Sanjay Kapoor: ‘The Gone Game was fun, it was intriguing but I never expected it would turn out so good’

The first instalment of _The Gone Game_ , a psychological crime thriller web series left us on a gripping cliff-hanger; the show revolves around a family feud with some of the family member’s life shrouded in mystery. The sequel dives into the post-pandemic world, and the family in question – Gujrals are under a new threat, as the layers of mystery deepen. A CBI officer (played by new entrant Harleen Sethi) is investigating a shocking murder and the family of suspects. The Gone Game was created as an experimental show in 2020, at the peak of the pandemic-induced lockdown. It was shot remotely by the actors themselves, within the confines of their homes. The cast was wearing a number of hats: set design, camera, lighting and acting. The show received positive reviews primarily due to its concept, strong content and performances, leading to the OTT platform green lighting its second season that takes off from events of the first season, which ended on the mystery of whether Sahil Gujral (played by Arjun Mathur ) is alive or dead. Firstpost catches up with the show’s primary cast – Sanjay Kapoor , Arjun Mathur and Shweta Tripathi Sharma who give subtle hints about the twists and turns in the new season. _The Gone Game Season 2_ will premiere on Voot Select today, on July 7. On what attracted the actors to The Gone Game; shooting season 1 at home vis-à-vis on set for the second instalment and whether they expected huge success of the show mounted in the experimental space — Sanjay Kapoor: After working for about three decades in Bollywood, The Gone Game was a new experience for me because we shot Season 1 on our own at our homes with an iPhone with no cameramen, no lighting, no technician. It was fun, it was intriguing but I never expected it would turn out so good. Finally, I got to meet all the actors while shooting for season 2 which will be even more interesting, our performances are much stronger because all the actors were physically present and as we know acting is all about reacting to your co-actor. Most of my scenes in season 2 are with Shweta and Rukhsar (Rehman). Harleen (Sethi), who plays a CBI officer, is investigating us. It is a story of a dysfunctional family which can be seen more in season 2. Shriya (Pilgaonkar) who plays my daughter-in-law and she is trying to ‘frame’ my son (Arjun Mathur), has another track. The story this time has gone totally in that whodunit space. Arjun Mathur: When I was offered this show I just thought that, ‘Achha chalo, my director friend Nikhil Bhat and we are doing something experimental. We are shooting at home, who knows whether it will come out or not. But it really surpassed everything. We never felt while shooting season 1 that it would be seen by people. We thought we were doing time pass, between shots we were washing utensils, cooking, doing jhaadu pocha… though it didn’t look like we were shooting from home and that was the magic. I had not read the script and I did not understand what the director was thinking, why I am doing what I am doing. The way season 1 was shot I was so dependent on a very clear and specific direction that he had to literally tell me that after this line you lift the cup and keep it there, now why I am doing that I don’t know. The director knows, okay then I will do it. Only the director knew the story in his mind. It was really unexpected for the show to be as good as it turned out to be. Season 1 was an experiment and season 2 is the fruits of that experiment that now we are getting to expand. While the second season was shot in proper locations and sets and in physical presence of other actors I didn’t meet any of my co-stars because my character is on the run and disconnected from everybody else. He doesn’t know what his family is doing, what those characters are doing, hence I didn’t read the script again. I am going to watch the second season as an audience only. I know what I have done but even I want to know what the story is. Several things worked for the show. One, we were lucky to get a very good cast together; secondly, the director and his extremely sharp writing and mind, his execution and post-production, edit and music, and of course, the concept. The Gone Game is probably the first full-fledged show in the world to have been conceived, shot, promoted and released during the first lockdown.

