Honesty, with a side of humour

Manav Kaul in Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper

Manav Kaul was in Kashmir when he first heard the idea of Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper. Right then, the actor decided to be a part of the comedy created by Puneet Krishna. Walking into the story of an ordinary man who becomes a gigolo to support his family, he knew that the role demanded two things - complete honesty as an artiste, and lack of judgment towards the part. "It was difficult to perform a role like this. Vulnerability in the situations [that the series depicts] was possible only because Puneet helped. The way he narrated the story, I could see my character. I had to approach it with simplicity," says the actor.

Given the subject's delicate nature, it was imperative that the scenes be shot with sensitivity. As soon as he read the script, Kaul realised that writer-creator Krishna had taken extreme care when crafting intimate scenes. "While doing readings, I realised how tender the scenes are. On set, it's chaotic, and I was worried about the [intimate] scenes. I used to go quiet during the shoot of the sensitive scenes, and wanted to portray them with the vision we had in mind." He credits Krishna for giving a humorous take to the Netflix offering. "Puneet, even in the darkest scenes, has said something profound in the funniest way."