Sunil Grover Talks About Overcoming 'Comedic Baggage', Says He Is Grateful For Past & Is Enjoying New Phase
Through his last offering Tandav, actor Sunil Grover gave a peek into his versatility as a performer, something he hopes will continue with the upcoming web series Sunflower.
Through
his
last
offering
Tandav,
actor
Sunil
Grover
gave
a
peek
into
his
versatility
as
a
performer,
something
he
hopes
will
continue
with
the
upcoming
web
series
Sunflower.
Known
as
one
of
television's
favourite
funny
men
with
popular
characters
like
Gutthi,
Rinku
Bhabhi
and
Dr
Mashoor
Gulati
to
his
credit,
Grover
has
in
the
past
explored
his
dramatic
side
on
the
big
screen
in
Gabbar
is
Back,
Baaghi,
and
Pataakha.
"In
TV,
when
a
character
works,
you
end
up
doing
it
for
years.
In
a
long
story
format,
you
have
to
set
a
graph
for
your
role.
I
am
trying
to
get
used
to
this.
It
is
a
new
world
for
me.
However,
I
enjoy
(acting
in)
both
worlds.
I
feel
grateful
for
the
experiences
that
I
am
getting
in
this
lifetime.
I
am
enjoying
this
new
phase,"
the
43-year-old
actor
told
PTI
in
a
Zoom
interview.
Grover
said
he
is
happy
that
the
audiences
welcomed
him
taking
up
diverse
roles,
despite
his
"comedic
baggage".
"What
I
did
earlier
wasn't
planned
because
I
started
with
something
else
and
I
went
into
something
else.
I
come
with
so
much
comedic
baggage
of
so
many
years.
It
is
challenging
to
break
that
sort
of
image.
The
fear
of
not
being
accepted
in
certain
roles...
But
people
have
accepted
me
and
I
feel
happy
about
it."
Although
he
was
ready
to
take
a
leap
of
faith,
he
was
worried
about
disappointing
the
audience.
"When
Vishal
gave
me
'Pataakha',
I
was
not
prepared
or
planning
to
do
something
like
that.
Ditto
for
Bharat.
Director
Ali
Abbas
Zafar
and
the
team
thought
of
me.
Then
Tandav
came," the
Sirsa-born
actor
said.
In
Tandav,
the
Amazon
Prime
Video
series,
Grover
plays
Gurpal
Chauhan,
the
right-hand
man
to
Saif
Ali
Khan's
scheming
politician
Samar
Pratap
Singh.
Director
Zafar
convinced
the
actor
to
take
up
the
role.
"I
was
worried.
What
if
the
audience
starts
laughing
when
I
am
trying
to
scare
them?
But
Ali
said
he
will
take
the
chance,"
Grover
recalled.
Describing
himself
as
"a
newcomer",
the
actor,
who
has
been
in
showbiz
for
26
years,
believes
this
is
just
the
beginning.
"Earlier
I
would
wait
for
one
line
to
work
so
that
people
would
start
laughing.
The
approach
to
work
has
changed,
the
kind
of
work
I
was
doing
has
changed."
Grover
is
looking
forward
to
the
release
of
Sunflower,
which
is
slated
to
start
streaming
on
ZEE5
from
June
11.
Billed
as
a
situational
crime-comedy,
the
series
revolves
around
a
middle-class
housing
society
in
Mumbai
called
Sunflower
which
is
filled
with
quirky
characters.
The
actor
said
playing
yet
another
complex
character
like
Sonu
was
the
most
challenging
part
of
the
show.
"Sonu
has
many
moods
and
shades.
Sometimes
he
is
a
loner,
sometimes
he
is
out
in
public.
It
was
a
challenge
but
it
got
sorted
in
some
time,"
he
added.
Directed
by
Vikas
Bahl
and
Rahul
Sengupta,
the
show
also
stars
Ashish
Vidyarthi,
Ranvir
Shorey,
Girish
Kulkarni,
and
Mukul
Chadda.
The
eight-episode
series
is
produced
by
Reliance
Entertainment
and
Bahl's
banner
Good
Co.