Sanjay Suri on Avrodh 2 and surviving in Bollywood without giving 'Rs 100 crore hit'

Actor Sanjay Suri turns to the dark side in _Avrodh 2_ , which he promises to be exciting and engaging for viewers. In the series, Abir Chatterjee plays a man in uniform who does everything to protect the nation from evil minds. On the other hand, Suri’s character gears up for an economic war in India. “The viewers can expect a very engaging, thrilling espionage plot-driven series. They had a glimpse of it in season 1. Season 2 is going ahead with a larger plot and many things are happening at the same time. So lots to look forward to. There are many twists and turns. I think it will be very exciting and engaging for the viewers,” says Suri about the Raj Acharya directorial. He describes his character as a “radicalised west-bred militant. He is an ex-banker and an ex-professor. He is very wealthy and a key player in global terror funding circles.”

“His agenda is to use finance and attack the economy. His brand of militancy is beyond bloodshed at the border. He believes in hitting it where it hurts. He was born in Pakistan but bred in the west. He’s been all over internationally and lives in Pakistan,” he shares about his role in the series, which is inspired by Chapter 9 –Just tell me when to begin sir of the book India’s Most Fearless 2 by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh. “I haven’t read the book. I was given a screenplay. It’s been beautifully created by the writers. I found it very engaging when I started reading it,” says the _Firaaq_ actor. According to him, the beauty of the series is that every character has an important part to play. “Every brick has built this wall. If you take a brick out, some dots will be missing. It is interesting because even for the audience to join the dots and second-guess, it would be quite thrilling,” he says. The audience is used to seeing Suri playing the good guy on-screen, but for him, it was exciting to play a negative role in the new web series. “I was born and brought up in Kashmir, so I have sort of seen terrorism closely. I have been a victim of that. So for me to delve into someone from the opposite side and to see the ugliness of it, it was like ‘oh my god! This character is thinking like this’,” he says. But to keep his personal thoughts and ideologies aside and stepping into the shoes of this character was exciting for him. “When you are living those characters between action and cut, you forget who you are. You play the character. That itself is very exciting for an actor,” says Suri. Since his acting debut in 1999 with Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi, he has featured in many films like Jhankaar Beats, Pinjar and Dhoop. But lately, he’s been entertaining viewers with his OTT projects such as Inside Edge , Mentalhood and Dev DD. “I haven’t taken a sabbatical (from films). It’s just that how the content is delivered has changed. You can watch the same content at home or you can go to theatres. What OTT has done is that it’s opened an entire space for exciting writing and ideas. It’s a little more democratic and less star dependent. It’s more story-driven and character-driven. But there is a challenge of audience retention,” he says. He is exploring new mediums, and he is happy about his showbiz journey. “I came with nothing to the city (Mumbai), and it’s given me a career, recognition and some work that I can take to my grave. I have nothing to complain about. Without giving a 100 crore hit, I am still around, so there must be something that’s working,” he notes. “I have enjoyed my journey. I have done some wonderful films. I started producing films early in my career. I made my debut in 1999 as an actor and then produced My Brother… Nikhil (2005). I may have been underutilized, but I am still grateful that I am around, working and doing exciting things,” he adds. He is also co-producing the sequel of the National Award-winning film, I Am, with filmmaker Onir . “‘It’s still on track. It’s very much on the cards,” he says about the sequel that was announced in 2020. He has also finished working on two films. “One of them is a romantic-comedy film. It’s a really cute and a funny film. Currently, I am shooting for a web series. I have also started developing some in-house scripts,” he shares. Avrodh Season 2 will be streaming from 24 June onwards on SonyLIV. Natalia Ningthoujam is a Manipur-based journalist. She knows how to smoothly switch from being a fan to a writer whenever needed. She tweets at @nattynick.

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