Whether it be a TASC officer in The Family Man, a Pakistani cricketer in Inside Edge, a youth politician in Mardaani 2, or a journalist in The Railway Men, actor Sunny Hinduja has shown his flair for slipping into a wide variety of roles. Best known for his performance as Sandeep Bhaiya in TVF’s Aspirants and its spin-off series Sandeep Bhaiya, Sunny’s latest screen stint is in Yodha, where he plays the antagonist opposite Sidharth Malhotra. Having wrapped up the shoot of his debut Malayalam film Hello Mummy, Sunny chatted with us about Yodha, his breakout role in Aspirants and his aspirations.

What made you say yes to Yodha?

Sunny Hinduja: I read the script before meeting the directors (Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha). It was a well-written script and role. We discussed a few things and made minor changes. The directors were very clear about their vision. It was a Dharma Productions film. So, it was a no-brainer for me to say yes to Yodha.

What did you like about playing the negative character, Jalal?

Sunny Hinduja: The negative is just one side of a character. There are so many things at stake for a character. There are many layers to Jalal in Yodha as well, all of which are not revealed in the film of course. See how swiftly he has managed to enter Pakistan’s central ministry.

The other interesting thing was that I got to do action. I hadn’t done a full-fledged action film and I had fun exploring that side as an actor. I trained to perform the action sequences. Then we did proper rehearsals on set. I wanted to be particular about my stance, movements and agility. The action director and the film’s directors helped me get it right.

You recently wrapped up the shoot for your debut Malayalam film, Hello Mummy. How was the experience of working in the Malayalam film industry?

Sunny Hinduja: I have always loved the content in Malayalam cinema. The simplicity in their films is a reflection of the simplicity in their style of filmmaking. The kind of love and respect they have is amazing. It was a beautiful experience to work with veterans like Bindu Panicker, Aju Varghese and Jagdish as well as Sharaf U Dheen and Aishwarya Lekshmi. The cast as well as the crew members were very cooperative and amazing to work with. They even taught me a bit of Malayalam, especially Aishwarya.

Are you playing an exorcist in Vaishakh Elans’ Hello Mummy?

Sunny Hinduja: I can’t reveal anything right now because the makers have kept everything under wraps, including my look in the film.

Let’s talk about the role that gave you maximum popularity – Sandeep Bhaiya in TVF’s Aspirants and its spin-off Sandeep Bhaiya. Did you get attached to that character as you have had a long journey with it?

Sunny Hinduja: Yes, because rarely does it happen that you get to play a character that becomes so popular that it gets its own spin-off. It is very special for me. I was very nervous while shooting the spin-off because some magic happened (in Aspirants) which we did not think or plan for. We kept doing our work with complete honesty and it turned out to be good. For Sandeep Bhaiya, I thought of sticking to my basics and playing it honestly with dedication.

Even today, I get messages from people that they were thinking of giving up on their aspirations but after watching the show they changed their minds. It is so overwhelming to get messages of your show giving hope to someone who didn’t have the hope to live or chase their ambitions. It fills my heart with love to be able to be a part of a show and medium that touches so many people’s lives and has been a source of healing for them. It has given me the feeling that I’m doing something meaningful.

You have seamlessly gotten into different characters. What do you do to make a performance look believable?

Sunny Hinduja: The process is different for each character. The script is my bible. That gives me ideas about how to prepare for a role. I keep reading the script and it gives me answers. For example, for Sandeep Bhaiya, I had to visit the labour commissioner’s office, so I went there and met people. For Thai Massage (2022), I went to Ujjain to see how people live there. Although I am from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, I had never been to Ujjain.

For every character, there’s some internal work and there’s some external. For Milind’s part in The Family Man, who was dealing with depression, I watched certain videos to get into his mindset. There’s no fixed formula. I just let it happen and go with the flow. But yes, my effort is always to go as close as possible to the character. I aim to play the character with total conviction and honesty, whatever may the process of achieving that be.

What emotion comes easily to you and what takes you more effort as an actor?

Sunny Hinduja: It is fairly subjective. Emotions don’t necessarily come quickly to you. You have to make an effort to make it look believable. And it applies to all performances. But yes, I believe anger is the easiest emotion to bring, compared to other emotions. Not that I’m short-tempered, but we see people getting angry quickly.

Why was it important for you to study acting at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune?

Sunny Hinduja: I thought that if I wanted to pursue acting for life-long, then I must learn it. I have to understand the craft. Long ago, I read an article by Naseeruddin Shah in which he wrote that it takes 10 years to understand acting, who knows how many years it takes to be an actor. So, that was my thinking from the beginning. I am still learning.

Did you have to unlearn any of your learnings after you became a professional actor?

Sunny Hinduja: I don’t think so. The learnings have only been beneficial. I learnt that you don’t need to put all your learnings in every role. Apply only what is needed for each character.

What are your aspirations at the current stage in your life and career?

Sunny Hinduja: I aspire to do roles that are vastly different from each other and perform to the best of my abilities. I want to go deeper with my craft. I want to grow as a person too.

Although your career flourished in the OTT space, I assume you must have wanted to do films when you wanted to become an actor. What were your Hindi cinema dreams?

Sunny Hinduja: I have been a movie buff since childhood. I used to watch every film that released and wonder how one actor could do such different roles. It touched me deeply. I understood the word ‘versatile’ much later. I used to get lost in movies. I used to forget everything else and be present in those two-three hours of a movie. It turned out to be beneficial for me in terms of what I wanted to do in my life.

How do you rate your journey so far?

Sunny Hinduja: I think the time that it took me to reach where I am today was necessary. I think everything happens for a reason and there’s something for you to learn. Once you learn it, you move forward from that situation to something new. So, I think whatever has happened in my journey was necessary. I know things are happening right now to make me better and help me grow and in the due process, I don’t know, I’ll be able to say that I am better now. The most important thing is to enjoy the journey. In the end, we all turn into ashes.