If you have lived in Andheri West and worked in the film industry, chances are you couldn’t have missed Inlaks, the soon-to-be-torn-down society that has been a rite of passage into Bombay’s film world. There is a long-running joke that all roads in Versova lead to Inlaks — sometimes for an unforgettable night of partying with friends, sometimes to huddle around a laptop and write your first film, and more often than not because it was one of the last housing societies in this supposedly progressive city that didn’t interrogate you before handing you a key: Which religion do you belong to? Are you married? What do you do for a living? And, the most humiliating of all, “Movies mein ho? Toh phir ghar kyun denge?”

My entry into Inlaks was after an unfortunate sabbatical I took from mid-day to pursue my Bollywood dreams. I landed up in the office of screenwriters Raghav Raj Kakker and Kashyap Kapoor in 2023 after a decade of avoiding the mystical, magical land that has been the starting point of hopes for many. NDAs forbid me from telling more of what we made and what eventually happened (or didn’t happen to it), but it sure did one thing: It brought me back to life through a really dark phase of my own career. So when I decided to write this piece, I went back to meet them where I began, at that very office.

In 2011, when Kakker first came to Inlaks, Versova was still a very different place. “This used to be such a deep end of the city, that literally a dust bowl was flying here,” he remembers, “This wasn’t even a paved road, it was a rough road.”

Over the years, the society became known as a kind of unofficial film-school extension, a place where people who had come to Bombay to work in films could find a home, often before they had found a career. The society itself had a different purpose when it came up. Kakker recalls that Inlaks was created as low-cost accommodation for members of the Sindhi community through the Amil Panchayat.

Over time, however, it acquired another identity, one that would become almost inseparable from Mumbai’s film industry. Directors, cinematographers, art directors, actors, casting directors, and acting trainers lived there or regularly hung around. “They used to call it a mini FTII,” he says, “Rajkummar [Rao] bought an Audi and the joke was that it was a car worth more than a house. So, I would see Rajkummar chilling outside. A lot of directors, DPs, art directors from FTII would hang out here. When casting directors were not even a legitimate profession, casting director and acting trainer Prashant Singh used to hang out here. Actors Aakash Dahiya and Chandan Roy Sanyal used to hang out here.”

What mattered, though, was not simply the number of film people living in one place. It was the fact that everyone was at a different point in the same journey. “There was a sense of community. Outside Inlaks and inside Inlaks, there are a lot of people like me who are in different degrees of success. Some are just starting out, some are about to start, some have already started. And the common factor was this space.”

The feeling, he remembers, was simple — you could walk outside, bump into somebody who has just made it and think, “tomorrow it will be my turn”. That became part of Inlaks’s mythology. Kakker remembers the building going into a small frenzy at the famous chai tapri outside over the belief that Aamir Khan had visited during the shoot of Dangal (2016) because Sanya Malhotra was apparently living there. “I don’t even know if it’s true or not,” he says.

There was a piece of folklore about Inlaks that Kakker remembers clearly. “If you come to the industry and don’t live in Inlaks, you haven’t come to the industry.”

The reason the joke stuck was because the society had a reputation for making room for people who might not have found it elsewhere. “Bachelors used to get houses. Four boys used to get houses. Minorities used to get houses. Industry people used to get houses.” That was crucial for people entering an industry built around irregular work. Actors don’t necessarily have salaries.

Writers didn’t necessarily have salaries. A person could have talent, ambition and a promising audition, and still not have the paperwork or income that made a conventional landlord comfortable. Inlaks had room for that person.

For casting director Aakash Dahiya, who worked with Mukesh Chhabra in their early years, the film industry didn’t just exist inside Inlaks. It existed at the tea stall outside. 

Dahiya lived there from 2008 for four to five years. He and Chhabra were working together on casting, and the tea shop became their adda, a place where actors, casting people and other film industry aspirants would meet. They would find out from one another where auditions were happening, who had gone for which audition, and who was looking for whom. It was an informal network before the industry had the kind of digital networks it has today. The tea stall was where information travelled.

