‘Comedy is safe for me, but it’s not my calling’

Actor Divyenndu Sharma’s iconic character, Liquid, in Pyaar Ka Punchnama (PKP; 2011) left the audience impressed with his comic skills. However, he says that he wants to show different shades as an actor and taking the safe route, comedy in his case, is not the plan.

“It would’ve been very safe for me to be in comedy and dominate that genre, but that’s not my calling as an artist. I have different sides of me as an actor and I want to show that. It’s what gives me a high,” says the actor, who chose not to be part of the second instalment of the PKP franchise, to avoid getting typecast.

After his successful debut, Divyendu went on to do a lead role in Dilliwaali Zaalim Girlfriend (2015), but the film didn’t do well at the box office. He later took on a supportive role in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) which didi well.

Did he shift gears and get back to supportive roles for a reason? “I don’t think like that. I only hear the story when someone approaches me. I listen to the character and if I feel that my character is important to the flow of the

It would’ve been very safe to dominate the comedy genre. [But] I have different sides of me as an actor and I want to show that. DIVYENNDU SHARMAA ACTOR

story, I take it up. Of course, the screenplay, too, should be good,” he explains.

The actor stars in the recent release Batti Gul Meter Chalu, alongside Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. Talking about his ‘wonderful’ experience working with the two, he says, “Both of them greeted me very warmly. I still remember the first time I met Shraddha. She joined us after a couple of days and said, ‘I’m so excited to work with you’. That was such a nice gesture. Similarly, when I met Shahid, he was very welcoming. In the film we play three childhood buddies, so it was very important for us to connect well,” he says.

PHOTO: FOTOCORP