about me. I never had to deal with trolls because audiences have just loved me so much. I’m always overwhelmed by the love and respect they have shown towards my work. I absolutely have a troll-free life,” he concludes.
