Pavail Gulati on Anurag Kashyap: He’ll bring out your raw self in every shot

Reuniting with Anurag Kashyap on Dobaaraa seven years after the TV show Yudh, Thappad star Pavail Gulati says working with the director has honed his craft.

What’s the most telling sign that Pavail Gulati has climbed the ladder of success? According to the actor, it’s the fact that he has moved straight to narrations, from endless hours of auditions. His line-up of films could well be another barometer — after his breakout performance in Anubhav Sinha’s Thappad (2020), he has shot for Anurag Kashyap’s Dobaaraa. “Thappad gave me the ground to showcase my talent. I never wanted to be an overnight sensation. Jo bohot jaldi upar jaate hain, woh bohot jaldi neeche aate hain,” he begins.

The actor had worked with Kashyap on the ambitious television show, Yudh, in 2014. Seven years on, as he reunited with the filmmaker, Gulati is happy to note that the filmmaker’s set remains one of the most creatively stimulating places. “He is an instinctive director, so the prep happens entirely on set. The script was constantly being worked upon through the pandemic. I was prepping intensely for a particular sequence, and he postponed the scene’s shoot only because I had prepped for it. His set is a beautiful chaos where people might not know what they are doing, but they have the utmost conviction in him.” He believes working with Kashyap has helped him hone his craft. “He will bring out your raw self in every shot, and you gain confidence on his set.” That the thriller has him sharing screen space with Thappad co-star Taapsee Pannu is another incentive.

Pavail Gulati with Anurag Kashyap on the film’s set. Pic/Instagram

If he describes Kashyap as “a film school”, his next, Goodbye has him rubbing shoulders with Amitabh Bachchan, an institution unto himself. “I chew his brains to get trivia on his past films, and he is kind enough to indulge me. The real learning happens behind the camera,” says Gulati.

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