For years, Deepak Dobriyal would be offered versions of the same role that he played in the Tanu Weds Manu franchise — an affable, bumbling man. The image became synonymous with him, he rues. “I had been offered close to 200 projects that had different versions of Pappi ji. The shift to something beyond was conscious and necessary,” begins Dobriyal.

If Bholaa was the first step towards changing his image, the recent Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo showed how the actor could easily send a chill down one’s spine in a villainous role. He plays the monstrous Monk in creator-director Homi Adajania’s crime thriller. Cracking the character’s psyche was a joy, says the actor.

“On set, we jammed a lot to understand his psyche. His personality reeks of arrogance. He wants revenge, and can’t stomach the fact that a woman can be a ganglord [Dimple Kapadia’s Rani Ba]. He is partly in awe of her, and partly working towards outsmarting her. Such a character [consumes you]. I was behaving like him, and my wife warned me to tone down the Monk energy at home.”

Even as he praises the cast that includes Radhika Madan, Isha Talwar and Angira Dhar, Dobriyal says he most enjoyed the on-screen dynamics between Kapadia and him. “It is a huge pressure to match the energy of an actor of Dimple Kapadia’s stature. On a Homi Adajania set, she is the queen. But Dimple is an actor who never leaves her character. She appreciates people who are as invested as her in world-building, and in fleshing out the story. We bonded over that.”