EXCLUSIVE: Divyendu Sharma on his short film ‘The Virgins’ and more

Actor Divyendu Sharma who had a smashing debut with the romantic comedy ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama’ in 2011 was widely appreciated for his performance in the movie where he essayed the role of ‘Liquid’. After that he was seen in movies like ‘Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami’ and ‘Chashme Baddoor’ where his performances were noticed but the movies didn’t work at the box office.

Now he is venturing into short films with ‘The Virgins’. He will be playing the role of a virgin who is getting married and it’s a hilarious take on the issue of virginity.

In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Bubble, Divyendu opened up on his short film ‘The Virgins’, his take on virginity and his upcoming projects.

Something about your character in the movie ‘The Virgins’…
He is a very sweet guy. He is the face of our society where there is this sham in our society, of virginity. So this mindset still prevails in our society that the guy may or may not be a virgin, but the girl should be a virgin. We are all on an auto-pilot mode where we haven’t ever questioned these beliefs that are in-built in our society. So he is the product of all these things put together. There are a lot of factors like peer pressure, expectations of the people around you regarding virginity.

How did you land this role in the movie?
I got a call that a short film is being made and would I be interested, so I said, ‘Yes why not?!’ And that’s how things went ahead.

Is this your first short film?
No, this isn’t my first short film, I have done a short film called as ‘El’ayichi’ alongside actress Nimrat Kaur which was a paranormal thriller. The film won appreciation as well. Also, I come from a Film Institute in Pune, so I started working with short films before. And for me, the length of the movie doesn’t matter, be it a full-length feature film or a short film. The important thing for me is the concept of the film.

Your short film ‘The Virgins’, also stars Akshay Oberoi and Pia Bajpayee. How was the experience of working with these two actors?
It was very nice. I didn’t really share screen space with Akshay in the film, so we didn’t get a chance to interact much, but yes with Pia, it was an amazing experience. She is a very nice actor. She was always there around while I was canning a shot, so it feels good when your co-actor contributes and is helpful, so overall it was a very good experience.

Your debut film ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama’ was a surprise hit and earned you appreciation for the character of ‘Liquid’. So when the second part of the movie released last year, did you miss being a part of it?
See, I was offered the sequel also. Like when your character becomes so popular, it’s obvious the makers of the movies would want you back in the sequel. But the only thing was that I didn’t want to repeat the character again. I wanted a little break from it. ‘Liquid’ as a character was very tricky. He had his highs and lows, so he was very hyper-sensitive. To play such a character it takes a toll on you as an actor because to prepare for such characters is tough. I have always tried to play different characters in my movies. Yes, many people asked me why wasn’t I a part of the sequel. But my only point was that I didn’t want to get repetitive with the role of ‘Liquid’.

If the third part of the movie comes out, and you are offered a lucrative role in it, would you this time give a nod to the project?
Honestly, ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama’ is undoubtedly the most special film of my life. But yes, I will first have a look at the concept, the storyline and the character that is offered to me. What’s new in the character… because I do not want to play something similar to ‘Liquid’. People have already seen him and there’s nothing new there. Only if the character is different, I would green light the project.

Most of your movies have been comic-capers. Is this your favourite genre or you are offered comic roles more?
Yes, I’m mostly offered comic roles because in our industry they immediately slot you as an actor in a particular genre. Although, I got equally praised for this film called ‘Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami’. But, it’s to do with how as a society we think. If you notice, almost every film of ours has a comic angle somewhere in it. There will be rarely any movies with hard-hitting subjects and without any comedy at all in the film. The golden era had films of every genre, but now tastes have been evolving.

Will you be comfortable working in full-fledged adult comedies?
I have been offered, but I’m not comfortable working in adult comedies. I have no problems with sex comedy as a genre, but I prefer more character driven comedies rather than concept driven comedies. The core theme in a sex comedy is sex and comedy. If you see my films, they are more character driven. So I’m not too keen on sex comedies.

Are there intimate scenes in your short film?
Yes, there are but I cannot really talk about it. I cannot reveal further details because it’s anyways a tiny film, so if I reveal more, it will spoil the whole essence of the movie.

You have a formal training from a Film Institute before venturing into movies. Do you feel you have an upper hand when it comes to acting as you have learnt it professionally?
Yes, that’s a very important question. So before going to FTII, I was in Delhi pursuing theatre. So, once I made up my mind that I want to do films, I chose FTII (Film and Television Institute of India). It helped me immensely because out of those two years of my diploma course, six months used to be an integrated course where we learnt everything right from editing, camera, sound, direction. So you are not just passing out as an actor, you are a complete cinema student. And definitely I feel on shoots that yes, I have an upper hand because I understand the lighting, editing, sound etc. I feel it should be a must for every actor to enrol in a film course. You also develop respect for your technical team as you realise that it’s not just an actor who makes the movie, every other aspect is equally important.

So now that you understand all these elements of film-making, would you consider making a shift to directing movies?

Yes, definitely. I think my gradual progression would be into direction but maybe after 15-20 years, I would surely love to direct movies.

Can you talk about your upcoming projects?
I have just completed 2 features. One is an intense drama and one is again a very light-hearted comedy. My part is done and hopefully there will be announcements on the projects, so you will have to wait till then.

The short film ‘The Virgins’ will be releasing on June 30.

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