He tells us, “It was an informal network, you found out about work simply by being around. For four-five years while I was there, so much of my life happened there. Mukesh and I were doing casting. We would sit there, meet people, find out who had gone for which audition, where the next one was happening, who was looking for whom. That was how you found work, through people. Even industry seniors lived there — so you had Raj, Vinod, Vineet Kumar Singh, Manoj bhai and so many others around you. And personally, I did D-Day while I was living there, Delhi Crime season one was made while I was there. My first car was there. I fell in love there, I had a breakup there. So when you tell me Inlaks is going away, it doesn’t feel like you’re just taking down a building. We have seen a life there.”

Actor Ashish Verma, known for his roles in Sui Dhaaga, Article 15, Haseen Dillruba, Atrangi Re, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and Tere Ishk Mein, as well as shows including InMates and Court Kacheri, came to Inlaks in 2012, during his transition from FTII to Bombay. He moved through D Block, C Block and A Block over roughly two years. The society was known to be friendly towards artistes and freelancers, and people were willing to accommodate unconventional living arrangements, including living in with his then partner, now wife Ronjini Chakraborty.

His own early years there were modest. He remembers 10-by-10 rooms, two-room arrangements and sharing the space with filmmaker Avinash Arun.

“I kind of graduated through the years. At that point, they would allow you to live there, even if you were in a live-in relationship. When I got here from FTII to Bombay, Inlaks became a very natural transition for us. Divyenndu was there, Deepak Nambiar was there, Rajkummar was there. There were so many of us. The beautiful thing about that FTII gang is that we have seen each other growing. We have seen each other at every stage. Today we might all be busy, we might not meet for months, but nobody has really changed. You meet again and you start from exactly where you left off.” 

“I remember Divyenndu around the time of Chashme Baddoor, when he had just started shooting. Avinash was a DOP then, and he was working on a script on the side, which he kept coming back to. That eventually became Killa. You were literally watching people’s careers take shape around you,” he says.

For Verma, Inlaks was also a mohalla. It was almost like a hostel, where every night there would be people around. “Mumbai can be very lonely, and the film industry can be brutal because actors are rejected every single day. Here, you would come home and there would be 10-15 people around you. It became this mini-hostel, this community of people who were all trying to figure their lives out together. And that is something I think you don’t easily recreate.”

But his reaction is far more pragmatic. He says, “I am a strong believer in evolution, so I don’t want to say that nothing should change. Geography changes, cities change, and something more beautiful can come out of it. A few of my friends have gone on to buy houses and move ahead in life. But when you see Inlaks going into redevelopment, you also realize that a very particular kind of space is disappearing, the space that allowed all of us to be young, broke, and uncertain and still be in Bombay, still be close to the industry.”

For screenwriter Kashyap Kapoor, the Juhu boy who was introduced to this world by his writing partner Kakker, Inlaks became their first workplace. The duo, whose credits include Inmates, Class, Faraaz and The Buckingham Murders, have their office there.

For Kapoor, the significance of that office was not simply that it was inexpensive. “Inlaks in that sense is a safe space and a sanctuary,”

Kapoor says, “It gave us the dignity of an office from a coffee shop. If you get a sense of space, irrespective of whatever that space is, suddenly it’s yours and you are more responsible to your work. There is a respect for space. People come and work there. There is that energy.”

From that small room, however, their stories travelled.  “We have been able to write stories of Bangladesh, the UK, North India, South India, Manipur. And I think that is one of the highlights of this place — that we could still be in Bombay and be cut off enough to say stories of the world. We all spent years in this room together creating something that we were really proud of, irrespective of whether it got made or not.”

Kapoor remembers the first big cheque they received at the office. “We were literally one light, two chairs, and one table and arrives this big cheque and it felt like we have made it. It is also so serendipitous; the first show we wrote at this office (an eight-part series for a leading platform) went on floors last week. It will be our last delivery from this space too. It makes me also feel that this is a place where a lot of dreams come true for a lot of people, including us. So, no matter how hard it gets, the only way to make it here is to stay at it and someday, many years from the day you wrote something, it will be out there for the world to watch it.”

The professional high, however, was accompanied by the very ordinary realities of the building. After returning from London following The Buckingham Murders, they came back to Inlaks and 

the monsoon arrived. “We came back and it started raining and our roof started falling on our heads, quite literally. We spent a day mopping the ceilings and the walls, laughing about the irony called life.”

