Vijay Varma: Never imagined we could have sizzling chemistry

Murder Mubarak

A crafty whodunnit with many suspects - that's Murder Mubarak for you. But director Homi Adajania has also woven an unrequited love story in it. His win lies in the casting of Vijay Varma and Sara Ali Khan as the star-crossed lovers. For the director, it was important to bring two actors, who have not been seen together, and play on their chemistry. He says, "Their characters have an intense backstory. They play childhood sweethearts grappling with an unrequited love story. Often, the anticipation of making or professing love is sexier than the act itself, and the characters constantly find themselves in this state."

Homi Adajania

The two actors make for not only a fresh on-screen pair, but also a fascinating creative collaboration as they hail from dramatically different schools of cinema. Khan, who plays Bambi, a wealthy girl about town to Varma's human rights activist Akash, credits her co-star and director for making it look so easy. "Working with Vijay was a privilege. He is an effortless actor and brings so much spontaneity to every scene. It wasn't difficult to have chemistry with him because of the ease that Homi sir created on set. The chemistry that people are appreciating is just us trying to do justice to what Bambi and Akash feel for each other. As soon as we heard action, we'd go from being Vijay and Sara to Akash and Bambi."

After Dahaad (2023) and Jaane Jaan (2023), Varma hopes to continue his dream run with the Netflix film. He says shooting for the murder mystery, based on Anuja Chauhan's book, Club You to Death, was a riot. "On paper, it is a simmering, unspoken romance. But on set, Sara and I were always cracking jokes and goofing around. So, I never imagined that we could have sizzling chemistry." The actor was surprised by the intensity of one of their sequences. "During one passionate scene, Sara was so deep into her character, she pulled me in as well and we gave a hot take. Only when two actors share a comfortable bond and let go of their inhibitions can they create passion. We finished the hot scene and went back to goofing around immediately," he laughs. The film also stars Karisma Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Dimple Kapadia, Tisca Chopra and Sanjay Kapoor.