Pankaj Sharma on Dahan: Many compared my character to Game Of Thrones’ Robb Stark

Actor Pankaj Sharma was unmissable as Sachet Singh in Disney+ Hotstar’s Dahan: Raakan Ka Rahasya. Directed by Vikranth Pawar, the series draws a thin line between myth and science. In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Pankaj said, “Response from the audience has been very good but a lot of them approached me saying ‘why did you have to kill Sachet in the end?’ (Also read: Banijay Asia-produced Dahan becomes the most watched series on OTT)

Led by Tisca Chopra as the district collector of Rajasthan’s fictional village Silaspura, Pankaj played her assistant who meets his unfortunate death while fulfilling his duty as Pramukh, the leader of the village. “The audience was shocked to see Sachet dead. I was discussing this with my director after the show was released. He told me that it’s exactly what he wanted from the viewers. Many who have watched Game Of Thrones also compared it with Robb Stark’s character. They related my character to him because even his death was unpredictable.”

But, would he have killed your character if he were the director of Dahan? Pankaj replied, “During pre-production, a lot of times I requested my director and told him to not kill my character. I said ‘coma me daal do.’ But, as a director, probably I would have done the same and sacrificed my character.”

Recalling his experience of working with Tisca Chopra, Pankaj shared how easy it was working with the actor who brought her authority on the sets. “She is a strong performer and I have been a fan since Taare Zameen Par.”

“Saurabh Shukla was my teacher in Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India,” added Pankaj who belongs to the 2009 batch. He also said how the entire cast would only take 1-2 takes while filming. He furthermore praised Rajesh Tailang and Mukesh Tiwari. “Rajesh had a 102-103 high fever while he shot the banding scene with me. But, you won’t be able to tell; the show must go now. Mukesh, on the other hand, brings life and energy to the scenes.”

Pankaj will be next seen in Raj & DK’s upcoming Farzi. In the series, he will be seen as Kuldeep Sharma, who isn’t on good terms with Shahid Kapoor’s character. Besides this, he also has a web series based on Kanpur’s infamous gangster Vikas Dubey. He was last seen in Beta Settle Kab Hoega, shot during the lockdown, which is now streaming on MX Player.