Grace Cyril (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 29, 2020)

Best known for his onscreen characters — Gutthi, Dr Mashoor Gulati or Rinku Devi — actor-comedian Sunil Grover has made everyone roll with laughter. And he has no qualms admitting that he loves to be in disguise while performing. So much so, that he feels “comfortable” playing somebody else. “It’s more like hiding your identity. I’m not very comfortable with myself because I don’t think I’m an interesting person. I like disguises because then, I become someone else. I really love becoming a woman somehow. Just make me wear a saree and I’ll be happy. ”

Sunil’s approach towards his craft involves turning into a character and immediately getting into its skin. He says, “It’s easy and natural for me because I keep looking at people. They’re the best time pass for me. I notice their body language, how they behave and react. I’m interested in human behaviour and psychology. I look at people and then try to understand the state of mind they’re in. It’s like meditation for me. I start functioning in a different way and that’s why I’m an actor.”

Sunil, who was last seen in the Salman Khan-starrer Bharat (2019) is mostly spotted in comic roles, however, he clarifies that hasn’t been a conscious decision. “I don’t know how, but it just happened. Somehow people were connected to my funny bone and they always laughed at my jokes, and I also started enjoying that. I got popular for what I really like to do,” says the actor, who will next be seen in a yet-untitled web series alongside actor Saif Ali Khan. “I can’t talk much about it. I’m working on it right now but people have seen a glimpse of it in the trailer,” he says.

No conversation with Sunil is complete without mentioning his infamous tiff with fellow actor-comedian Kapil Sharma that happened three years ago and the two have not shared screen space together since. Asked if things have got better between them, he says, “If it has to happen, it will happen. There is no development as such.”

Sunil recently congratulated Kapil on Twitter on the birth of his daughter. “A daughter is a gift from God. And I think it is the most beautiful thing that has happened to him and his family. I would like to wish Kapil and his daughter especially, a happy, healthy and joyous life,” says the actor.