Amit Sial, who plays Navin Kumar in the political drama series Maharani, believes that having a rich life experience is key to being an actor. Inside Edge, Mirzapur, Jamtara - Sabka Number Ayega, A Simple Murder, Kathmandu Connection… Amit has moved from one web series to the next in the past two years at such a pace that he has now decided to take one thing at a time.

Amit speaks to The Telegraph Online about playing one of the pivotal characters in the second season of Maharani, created by Subhash Kapoor (yes, the Jolly LLB maker), and his journey as an actor.

We are a nation obsessed with politics and political drama is a genre that’s popular among a large section of the audience. What’s cooking in Maharani Season 2?

Amit Sial: (Laughs) Oh, I don’t want to say anything! The story is very well-written and it’s a rollercoaster ride. It’s the political world, which we are familiar with now, and it’s an entertaining watch.

How did Maharani’s Navin Kumar evolve in the new season?

Amit Sial: In the first season, most of my character exploration was done. Season 2 will look at fresher realms of Navin Kumar’s domestic life and the influence it had on him, as Season 1 was mostly around his political arena. Navin Kumar is one of the most challenging roles I have ever done because it’s got a rhythm to it. Every character has a rhythm assigned to it and it’s very interesting to find my rhythm, which wasn’t easy at all as it’s a verbal show and you need to be on top of the script and make it your way. I am a spontaneous actor, so to let that go out of the window and stick to the written word, something changed inside me, craft-wise.

As a viewer, which political shows do you follow?

Amit Sial: Not necessarily politics-based shows; I watch documentaries, which have a lot of learning. For some strange reason, I don’t watch my shows! I don’t like watching myself on screen as I am never happy with myself, and it gives me sleepless nights. Among the international shows, I watch Peaky Blinders.

Where do you seek inspiration to enact tough roles? How did you approach the humane side of Devender Mishra in Inside Edge?

Amit Sial: Mostly the scripts and then obviously, you have life experiences, which you automatically connect to play out the scenes. For actors, having a rich life experience is of utmost value, otherwise the connection with reality goes for a toss. My life as an actor has been slow and organic. I am a regular guy. Preparation depends on the character. Well, there are permutations and combinations to play different characters. In Inside Edge, it was a complete extension of how frustrated I was about my life as I was about to give up. And the character (Devender Mishra) was also experiencing the same, so I borrowed from what I was going through to play the character.

Most of the characters you play look strikingly different from each other. What inputs do you have in creating those looks?

Amit Sial: What happens with me is whenever I am reading a script, the image automatically comes into my head, so I try to stay true to it. It’s never about the jawline or having a flat stomach. It’s a matter of habit now as I even get an idea of the character’s moustache in my head.

You are one of those actors whose next move as a character in a show can’t be predicted...

Amit Sial: Yeah, because I don’t plan it. My approach is to remain life-like, not be very sure because as human beings we don’t know what’s going to happen next moment. I rely on intuition.

Given that you have done it all, what do you enjoy most – stage, films, OTT platforms?

Amit Sial: When I did stage, I loved every bit of it. Then, I wanted to work in front of the camera because I wanted to explore the medium. Long formats (OTT) take a lot from you and need a level of commitment, but the method and approach are the same.

My inclination toward acting started early in school. Earlier, it was mostly about getting attention (smiles), and then, when I started getting serious about it, a whole new world opened up to me to learn the craft and translate written words as a medium for the stage and the screen. Later, I moved to Delhi and worked under Barry John, where I learnt about stage production, lighting and sound. Then, I moved for higher studies and stayed away from acting for six to seven years.

I completed my post-graduation in business management, came back to India and joined the corporate sector. Eventually, I gave up everything and came to Mumbai in 2004. I dabbled in films but it was tough for me as the kind of work I wanted to do was not coming my way. It would come in patches but not continuously, and then OTT changed everything. And I have been at it for five years continuously.