Acclaimed actor Anjumm Shharma talks about his game-changing role as Sharad Shukla in Mirzapur and the power dynamics of the OTT
One of the most interesting equations in the battle of power for dominance in the blockbuster OTT series Mirzapur was the one witnessed with its key player Sharad Shukla aka Anjumm Shharma. The popular actor whose character’s screen death left fans shocked now finds himself surrounded by a multitude of fan theories about Sharad Shukla’s return in the next season of the Prime Video series. “When fans don’t want to let go of the character even after its death, that is quite the compliment for any actor,” says Anjumm, as we catch up with him in a suburban five-star hotel in Mumbai. A theatre actor at core, Anjumm’s journey to fame and popularity has been slow and steady, but rewarding with projects like Slumdog Millionaire, Wazir, Made in India, Sultan of Delhi and now Mirzapur on his platter. Thrilled with the appreciation and love he continues to get for his impactful and layered character, “abhi to bas shuruaat hai,” he tells us in a candid chat as we also discuss his passion for the art and craft of cinema and the power dynamics of the OTT
MIRZAPUR MATTERS
While Anjumm is known for his impactful performances in several films and series, it is with Mirzapur and then Sultan of Delhi that his popularity surged with the audience at large. “Yes, Mirzapur has been quite the game-changer. Like the response I have been getting from the fraternity as well as the audience has been very overwhelming. Whenever Mirzapur releases, there’s so much of euphoria and excitement because the audience is already connected to the show and that connection leads to anticipation. So, right from the release date to the binge-watching, then the success reflecting through the social media engagement, it’s phenomenal. And often we don’t realise the magnitude when we are in Mumbai, but when you visit other cities, like I was in Delhi, Benaras and a few other places up North and you see the feedback and love for your character, it is then that it all truly sinks in,” says Anjumm. The popularity of the series has undoubtedly surpassed expectations and the actor admits that from the next season’s release date to fan theories, the excitement just doesn’t stop! “Yes, I have been inundated with fan theories suggesting Sharad Shukla’s return to the show and it’s heartening to know that we could take this character of an underdog and develop him into something so layered, dynamic and impactful that he will be missed,” he adds.
DECODING SHARAD SHUKLA
And what’s his take on the character getting a spin-off considering Sharad Shukla still has a lot of interest invested in it? “Now that you say it, why not! There’s definitely a lot more than can be explored be it his relationship with his father, the power dynamics between them and the Tripathis, Sharad’s own transformation from wanting to be an engineer to being in the race of becoming a Bahubali. This concept is very popular in the West, but we’ve not had an entity so big that could lend to a spin-off. But with Mirzapur that’s definitely possible!” Are there any similarities between him and Sharad Shukla? “I think we both have a lot of thehraav in our personalities. I don’t overanalyze as much as he does, but we are not impulsive and frivolous, so that’s common.
MEASURE OF SUCCESS
What started as just another character, Sharad Shukla went on to make quite the impact in the show as Anjumm portrayed each layer with a finesse and an effortless ease on screen, capturing and translating every nuance of the character effectively. Point it out and Anjumm credits it largely to the makers. “I think more than a pat on my back, it is the vision of the makers that helped the character arch develop. Me getting appreciated is one thing, but when the audience started seeing him from an underdog to a hero, that’s the real win! What it does to me as an actor is that it assures me that I have made the right choices.” Explaining further, he adds, “As an actor I can go as deep as the scope of the character allows me to and I can push that, but the credibility of the work will only come when it translate into audience and eyeballs! A show has to land right for it to work for you. So like post Wazir, I realized the importance of the reach. Experimenting as an actor kaam tab karega jab ussey koi dekhega! You do a strong role, a good performance but what’s the point if they don’t get watched only. And it does happen that sometimes your work gets appreciated but the show or film is not received that well on a mass level and if it’s not translated to a wider audience then no matter how good a performance it is, it doesn’t get spoken about and it doesn’t translate into next work. But the success of this level just assures that you are on the right track. Mirzapur landed right with the audience. It’s been 12 years and you get something credible like this series that has a deep penetration in the audience pool. So, yes, there has been a major change in how the world sees you.”
POST MIRZAPUR
So, have the kind of offers changed and has the journey become easier post the success of Mirzapur? “It feels exactly like a video-game, you complete one level, there’s a sense of victory, achievement, but then it is immediately followed by the next level. So, you don’t stay there, you begin the strive for the next level. And it’s almost like a new start all over again, but now there’s definitely an upgradation, a level up!” shares Anjumm. Talking about the struggles to bag the right role, he elaborates, “This work is very opinion-based and people come with pre-conceived notions. Plus, you only can choose from what’s being offered and you make the most of it. But there’s a balance in the work you do of what you are convinced and work you do because you have to run a house too! It is challenging as it’s my only source of income, but having said that I would never want to dilute my exclusivity and thankfully, I’ve managed to just keep leveling up with each role.
ACTOR CALLING ACTOR
Are you drawn to complex characters? “I feel actors who come from a theatre background often get drawn to a thinking space when it comes roles and characters and the moment you start your journey with the character you are only thinking about building the entire arch and a graph. So, a role role that lets you build a certain character graph, I think we fit there better more organically.” As for the films that have defined his choices and passion for acting, Anjumm reveals that its films like Maqbool, Haider, Omkara, Johnny Gadar, Haasil that he associated with the most during his early theatre days and was drawn towards this strain of cinema. “So, that intense hunger to explore a complex, heavily layered character was somewhat satiated with Mirzapur. And now this is done, there’s a hunger to do something different too, something lighter like I did in Sultan of Delhi. That part was very flamboyant, over the top and needed to be played with a flair and I really enjoyed that space a lot! Now I want to do an out-and-out comedy!”
“It feels exactly like a video-game, you complete one level, there’s a sense of victory, achievement, but then it is immediately followed by the next level. So, you don’t stay there, you begin the strive for the next level. And it’s almost like a new start all over again, but now there’s definitely an upgradation, a level up!”
OTT SENSE & SENSIBILITY
“I think the dynamics are really interesting, but the math is not mathing up quite yet,” laughs Anjumm. Explaining it, he says, “Definitely the long format is having more diversified opportunities, so dedicatedly things can be made for an actor and is content-driven and that’s great for actors. Like it has proven that each character can have its own audience and that fanbase here is not exclusively limited or owned by an A-lister alone. So, it gives a good actor a certain respectable standing. But somewhere the market players are getting bigger which means that the A-listers are now in the same race. It is like the Box Office, earlier the niche films stood out amongst the massy entertainers. But now all films are niche, so the bars will have to be raised. Again there are chances that market viability will be given primary importance over content. So the dynamics are getting interesting and while we are moving at a good speed, the direction is yet undefined.”
QUICK FIVE
When not facing the camera…
I watch a lot of interviews to know a person’s journey, you get to learn so much from them.
Favourite Contemporary Filmmakers…
Vishal Bhardwaj, Zoya Akhtar, Amar Kaushik
Shows you’d recommend except Mirzapur…
Mare of Easttown, Game of Thrones, 3 Body Problem, Dark, Friends
Characters you’d have loved to play…
Chandler Bing, Irrfan Sir’s role in Haasil, Rocket Boyz
One characteristic of Sharad Shukla you want to imbibe
To analyze thoroughly before reacting