Shweta Tripathi Sharma: I like taking risks, I like to experiment and raise the bar with every performance and show that I do. When I read the concept and was told how season 1 will be shot, it was very intriguing. I really enjoy thrillers because the USP is you want to know what will happen next; concept is the hook. Then, the presence of Arjun, Shriya and Sanjay Kapoor was exciting for me. I learnt a lot in season one because we had to do everything ourselves but would I like to do it again? No. But it was great fun because in the midst of crying for my missing ‘brother’ I was switching off the fan (laughs). And when we went on the set to shoot season 2 I felt relieved because filmmaking is a collaborative process and I believe a lot in energy when you have our co-actor in front of you. Also, when you get into your costume and go on set it helps you disconnect from your world and get into the character’s world. Shooting for season 1 was too close to home, in fact, it was at home. The show is an emotional roller-coaster. My character has everything… all the money in the world, family but she wants to prove to her family who she is especially to her father. Is playing a character with negative/grey shades more exciting? Sanjay Kapoor: Even in my previous show _The Fame Game_ my character had a little more than grey. I enjoy doing fun roles also like the one I did in _Luck By Chance_ but in recent times I have been playing very intense characters with some greyness or close to black. It is interesting because negative roles always have a little more layers to it. In The Gone Game I am shown a flirt, he doesn’t have a great relationship with his wife and with children there is that insecurity. Daughter feels the son is getting priority which happens a lot in Indian families. It is not just a negative trait you are basically playing a family man and Shweta and I have some real intense scenes. There are some true life situations in the show. Arjun Mathur: I absolutely love playing negative characters. As an actor I want to explore every emotion, situation that you can’t experience in your real life, or even think of such events happening, say for instance it would be really exciting stepping into the psyche of a serial killer. So yes, darker shades are generally more interesting because there are more layers as compared to the one where the character is saying – ‘Main hero hoon, main sabko bachaonga’. I haven’t had too many opportunities but I also love comedies. Then, I love dark comedies and I got to do one with Brij Mohan Amar Rahe. And yes, I’m faking death once again. It seems like it is my forte (laughs). Incidentally, it is with the same director. Season 1 was directed by Nikhil Bhat who also directed Brij Mohan Amar Rahe and in both these shows, I am faking death. Shweta Tripathi Sharma: I like my life to be as simple as possible and which is why I am attracted to complicated life on screen. In real life it is all about how you make people feel, it is the same with characters. If we understand how they are, what they are and why they are behaving in a certain way, then it is easier to play that part. My family is very loving and supportive and which is why it is challenging for me to play such characters that are insecure and in pain. I love intense dramas like The Gone Game, Mirzapur …but if the atmosphere on set also becomes that then life will become really dark which is why off-screen you need to have lighter moments. To put yourself in that space I had to go to a dark space, it is fun but it is equally important how to get out of the character that nobody talks about. How challenging is it for an actor to do a suspense thriller? Sanjay Kapoor: I love intensity, I love dramas and I love thrillers as an audience. As an actor, once you get into it everything is easy, everything is difficult whether you are doing a thriller, or a fun role, or a comedy, or a love story. You have to focus and give your 100 per cent and it just comes naturally. Obviously, it is the director who gets the best out of you. Arjun Mathur: As an actor your responsibility is only to be as authentic and faithful to the character and emotion of the character’s journey as you can. Rest it is all about the treatment, and how a thriller and a comedy should be treated is totally up to the director. He does it with his edits, with his music and with his cuts. They bring in the actual emotion, whereas actors are in that situation. I certainly love the thriller genre. Shweta Tripathi Sharma: Story wise, now because it is a thriller it depends upon the director. It would happen a lot while filming The Gone Game, I would say, ‘My character can’t do this’, and the director would insist that this is what he wants to show and I would fret saying, ‘You are making me do something for your story-telling’. Obviously, it is the director’s vision and we as actors have to serve the purpose that the story requires. I am not like the character at all. I feel my character Amara is like a rabbit, she is so sehmi si, so scared. But I like that because when I see myself on screen I want to see the characters. I don’t like playing myself. ‘Amara’ is the furthest from who I am as a person. How do their characters evolve in season 2? Sanjay Kapoor: It will be difficult for me to answer that because you can’t divulge much in thrillers and suspense dramas. Arjun Mathur: My character Sahil is quite miserable in season 2. His game is not going that well, so it was not a fun shoot for me because they were making me lie in keechad, or I had to eat from somebody else’ plate, it was very unpleasant and not like I had to look good wearing make-up. In fact, I had to look really bad, so sometimes before the shot I would lie on the floor and roll on the road. The only good thing was this time I had my hair and make-up team and we had help. Shweta Tripathi Sharma: My character has become even murkier because nothing is clear. Now people have to guess if my character is guilty or not guilty. As an actor I want to know what people are thinking. The whodunit module can be very challenging because you have to bring out the unexpected so that the audience doesn’t feel cheated. The culprit can’t be someone that is obvious and it can neither be very vague and alien. It is very tricky. Upcoming projects  Sanjay Kapoor: I have two films coming up – _Merry Christmas_ directed by Sriram Raghavan co-starring Vijay Sethupathi and _Katrina Kaif_ ; then I have completed another movie with Ali Abbas Zafar called Bloody Daddy which has an ensemble cast of Shahid Kapoor , Ronit Roy , Rajeev Khandelwal , Diana Penty . Thanks to OTT I am getting this opportunity to do some very interesting work. In fact, after The Fame Game, it is an added responsibility because people expect a little more. Since the time the show became a huge success I have not signed anything, I am waiting for the right show. Arjun Mathur: I have this feature film called Lord Curzon Ki Haveli directed by Anshuman Jha. Currently, I don’t know what he intends to do with it, whether it will have theatrical or OTT release, or it will go to Festivals. Then, I finished shooting _Made In Heaven Season 2_ . Shweta Tripathi Sharma: I have Mirzapur 3 that I have just started shooting. Then I have a feature film called Kanjoos Makhichoos. It is an out-and-out comedy. When I saw my filmography – Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen, Mirzapur, The Gone Game, Escaype Live…all these are very serious shows, all in gambhir space…so I wanted to lighten up. But doing comedy is far more difficult. When I saw my co-actors Kunal Kemmu, Piyush Mishra, Alka Amin perform I was shocked because I am more of a subtle actor. I thought I won’t be able to do it. That was also a challenge and that is what excited me and now I want to do more comedies because I can do it and I want to improve. That is how I am from project to project, I want to be better than my last project. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.