Adarsh Gourav talks to HT about his new show Guns and Gulaabs and why his role of Chhota Ganchi is no less than a dream.
Adarsh Gourav, who shot to fame as Rajkummar Rao’s driver in The White Tiger, is back with a new web series Guns and Gulaabs and this time it’s his turn to play the other’s boss. The actor, who was once nominated for the BAFTA, is drawing accolades for his performance of Jugnu Ganchi in the latest Netflix show made by the director duo Raj and DK of The Family Man fame. He says it is no less than a dream to get a role which is so complex, his first without an audition. Also read: Guns & Gulaabs review: This explosive cast of Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan deserved a better Raj & DK series
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Adarsh opened up about playing the onscreen son of late actor Satish Kaushik in Guns and Gulaabs and all that he would remember about him. He also talked about working with Raj and DK, why the shootout sequence was a hard one and more. Excerpts:
How did you land the role of Jugnu aka Chhota Ganchi?
I just got a call and was told to meet Raj and DK who narrated the story to me. They told me about Jugnu’s character and asked me if I was interested in playing it. To be honest, I was very, very shocked that they were offering me the part without even asking me to audition because it had never happened to me before. They placed so much faith and trust in my ability that I decided to work even harder and make the most of this opportunity. It’s such a delicious and complex character to play. I think it’s any actor’s dream to play a character as complex as this. So many hidden layers! I feel very lucky to have gotten this role and to have worked with Raj and DK which was an absolute dream.
What brief did you get for the role?
They just spoke to me about who his father was, the kind of business that they are in. A lot of it also came from discussions between the three of us. I had to just understand this human who’s grown up in an environment where he’s surrounded by these toxic male gangsters. There’s not one female presence like a mother or sister. So just to be around these like men who only discuss business, killings, kidnappings and money. How would that affect somebody who doesn’t want to be part of this world? There’s so much that’s happening inside of Jugmu. They had written the character, but a lot of it also comes out when you actually talk about it and start playing it.
Share your experience of working with Raj and DK.
They are phenomenal people, very genuine and humble. They made it on their own and don’t take themselves or their success too seriously and that is why they can make shows that are so amazing. And you see that character in all the films and shows they make. The moment a scene starts getting very heavy, they completely flip the scene by cracking a joke or by doing something funny. So you get the message without feeling heavy about it, which is what is so special about this. They also ask their actors their thoughts, their feedback on the character. They’re very interested in seeing what actors bring to the table.
Most of your scenes were with the late Satish Kaushik. How would you remember the experience of working with him?
He was just a phenomenal human being. We would all always wait for Satish sir to come on set or to come and have lunch so that we could join him on his table and just be regaled by his stories. I would ask him about how Bombay was when he came in the late 70s. He was always making people laugh and always taking care of people. Such a great human, sensitive, funny, great leader, great story teller and a great actor he was. It’s really an irreparable loss for all of us.
Was there a scene which turned out to be a challenge during the shoot?
I remember the day we shot the shootout sequence. It was very cold that night and the scene was shot around 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning. So we were fighting not just the cold but also our sleep to stay awake and to be in the moment. We shot at a place which is one and a half hours from Dehradun. It was winter and I realized that your hands burn when you pick up snow without wearing gloves.
There is a scene where Rajkummar Rao comes to you and asks you for work. And you are the boss here – the Chhota Ganchi. We see the tables turn after The White Tiger. Did the thought hit you as well?
Nothing was going on in my mind at the time, I was just pertaining to the scene. When I found out that Raj bhai is doing the show, I realized that it’s actually the opposite of what we did in The White Tiger. It was very fascinating.