When entering a world full of grey characters, there is only one way to stand out— be a different shade. That’s what Sunny Kaushal did as he starred in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, the sequel to Haseen Dillruba (2021). The actor’s Abhimanyu, who falls in love with Taapsee Pannu’s Rani, is a catalyst to the story. But for Kaushal, it was important to understand the character to figure out the larger story.

“In his mind, he is a victim. He believes he has been wronged. That’s where his greyness comes from. His constant victimhood became a hook for me to play Abhimanyu convincingly. I also understood that in the world of Haseen Dillruba, nobody is pure or fully evil. All are victims of their circumstances,” he explains.