Upala KBR (DNA; February 6, 2016)
Vir Das plays a Sardarji in two upcoming films — 31st October and Santa Banta. For the first film, directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Shivaji Patil, Das underwent a complete transformation. He plays Devender Singh, an elderly Sikh man trying to get his wife Tejinder Kaur (played by Soha Ali Khan) and his family to safety, in the aftermath of the 1984 riots following the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
The older look is for the latter part of Devender’s life and his character ages between 30-60 in the film.
Of his role, Das says, “My role is of a good-hearted man from very small origins. It’s a fast-paced thriller that spans a total of 24 hours in his life.”
Calling it the toughest role he’s done so far, Vir adds, “Our director Shivaji wanted to deliberately cast against type because he wanted to see an actor transform both physically and to showcase range. I had to put on 11 kilos, grow a full beard and the older look was two-three hours of make up every day. This true story needed to be told and the response it’s gotten at the London Film Festival and in Toronto has just been amazing!”
Concludes the actor, “It’s the most real thing I’ve ever done. I took a decision last year that I was going to try different things. I signed an adult comedy (Mastizaade) and this will be my first dramatic role, after this is a family film and then a huge action film. It takes people a while to get used to the idea that you are thinking outside the box. This is the year of surprises.”