Dark role in 'Daldal' felt more accessible: Actor Aditya Rawal

Mumbai, Feb 1 (PTI) Actor Aditya Rawal says despite portraying a dark character in the latest series, “Daldal”, he found the role “accessible” as the character’s struggles and emotional pain felt “deeply

human” and easier to understand.

The crime thriller series follows DCP Rita Ferreira, played by Bhumi Pednekar, as she tracks a brutal serial killer, only to discover it is journalist Anita Acharya (Samara Tijori).

Aditya plays the role of Sajid, a deeply troubled man battling drug addiction, who along with Samara’s character target people they believe are abusers.

He also drew a comparison between his role in “Daldal” and the antagonist in the 2023 film “Faraaz”, recalling how it was way “harder to align” with the latter. “These characters are outside of one’s known experience. With ‘Faraaz’, it was harder to align with the character than with Sajid. The first switch happens when you’re talking about somebody suffering from addiction, not that I truly understand it, but when you begin to get a grasp of how addiction works, and how somebody is powerless. “I found this more accessible, easier to understand than shooting up a bunch of people in a cafe… But this journey was eye-opening not just in terms of performing a part for a show, but also in terms of just understanding the psyche of somebody who is going through all of that and it helped,” Aditya told PTI in an interview.

The seven-episode series, which is streaming on Prime Video, is adapted from Vish Dhamija’s novel “Bhendi Bazaar”.

To ensure authenticity in his performance, Aditya worked closely with Bryan, who runs a rehabilitation center outside of Mumbai, and the show’s director, Amrit Raj Gupta and creator of “Daldal”, Suresh Triveni.

The experience, the 32-year-old actor said, helped him as a performer.

“We actually went through the whole script, Amrit and Suresh sir were always at hand, like how things will go. To have Bryan on set, it made me feel so safe, and also knowing that Suresh sir and Amrit are there to help with the nitty-gritty. It was eye-opening and a joy in its own way,” he explained.

Aditya also praised Bhumi, describing her as a “generous” co-actor who provided essential support during the filming of the scenes.

Recalling a pivotal climactic sequence, he said, “There’s a scene, where she’s trying to convince me of something, and then she did this certain thing with her eyes and the way she said it, for a moment, I was like, ‘She’s an amazing actress’. It was a wonderful process.” Aditya, the son of veteran actors Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampat, feels “lucky” to have parents who understand the pressures of the film industry and often help him in providing a much-needed reality check.

“When you think the sky has fallen on your head and it’s such a big problem, and you go home and you mention it to your parents and they are like, ‘It’s fine’… Either my mom or dad will give examples of how that happened to them and you’re like, ‘ok, it’ll be fine’.” PTI KKP ATR MG MG