OTTplay Exclusive! Rithvik Dhanjani: Working with Supriya Pathak was a dream-come-true

Television actor Rithvik Dhanjani recently participated in one of the biggest shows of his career, Cartel. He shares screen space with the legend Supriya Pathak and still, manages to stand out, or so his fans say. Riding on the success of his latest release Cartel, Rithvik spoke to OTTplay exclusively about the show, his association with it, what his future looks like, among many other things.

The actor took us behind his look on the show, what was the mindset on the sets and why OTT censorship wouldn't have affected Cartel way too much. Rithvik, who has been a part of a few short films previously, also made an appeal to work in them once again.

Excerpts from the interview...

When Cartel was announced, people knew that you were a part of the show. Did you feel like you now have a huge responsibility towards your fans to give it your absolute best to the show?

Honestly more than anything else it's a huge responsibility towards myself that I've to do and be the best version of myself. Yes, I am giving my acting and time to a huge project after a long time so I think I really wanted it to be worth the wait. So yes, there's responsibility and nervousness. When the trailer released, I was scared to share it on my social media platforms because I didn't know how people would react to it. I have a lot of feelings at the moment. Put them all in a mixture and then grind them in a grinder. Then add a few more emotions. What you get out of that mixture, that's what I'm feeling right now.

Since you are the next big face on the poster after Supriya Pathak, how nervous are you?

A lot! However I'm also happy because people who have seen the show are loving it. Finally our hard work and all the time we invested for so many years is appreciated. That is a good feeling.

Did you expect that kind of reaction?

Not at all. I did not expect such craziness, honestly. I can only be thankful to God for giving me the opportunity to be part of a show like this.

Will it be right to say you are the Emraan Hashmi while Surpriya Pathak is the Ajay Devgn on Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai?

(Laughs) No. It's actually very different from those films and stories. The best part about the show is that it is one of the most unique stories that has come my way in a long time. You haven't seen something like this in the crime genre. It's primarily about the families and the three brothers in the family. It's the game of power, kingdom and everybody hounding around the family of Angres - trying to sneak into the family, it's about those politics. Underneath all of that are the cartels yearning for their ulterior motives. It's more about the family emotion than anything else.

In an ensemble film or series, when there are two people in a frame, it is tough for audiences to stay glued to both the characters. How did you make sure that if you were performing in front of say Supriya Pathak, that people were still focused on your character?

Darling, the thing is we don't have to do that. As actors, you never should approach a scene that the focus should be on you. That's a very selfish and insecure trait of someone. I am not that guy. My focus is only what that character's focus is, in that particular scene. Suppose my character enters the room, eats a banana from the dining table and leaves the room, I'll do exactly that. I won't come and look at the fruit from all four sides, climb like a monkey and then peel off the banana just so people focus on my character. That isn't the demand of the script. You have to be very honest to what the script demands. I've always been that guy. If people need to focus on me during a scene, that will happen organically. At that time, you won't be able to take your eyes off me. If the focus isn't on me then that other thing is important because my character is also involved with that particular thing/person, which is exactly what the scene demands.

Is Cartel inspired by a real story?

Not really. It may be in bits and pieces but not entirely.

What preparations went into your character?

A lot of preparation went into it. I was lucky because I had friends who made me meet these influential people. I spoke to them, secretly recorded their conversation, tried to grasp their accent and especially took care that it didn't look fake at all. I believe it should be engraved in me and become a part of me, like my second personality. To get there was a little difficult and required hard work in the beginning but once I got a hang of it then everything was like a beautiful and smooth ride.

Your looks on the show also play a huge part because it screams gangster. So, how did that come along?

We had multiple look tests for Cartel. I grew my hair longer for a month or two but that didn't work out. Then we tried different haircuts, colours, even props. Finally my team (creative team, director and EK ma'am) came down to the conclusion about what I will look like.

What was working with Surpirya Pathak like?

It was a dream-come-true. My god, it was such a surreal feeling to just be able to be in the same frame as her. I'm a huge fan, always have been. I love what she does. Just being able to play her son and look at her performing and learn from her has been such an enchanting experience. It's been so fulfilling. I've been so grateful that I got an opportunity to be a part of a series in a crucial role with her. It's just a blessing.

You have become the face of AltBalaji and now, with Cartel, even MX Player is introducing MX Gold. What are you feeling about that?

I am also the face of MX Player Gold. I'm so grateful to be a part of this new catalyst of the platform. They've got great content and reach in terms of everywhere. People really like to watch MX. The platform has quite a unique subscription module with Re. 1/day which is really affordable for anyone. Our show is the debut of the platform. It's a new journey I'm beginning with MX myself, so it's exciting.

Cartel doesn't have abuses per say but the scenario might have been different if OTT censorship was applied. What are your views on the subject matter?

Our director was very mindful of that. He was very particular about not cursing if it's not required. If you can do without a curse, go for that. It's easy to make people accustomed to cursing and feeling an emotion through the curse. What is more difficult is showing rage without using a curse word. That is very difficult for an actor and when you translate that, it has a much larger impact than just a curse. In a scene with a curse, you laugh and the moment dies. If you keep that energy within you and not let it out with a curse, your eyes, mannerism and body speaks a 1000 times more which helps a scene. So inevitably he was very mindful of that. If required then of course, there are cuss words. However, if you're asking about censorship then I'm definitely glad that they're not so rigid about that. In certain places you do need to express and direct the anger in that way.

What are your upcoming projects?

What's the fun if I reveal that? Slowly and steadily. This (Cartel) is one big step in the digital world. Let's see how this goes. I'm sure things are unfolding with a lot of greatness and kindness so you will definitely see a lot more of me now.

Any short films/movies in your kitty?

I would love to be a part of something. Anybody reading this, please reach me out for stories you think I could be a part of. I'd love to do some short films. It's a great medium to explore.