Karishmak Tanna

Neeraj Kabi is awaiting the release of Amazon Prime Video’s crime thriller Paatal Lok. The Anushka Sharma production will see him play the role of Sanjeev Mehra – a journalist. For him, the role is a perfect pick since he got to interpret his character in his own way, instead of just adopting the mannerisms of a journalist. “Adopting mannerisms is called mimicry. That is not a good way to do things. You don’t start to imitate somebody, the way he walks and talks, that is a very irrelevant element of acting. You have to play the heart, soul and mind of the character. So I went deeper into the script of Paatal Lok to understand how do I play this,” Kabi told indianexpress.com. In a recent interaction, the actor took us through the preparation process for his character, his thoughts about the future of cinema and why he thinks web series have the upper hand when it comes to content. Paatal Lok Web Series Download Given its subject matter, a mix of crime and journalism, what made you choose a web series like Paatal Lok? There were many reasons why I picked this up but primarily, I have never done an Amazon show before. I didn’t want to get into any Amazon Prime Video show just like that. I was waiting for a big series to come where the script is good, the role is good and where there’s great talent. So, Paatal Lok fit the bill perfectly for me to say yes to it. Secondly, the character that was offered to me was very nuanced. I felt that could be a great treat for me to interpret the character since this is not the kind of a role I’ve done before. Also, on a lighter note, I wanted to play a character that was suave and charming.