After intense — and much-lauded roles in Mirzapur and The Railway Men — Divyenndu returns to where he started from — comedy. This Friday, The Pyaar Ka Punchnama alum joins Pratik Gandhi and Avinash Tiwary in actor Kunal Kemmu’s directorial debut Madgaon Express. t2, which is a media partner of Madgaon Express, dialled Divyenndu to know more.

If the trailer and songs are any indication, Madgaon Express seems to be a fun, mad ride...

Honestly, our film is funnier than the trailer. The film is a situational comedy and it was pretty difficult for us to cut a trailer out of it. One obviously can’t show gag after gag in a trailer. It is a screenplay-based comedy, so if you like the trailer, you will love the film 10x.

What were the primary reasons for you to want to do the film?

It was a lot of factors all coming together. It was a chance for me to do comedy after a while. As we all know, comedy is one of the most difficult genres to do and for the longest time, I was waiting for a good comedy script. Of late, I have been doing some very dark and intense characters. This role in Madgaon Express came to me like a breath of fresh air. I was happy reading the script because it was so funny.

I have known Kunal (Kemmu, the film’s director) as an actor and to see him direct a film for the first time with so much clarity and preparation gave me a lot of confidence. Also, I am always comfortable working with Excel Movies (who are also the producers of Mirzapur). I could gauge that there was a correct intention behind making this film and I was also happy that they were looking at a theatrical release. Of late, I have been busy with my OTT stuff and I was missing the joy of a theatrical release.

After Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Chashme Baddoor, both of which were comedies, featuring you as one of three guys, which is a subgenre in itself, would you say that life has come full circle for you with Madgaon Express?

Definitely! So many memories came back. You have correctly identified this as a distinct sub-genre. Madgaon Express is again a three-boy film and revolves around their escapades in Goa, it is about how they get to Goa and then about everything that goes wrong in their lives. Though the feel was familiar to me, having done those two films in the past, the content of this film is very different. It has got a very distinct freshness of its own. Madgaon Express is a good, old Bollywood comedy, but the situations and the handling of those situations are unique.

As an actor, Kunal is very good at comedy. How much does that contribute to Madgaon Express?

A lot of it showed up in the writing. Everything was on paper... we have only done about five per cent improvisation, which rarely happens in a comedy film. It was so detailed and minutely written. Even while filming, he was so clear.

Because he is an actor, he understands what an actor is going through. If we had to take a retake, he didn’t have to spell it out each time. I used to look at him, he used to look at me and he would say: ‘Yeah, yeah, I got it.’ And after a take, if I would ask:’Kunal, ek aur le sakte hain kya?’... he would say: ‘Aah got it. let’s take it!’ Working with him was easy-breezy, it didn’t feel like work as such.

What did it take to conjure the crazy comic chemistry that you, Pratik Gandhi and Avinash Tiwary share in the film?

Luckily, we all liked each others’ work. When we met, we hit it off almost instantly. Before filming, we hired a nice bungalow in Alibaug and chilled together for three days. We chatted, played music, played sports.... That helped to get that friendship vibe going. All three of us come from pretty similar backgrounds. We have the same kind of beliefs and goals. All three of us come from a theatre background and that subconsciously connected us beautifully. We are very good friends now.

Why has Kunal gone on record to say that you were a diva on set?

(Laughs) I am a little particular about certain things. I may have played rugged and over-masculine guys on screen, but I am not like that. I am quite proper, in a sense. So before we would go out to eat, I would insist that we book a table and all that. That made these guys think that I am a diva (laughs).

You have done a fair bit of comedy, but both Pratik and Avinash come from a background of predominantly intense, serious roles. Were any notes exchanged?

They are both very good actors and it is heartening when people compliment the film and say that it has a great cast. Also, the kind of maturity our audiences are showing now is illustrated by the fact that they have loved each of us in all the different kinds of roles that we have done so far and are happy to see us come together in a comedy.

Did you, like all of us, plan a Goa trip with friends in your younger days that never happened?

I hail from Delhi and all our plans would be based in the hills around Delhi. People of Mumbai have this thing about going to Goa, I think. My big Goa trip happened very nicely. I studied at FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) in Pune and when IFFI (International Film Festival of India) happened for the first time in Goa, we were taken there as students. Films and Goa were such a nice combination and I have wonderful memories of meeting some great filmmakers, watching films and heading to the beach and enjoying a beer.

When I was growing up in the ’90s, Goa was not such a major thing. That happened, I think, after Dil Chahta Hai. It was only when those three guys sat in a convertible and that familiar music started that one started feeling that one was missing something in life. By that time I was in college and to be honest, there was no Goa dream as such.

Mirzapur, and more recently, The Railway Men have been huge hits for you. How has the shift to streaming been a boon for your career?

I am so happy that streaming came into everybody’s lives because, unlike cinema, we get to see new characters and stories. It has opened horizons for actors like me who are not limited by the box office anymore. OTT has proven that if you have merit, people will notice you and your work. OTT has also brought in a new stream of revenue, in addition to theatrical and satellite

What is the big plan as an actor in the next few years?

I would love it if people saw my name attached to a project and immediately recognised it as being something different. I want them to say: ‘He tries and entertains in a different way.’ I don’t want to take the audience for granted. I want to keep pushing the envelope. Even if I don’t succeed in everything, it gives me a high to keep on doing different kinds of stuff, to keep challenging myself, to keep going for different stories, different filmmakers and different characters.

Priyanka Roy
Which is your favourite comedy film/ series featuring three friends? Tell t2@abp.in