Thrilled to don the uniform for Avrodh, Darshan Kumar on his prep to get into the skin of his character.
Darshan Kumar in Avrodh: The Siege Within
Rarely has he got the opportunity to display his patriotic streak on screen. It is only natural then that Darshan Kumar jumped at the chance of playing an Army man in the web series, Avrodh: The Siege Within. But where patriotism demands valiance and loyalty in real life, Kumar says the reel counterpart demanded a punishing training.
"Ahead of the shoot, we had regular bootcamps. I had to reach the bootcamp by 4 am where I trained rigorously for five hours every day. From picking up combat skills to perfecting the march and training to handle guns, it was a learning experience," says the actor, who plays Major Gautam in the SonyLIV venture.
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Based on a chapter from Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh's book, India's Most Fearless, the eight-part series delves deep into the 2016 Uri attacks. Comparisons with Vicky Kaushal's Uri: The Surgical Strike are inevitable, but Kumar is unperturbed. "People knew about the Uri attacks even before the film was released. Yet, they went to watch it. Here, we have an advantage. While a film can delve into the subject for two hours, like a T20 match, the series can be viewed as a test match version. It will give viewers an intimate experience of the events."
Despite over a decade of acting experience in theatre, the Mary Kom actor admits he has yet to find his feet in the industry. "Honestly, there are directors who want to cast me, but you are given only a weekend [to prove yourself]; that poses a problem. I do not belong to any film camp nor do I have a big surname attached to me. That said, things are changing. Now, with good content taking precedence, the requirement is of good actors. It took me a long time, but I am in the right place now."
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