Barkha Bisht, the popular actress, who played the role of Abhishek’s enigmatic sister Prachi in the recent release Duranga 2, sheds light on what sets this psychological thriller apart from others. In an exclusive conversation with IWMBuzz.com, Barkha praises her co-stars and provides valuable advice for actors in this demanding genre.
When asked about what distinguishes ‘Duranga 2’ from other psychological thrillers, Barkha said, “One of the things is that it is a remake. So whenever there is a remake, there is always that pressure that is going to be as good as the original. And I think what sets it apart is that since it is the Indian adaptation of a Korean show, the adaptation was done uniquely so that it fits the needs of the Indian audience. And the interesting thing was that even though it is a remake, it still had its own identity. The second thing is that there were too many twists in the show. I think normally in one show, there aren’t that many twists, and somewhere halfway down the line, you kind of sense what’s going to happen and that didn’t happen with Duranga because season one ended on a cliffhanger with Amit Sadh’s character – the real Sammit Patel waking up from a coma. This made things a lot more exciting in the second season just when people think that they have cracked it, that’s when they realize that they haven’t and that there are a lot of twists and turns planned.”
Barkha also shared her genuine admiration for her co-stars in Duranga 2 and added, “Drashti is an extremely likable person. And it’s not like she tries hard to do it. I think she has an innate quality that you meet her, and you will instantly like her, and that is a rarity in today’s time because you take your time to get to know somebody and then figure out whether you like the person or not. But Drashti has an instant vibe that makes you like her. So that is the one thing I like about her. About Gulshan, he has a great ability to balance being intense and being casual. You will see him working and he will play this completely intense person, and as soon as the shot is over, he will suddenly start talking to you like nothing has happened. And that is a great quality for an actor specifically. So it was very easy to be around him. Sometimes I would look at him and say, Oh, my God, he’s intense, and then suddenly, he would start talking to me, crack a joke, or say something funny. And Amit, he is an extremely kind person. I found him very kind and very respectful to everybody around, from the spot boys to the producers.”
Barkha offered valuable insights into what actors should keep in mind when participating in psychological thrillers. She mentioned, “The one thing when you are doing a thriller is you have to underplay it all the time because when you do a little too much, the audience may guess what’s happening. So you have to perform at a level where the audience cannot figure out what is happening. You have to keep that in mind always, that you don’t give away too much. So that’s there, especially for Prachi’s character because Prachi’s character was so understated that I had to be normal and not give away anything.”
