Abhishek Banerjee on his role in Apurva: This is the darkest character I’ve ever played

In Paatal Lok, his character’s weapon of choice was a hammer and in the upcoming film Apurva, actor Abhishek Banerjee says it’s his mindset. 

Banerjee, who plays one of the antagonists in the survival thriller fronted by Tara Sutaria, said audiences will see him in his "darkest" avatar to date.

Directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, Apurva is the story of an ordinary woman who faces extraordinary circumstances and will do anything to survive. The film also features Rajpal Yadav and Dhairya Karwa.

“I don’t see any grey in this particular character. Hathoda Tyagi had a hathoda (hammer) as his weapon, in ‘Apurva’, his weapon is his mindset. To break that kind of thought process is the main motive of the film. That kind of thought process is very dangerous for our society.

“When you talk about a character like Vishal Tyagi, there are socio-economic, socio-political circumstances. In this character, you don’t really blame anything but yourself (the character). To make yourself comfortable with that is a bigger challenge. That way this is the darkest character I’ve ever played,” Banerjee said.

The actor, also known for his comedic work in films such as Stree, Bhediya and Bala, is a well-known casting director. He has been cast in movies such as The Dirty Picture and No One Killed Jessica.

As someone who has roots in theatre, Banerjee said he wouldn’t have been able to do screen acting if not for his experience as a casting director.

“If I was not a casting director, I would not have become a camera actor. Theatre acting is different. When you are performing in front of a big audience, your body gestures, your voice, facial expressions… It’s a different medium altogether.