I had to deconstruct myself for Paashbalish: Suhotro Mukhopadhyay

Q. Why did you opt for a series with a thriller premise again?

A. The genres might be the same but not the storyline of course. Paashbalish also has a flavour of romance, not just thrills. It was an important role for me. I could do action sequences for it. All these were new experiences in my acting career. I could explore new avenues through this project.

Q. Did you have to deconstruct yourself a lot in Paashbalish, contrary to your previous works?

A. Definitely. I had to deconstruct myself physically and vocally in several spheres. As I said, I could do a lot of things for the first time for a project. It was a new experience for me. Though the action sequences were not hardcore, I had to achieve a lot physically to shoot them.

Q. You worked with Ishaa Saha already and your onscreen chemistry was loved by the audience. How was the exploration of working as a pair for the first time?

A. In my previous works with Ishaa, the dynamics of the individual characters were completely unique. Paashbalish is the first project where we have worked as a pair and it was a positive exploration for both of us, I suppose. We know each other well and have a comfort zone. It becomes easier to perform when there is a comfort zone with the co-actor, more so in romantic tales which demand showcasing of intense emotions. So our past experience of working together helped us a lot.

Q. What becomes your reference point to play intense roles?

A. The baseline of any role is script, which provides most of the answers. The emotions in between the lines could be understood in the subsequent readings. More I read, new things can be explored. For me, this is the basic process to approach a role. When I get to understand the world of the story fully, I start finding answers to my questions. I almost interact with my roles and try to explore how they would react to different situations. I try to get into the heart and psyche of the characters, basically.

As a result, I can give a shape to the characters. Above all, directors and co-actors are there to complete it. There are two phases in approaching a role. First, the mental preparation before the shoot and second, the receiving the stimulus and reacting to them on the floor. All these factors together help me to approach a character.

Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Q. Was there any situation in life where you practiced some qualities of a character you played onscreen?

A. Umm.. not consciously. But it might have happened subconsciously. At the end of the day, all characters are tapped from actors. I believe an exchange of qualities do take place between the character and the actor who played it. It's a give and take process. I think changes in myself as an actor come subconsciously if the character has a considerable impact. Some characters have helped me to understand a few emotions in real life.  Once I used to do a play which was about the definition of 'Home'. In a period of six-seven months, I could understand the meaning of home subsciously.

(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)