Comedy Is More Difficult To Do Than Serious Roles: Arshad Warsi

Arshad Warsi be seen opposite Bhumi Pednekar in Durgamati which premieres on Amazon Prime Video on 11 December. A Hindi remake of 2018 Telugu thriller Bhaagamathie, the film follows two different timelines united by the theme of revenge. In one, Arshad plays an activist who is being pursued by a cop, essayed by Mahie Gill. She enlists the help of a prisoner, played by Bhumi, and takes her to the Durgamati haveli, only to find out that the place is shrouded in secrets.

The Quint caught up with Arshad Warsi to talk about the project.

Were you iffy about taking on a remake? A lot of audiences say why are you making a remake of South Indian films?

No, I don’t care. I look for a good role and a good film; a film that I would like to see. Those are the kind of movies I like to do. These are people who are unhappy with everything. I mean, you have South making remakes of Hindi films, so what’s the problem? And there’s no harm. If you have a certain segment of the country that’s enjoyed a particular film, why can’t the rest of the country enjoy it too?

You’ve done a host of comedy roles and brilliantly so and we have also seen you take on other genres recently. What comes easily to you? Comedy or a serious character?

Serious character is easy. Serious roles are a piece of cake. Comedy is very difficult; that’s why a handful of people can do it. Serious acting is much easier comparatively; that’s why a lot more actors do it. Salman has his style, a particular way of doing comedy, which works for him and he’s found his space there. Akshay has his way of doing comedy and he has found his space there. But the fact is it’s harder to do comedy. So if Nawaz is doing it, who we know is a good actor… you have to be a really good actor to pull off comedy. What really happens with comedy is that if the lines are not delivered right and in the right time, it falls flat. And there are things that help you in serious cinema—the music, the background, the lighting. There’s not much that helps you in comedy. There’s nothing. You have to just literally rely on yourself, and if you have a bad actor in front of you, it becomes even more difficult.

Talking about Durgamati’s release, it’s releasing on OTT, and one thing it changes for the actor is that box office pressure or the Friday release numbers have been taken away. Do you look at this the same way or you miss the fuss about big screens?

A film needs to be seen in a theatre, not on TV, and that’s the reality. And no matter what happens—even if it comes with the baggage of the box office pressure, it’s fine. So yes, OTT one is very grateful for it but at the same time, there’s a certain kind of shooting environment; there’s a certain kind of… the way of filmmaking which is for OTT and there’s a certain way to make films which is for theatres. So, there’s a difference and that will always be.