Divyenndu’s Mirzapur character was more ‘constructed’, his Glory role is based on me: Karan Anshuman

“This is a very different character because at the heart of it, he’s a good person,” Karan tells SCREEN in an exclusive interview. “Dev comes from me. At the time of shoot also, we started looking similar. My hair also grew as long. I was also a brash, rebellious guy on set. I put a lot of myself into that character. And I don’t think it’s necessarily true of someone like Munna Bhaiya for example. That was a very constructed character. This has come very much from my heart. That starting point itself separates anything we’ve done before,” adds the director.

How Pulkit and Divyenndu broke the ice

The unfamiliar equation in Glory was between the two leads — Divyenndu and Pulkit Samrat. They play brothers, but with the “love language of Haryana”, as the former puts it. Even in their first scene together, the two reunite after ages upon returning to their hometown after the tragic murder of their sister. Conventional wisdom would suggest they’d rush and embrace each other tightly. But Haryanvi machoism doesn’t allow as much as even an eye contact.

“I’ve always been fond of Divyenndu’s work. Our way of working is very different. But it was exciting because I know what all he’s done and the level to which he can perform. So, I was a little skeptical if I’d be able to match up to him,” confesses Pulkit. “I didn’t know him personally at all. So, the comfort came from him. The entire brother dynamic we have on the show, it all came from him. He held my hand at so many places during rehearsals and workshops that it didn’t feel like we were performing. It just felt like we’re being Divyenndu and Pukit trying to be Ravi and Dev,” he adds.

Pulkit Samrat and Divyenndu play brothers in Glory.

Both Divyenndu and Pulkit agree that it was while exploring Bhiwani in Haryana together that they came close to understanding each other as actors and people. “We were lucky to be in a space where we could both just like each other’s energies and vibes, and not be insecure of each other’s standing. It’s very easy to like Pukit. He’s a very nice chap, and comes with a very open heart,” chimes in Divyenndu.

Pulkit’s streaming debut

Pulkit’s first job in Mumbai was playing Lakshya Virani in Ekta Kapoor’s popular daily soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi back in 2005. After quitting the show two years later (and being replaced by Yash Pandit), it took Pulkit five years to debut in Bollywood with the flop comedy Bittoo Boss. In fact, it’s only his second release, Mrighadeep Singh Lamba’s buddy comedy Fukrey (2013) and its two follow-ups that have secured Pulkit box office success across his 14 years as a lead actor, all the way up to Rahu Ketu earlier this year, in which he reunited with Fukrey’s Choocha, Varun Sharma.

After a couple of cameos as Sarfaraz Khan in the two seasons of Prime Video India’s popular show Made in Heaven, Pulkit has finally made his streaming debut with Glory. Between his two long-format outings — Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Glory — the world has changed, and so has the storytelling, at least on OTT. Pulkit confesses he relied on both Divyenndu and Karan Anshuman for tracing his arc across seven episodes of content.

“In films, you have about roughly two to two-and-a-half hours of journey. In a series, I had to explore a character from episode 1 to episode 7, and by God’s grace, season 2. I have never worked on an arc like that and how to hold a character for so long. So, I used to ask these guys how to design a character arc on a streaming platform because they’ve been so successful at it,” says Pulkit.

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But he admits his first job also taught him the very basics. “TV taught me what happens behind the camera. I was very excited to see different lenses, how to catch the line and reach the mark. Because I never assisted or got a formal training in acting. That’s where I learnt a lot,” adds Pulkit. As they sign off, Karan concludes Pulkit’s journey with a signature zany one-liner, “You’ve come from the idiot box to the boxing ring.”