Saurabh Sachdeva: I did not morally judge my character in Animal | Exclusive

Actor Saurabh Sachdeva says he morally struggled playing an abusive husband to Kareena Kapoor in Jaane Jaan, but had no such problems with his role in Animal

From Suleiman Isa in Sacred Games to Suleiman ‘Haji’ Maqbool in Bambai Meri Jaan, Saurabh Sachdeva has played the baddie with relish multiple times on screen. But the one film of his that everyone is talking about now, is Animal. The actor plays Bobby Deol's (Abrar Haque) brother Abid Haque in the Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial.

In an interview with Mid-day.com, the actor revealed his experience working on Animal with Ranbir Kapoor and his cousin Kareena Kapoor in the OTT film Jaane Jaan.

‘I was initially struggling with my character’

Saurabh came on board Animal after shooting had already begun. He needed a context to the character, and Vanga showed him the now-famous fight scene where Ranbir takes on a hundred men on his own.

“I was initially struggling with my character and the style of the film. I went to the director, Sandeep and asked for another meeting. I wanted to know the world of this character. He said I selected you from Taish (directed by Bejoy Nambiar). He was also editing the parts that were shot already, and he showed me the helmet wala scene (where Ranbir Kapoor is attacked by a large group of men wearing shiny helmets). I thought, wow, this is something else and larger than life,” he said.

‘Shooting bare-bodied in the freezing cold was difficult’

Both Bobby Deol and Ranbir Kapoor’s roles have been loved by the audience. Talking about working with them on set, Saurabh said, “There was difficulty shooting the last fight sequence for seven days, with actors who are bare-bodied, in the freezing cold. We were struggling there, otherwise it was fun to shoot the film. Being with Bobby was such a beautiful experience, he is such a vulnerable and humble human being. Ranbir is such a curious human being. He is always asking questions, always there to talk to you and take care of you. Sandeep has such a big vision. It was a very good atmosphere on the set.

‘I did not morally judge my character in Animal’

Saurabh had a very simple brief for his character, and he stuck to the essence of it. “I never knew the full story of this film. He just told me my part – that we are cousins to Ranbir’s character. We have a conflict, we are out there to take revenge. And that I am my brother’s voice. That’s all I kept in my mind, that whatever happens I have to take care of him, because I know where he falters, how temperamental he is. Whatever happens, this person in front of me is my world,” he narrated.

And so, he became aware of the criticism about the film being problematic and misogynistic, or too violent, much later.

“I did not know about all these things. I did not know the whole story in the beginning. I was also discovering a lot of things while watching the film. I just knew my part, which was in a different world – we just knew that we have tried to kill his father, so he is coming to take revenge. People might like or dislike the movie, it is difficult to understand this point, about where we stand and how brutal should films be. A lot of directors from around the world have faced issues with portrayals of sexuality and violence. It’s a big argument going on for years. I am also contemplating, where do I stand. Because I enjoyed working on the film, it is quite an experience. You might not have a logical answer to every question about the material, but it moves you emotionally.

‘Had a problem playing an abusive husband to Kareena’

However, he did judge his role as Ajit Mhatre in Jaane Jaan. His role was that of an abusive husband to Kareena, because of whom she changes her identity and lives in hiding in the hills.

Saurabh narrated how he went about convincing himself to take up the role. “We have been watching Kareena on screen for years, she is such a big star. Playing her husband, especially this kind of a character who is abusive and difficult to handle, coming close to her, holding her… I asked her if she was comfortable. She said, ‘Yes, we have to play our characters, this is a film.’ So, then I told myself, keep your morals and values aside and play the role.

“It was difficult for me when I was signing the film, I was in two minds because my values were not in line with the character. I had to push those moral judgements aside and think why this character is like this and believe that what he does is right. I also made up a backstory on him. While shooting also I was struggling with this,” he described.

But he did not have the same moral dilemma during Animal. “No, because there I was only working to protect my family. He is my brother, I have to take care of him and fight the people who would try to harm them – that was the thought. There was no problem with that,” he said.

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