Vipin Sharma on entering as an antagonist in ‘Maharani 4’ and how he worked to present himself differently from his previous roles
Vipin Sharma (in blue) as PM Joshi in ‘Maharani 4’
When Vipin Sharma received the script for Maharani 4, he knew instantly that the role demanded a different level of commitment. The new season of the SonyLIV series, also starring Huma Qureshi and Shweta Basu Prasad, sees Sharma step in as the calculating antagonist, Prime Minister Sudhakar Sriniwas Joshi. “When I was offered the script, I realised this was going to be huge, because it’s a brilliantly written season,” he says.
Entering a successful show in its fourth season naturally brought pressure and he admits he was nervous. “I wanted to prepare extra. I made sure I bring something to the table and not just come in as another actor.” To challenge himself, Sharma changed his entire process of preparation. He worked with an international coach and used a Hollywood method created by Harold Guskin, focusing on “taking the text off the pages”. “It was not just remembering lines. It was making your lines part of your body. It gave me an opportunity to relook at my process,” he explains.
Despite years of experience, Sharma believes the learning never stops. “We become our own clichés. That’s the scariest part,” he says. Every project pushes him to evolve. “I didn’t want to let anyone down.” The role also taught him an unexpected lesson — grace. Playing the Prime Minister shifted his energy on set. “I learnt
something about dignity and grace. For example, I’m the Prime Minister. Somebody has to come and give me a file. Puneet [Prakash] sir would say, ‘Sir, you stay there, they will come to you.’ That allowed me to respect that space. I tried to bring my honesty and my commitment. I hope I find more new ways of looking at things,” he says.
Wearing the director’s hat
Besides acting, Vipin Sharma has been exploring writing and direction. He is currently working on a script based on ‘Advaita Vedanta’. “The whole universe has one source of energy. We are not what the world makes us,” he says.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
