Priyanshu Painyuli On The Pressure Of Delivering Hits: 'Each Project Takes Me A Step Ahead' | Exclusive

Priyanshu Painyuli kickstarted his acting career with the YFilms series Bang Baaja Baaraat in 2015. Subsequently, the actor appeared in projects such as Mirzapur 2, Extraction, Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley, and Pippa. Currently, he is part of Navdeep Singh’s neo-noir series Shehar Lakhot. In an exclusive conversation, Priyanshu discussed the challenging shoot of the series and spoke of his sense of responsibility as an actor to continually improve his work.

On being asked if he feels the pressure to deliver hits, he said, “Not really. When I came to Mumbai also, I didn’t come with a timeline in mind or that I have to compete with someone. I was taking pressure when I didn’t have work. Why should I take pressure now that I have work? More than pressure, I think it’s a responsibility now for me to come up with more interesting characters. Next year, with Mirzapur 3 and couple of other interesting projects, I think I am on the right path.”

In Shehar Lakhot, he portrays a fixer from Gurgaon who is required to go back to his hometown, Lakhot in Rajasthan, to assist his employer in resolving a protest at a nearby marble mine. Opening up on playing such complex characters, he said, “As an actor, your tools are your body, mind and voice. It helps us to be comfortable on sets, then we don’t have to really rely on method acting. I do a lot of homework – so, when I’m on sets, I know the triggers. I know what kind of tools I need to use to give my best. You also have to understand the director’s vision. You really have to marry the director to give your best. I think, you really have to prepare well, so when you go on sets, you can really play with the character.”

Talking about the kind of roles that excite him, Priyanshu said that he’s looking for roles that challenge him, “I don’t really have an array of choices in front of me, from which I can pick and choose! As actors were constantly looking for projects through which we can show our range. One has to keep oneself very balanced and not get too worried about the outcome. Each project that I’ve done has taken me a ladder up. Bhavesh Joshi got me accepted by the industry and Mirzapur showed my range. I never expected a Vishal Bhardwaj to call me and cast me for a series. Just hitting the right note and take the right path matters to me.”