Going from victim to vengeful

Sunny Kaushal

When entering a world full of grey characters, there is only one way to stand out - be a different shade. That's what Sunny Kaushal did as he starred in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, the sequel to Haseen Dillruba (2021). The actor's Abhimanyu, who falls in love with Taapsee Pannu's Rani, is a catalyst to the story. But for Kaushal, it was important to understand the character to figure out the larger story.

"In his mind, he is a victim. He believes he has been wronged. That's where his greyness comes from. His constant victimhood became a hook for me to play Abhimanyu convincingly. I also understood that in the world of Haseen Dillruba, nobody is pure or fully evil. All are victims of their circumstances," he explains.

In the Netflix film, his character goes on to become the obstacle in the love story of Rani and Vikrant Massey's Rishu. Kaushal had several discussions with director Jayprad Desai on how to keep Abhimanyu far from a clichéd antagonist. "He doesn't turn out to be a psycho all of a sudden. He has always been this guy. At times, he is vulnerable, and other times, creepy. I told Jayprad sir that I won't play him front-footed where, after the audience [knows his past], he will suddenly start looking menacing. He should remain the way he was earlier."

Having played a meaty part in the romantic thriller, the actor is hungrier for powerful stories. But he doesn't want to strategise his next move. The idea is to let life take over. "Taapsee recently told me that life is what happens when you're busy making plans. That is so true because you don't know what tomorrow holds. So, it's foolish to sit and plan. We all have goals that we want to achieve. But what you have today is no less."