Maniesh Paul, a well-known name on television, surprised the audience when he did Karan Johar’s JugJugg Jeeyo where he played Gurpreet, Kiara Advani’s brother and Varun Dhawan’s best friend. The actor now marks his OTT debut with the thriller, Rafuchakkar, in which he plays five different characters. The Free Press Journal caught up with the actor for an exclusive chat. Excerpts:
How do you feel as Rafuchakkar is your OTT debut?
It feels great but it’s not just about the debut, it’s about the response I am getting from all over. Since all the episodes are out now, people are liking my work. Considering I have an image of a prankster, it kind of resonated with the tonality of the show and I guess that’s what my producers must have seen (laughs).
Was it challenging to portray five different characters in the show?
It has been completely different from what I have done till now. I was happy when I got the call for the show. Otherwise, people would only offer me comedy roles. This is what I wanted to do as an actor. My director was clear that he doesn’t want to be Maniesh anywhere.
Go on…
When I played Gurpreet in JugJugg Jeeyo, my character was still a lot of me but I had to underplay a lot in Rafuchakkar. I had to work on all my five characters a lot.
Did you see any of the reel con artistes as a part of your preparation?
I don’t like to see any films for reference and to get into any role of mine. I don’t like to ape anyone. I read and watch a lot of stuff so I keep creating characters in my head all the time. When I sat with my director, Ritam, we worked on the mannerisms of all five personalities. He wanted me to have a poker face.
Was it a conscious decision to sign Rafuchakkar and break your image of a comic actor?
Almost everyone has labelled me a comedy hero and I so wanted to come out of that image. However, comedy comes easily to me but I wanted to break barriers. As an actor, through Rafuchakkar, I wanted to show people what else I can do. Looking at me, people also have a very restrictive vision. It was difficult for me to keep a straight face on the sets. I even told everyone not to crack jokes.
Do you believe that JugJugg Jeeyo is a game-changer in your career?
Karan (Johar) sir had told me that I am a good actor but there’s no point if people don’t watch your work. JugJugg Jeeyo had a good reach and it helped me and my career. I had two emotional scenes in the film and people saw my transition from comedy to serious drama. That’s when the industry believed that I could also act.
