13 May,2026 01:45 PM IST | Mumbai | Shruti Sampat
Saqib Ayub (Instagram)
Undekhi season 4 has taken a darker and grittier turn, introducing intense new characters that add fresh tension to the crime drama. Among them is DJ, played by actor Saqib Ayub, who describes the role as one of the most challenging and exciting performances of his career. In an exclusive conversation with mid-day, the actor opened up about playing a "pure evil" character, preparing for the violent world of Undekhi, and why he would have loved to play Rinku if given the chance.
Talking about his experience of portraying DJ, Saqib admitted that the role was unlike anything he had done before. "I thoroughly enjoyed playing DJ. For the first time, I have played an out-and-out negative character. I've had characters in the past which had negative shades, but this one was pure evil," he shared.
Describing the character further, Saqib said DJ is much more than just a villain. "He's psycho, gritty, sarcastic and has a weird sense of humour. All of it combined is a very lethal combination, which was a challenge for me," he explained. Despite the dark nature of the role, the actor said he had an incredible time on set. "It was a delightful experience for me. Every day on set, every shot, I was thoroughly enjoying. Not that I'm a very bad guy, but the character was written in a way that I could enjoy performing him with so much fun," he said, while also praising his co-actors for being supportive throughout the shoot.
Since Saqib joined the series only in season 4, he revealed that watching the earlier seasons became an important part of his preparation process. "I was not part of the first three seasons, so I had to understand the world. I needed to know who these characters were and how they were connected to me," he said.
The actor explained that the previous seasons helped him understand the dynamics between major characters like Rinku, Papaji, Lucky and Mahi. "The first thing Akshay sir told me, and what I also understood from the script, was that DJ is a misfit in this world," he revealed.
Saqib also spoke about DJ's unique weapon choice, which instantly separates him from the rest of the gangsters in the series. "He uses a wakizashi, technically a smaller version of the katana. He's a sword-wielding Punjabi guy in the middle of Punjabi gangsters who usually kill people with guns or fistfight," he said.
According to the actor, DJ's mysterious personality and connection to Rinku and Mahi make him stand out in the story. "People have no idea who he is or where he comes from. That mystery was exciting to explore," he added.
When asked if there was another character from the series he would love to play, Saqib quickly picked Surya Sharma's Rinku. "I think he's one hell of a badass guy," he said with a laugh.
Explaining why Rinku fascinates him as an actor, Saqib praised the character's long-term growth across four seasons. "His evolution has been phenomenal. In season four, he's a proper mafia guy in tailored Armani suits, calm and composed, compared to season one where he was young, wild and carefree," he said.
He further added, "Usually people talk about a character arc within one season, but Rinku's journey spans across four seasons. That is very exciting for an actor because you get to live a character for years. Given a choice, I would have loved to play Rinku in another timeline."