Artiste manager Amandeep Khubber remembers another Inlaks entirely. She left her home earlier this month after an eviction notice was sent to those renting apartments. Her memory of the place is not of the crowds outside, but of looking out from her window. 

During lockdown, there was a small ground below her house. She spent much of her day at the window. She began noticing the birds. There were different kinds every day. There was a pair of hummingbirds that she would sit and watch. There were monkeys too. 

She lived in the same house from 2017 to 2021 and eventually it became her office. “I didn’t necessarily move to Inlaks because I wanted my immediate social circle to be there, but if I look at my career, I grew 100 per cent while I was living in that house. I took a sabbatical in 2023, and when I went independent in 2024, I really saw the shift. I registered my own company and suddenly actors started approaching me for representation. Manoj and Seema-ji, Suvinder Vicky, Vijayant sir, these are some of the people I associate with that phase of my life. Mehoob Brar was also working on Operation Safed Sagar (the newest hit show on the streamer) while he was there.”

“I sometimes joke that Inlaks had a Midas touch. I don’t know what it was about that place, but people seemed to grow there. I could work from there, live there and have this very quiet space while my career was changing completely. That’s what I will miss most — not just the building, but what that house represented for me.”

That is what Kapoor finds hardest to reconcile with the redevelopment. “This was the last bastion of those who are starting out,” he says. “The artiste who used to come, who needed a house in his budget, who wanted to live in Versova… Because now where will the people live?”

He points to the old Shah Rukh Khan story, the outsider who arrived in Bombay and became its biggest star. “There is always a growing conversation about how artistes are not getting a place in Mumbai. The classic Shah Rukh Khan story, that he came from far and became the king? That story can never be made again because we are not leaving a place for him.”

For people who grew up around Inlaks, that is what makes its redevelopment sting. The building is changing at exactly the moment when the city around it has become increasingly difficult for the people who once made it. For some perspective and wisdom, we reached out to a filmmaker-actor whose Inlaks story of living there for decades, is apparently put down into a script and is parked with a streamer.

She and husband moved to Mumbai in 1994, where they built a life together in this very society. She told us, “Well, life moves on. As for artistes, they are a resilient bunch; they will find their way...”

Perhaps she is right. Because, right now, the set of Ram Gopal Varma’s Daya Nayak biopic is parked right next to the crumbling building. Its leading man is Harshvardhan Rane, who left home at 16, struggled for eight years before landing his first acting gig. It took him 26 years to give the biggest hit of his career last year. Well, dreamers do find their way.

Real-estate broker Mohit Sharma says the numbers around Inlaks tell a very different story from the era remembered by its former residents. “Today, a 1-BHK in and around Inlaks and Yari Road can command roughly Rs 45,000 to Rs 55,000 a month, depending on the building, condition and furnishing. In the society, till last year, rent was in a similar range. You can find lower or higher quotes, but the old idea of getting a decent 1-BHK in this part of Versova for the kind of rent artistes once paid is simply not realistic anymore.”

Recent 2026 listings around Yari Road and Inlaks show 1-BHKs at about Rs 53,000, with numbers going up to Rs 1 lakh for 2-BHK homes.

One would think that a trip to Goa — that involves dons, drugs, and death threats — would be a once-in-a-lifetime affair. But the mad trio of Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, and Avinash Tiwary, who took the audience on a hilarious ride with Madgaon Express (2024), are ready for another round. Sources have told mid-day that director Kunal Kemmu will take Madgaon Express 2 on floors early next year. 

A source shared, “The three actors are kicked about returning to their much-loved characters. If things go as planned, the film will go on floors around February or March 2027. The pre-production is underway.” 

Kemmu, who wrote and helmed the 2024 surprise hit, has also penned the sequel. Word is that he locked the script a month ago.

According to an insider, Kemmu’s attempt is to organically create the world of Madgaon Express, with the lives of the three friends at the centre. “Kunal sees the sequel as a natural extension to the friendship and adventures of the trio,” said the source.

Kunal Kemmu’s ‘Vibe’, also starring Preity Zinta and Sparsh Shrivastava, will release on September 18. The film is led and helmed by Kemmu.

In the words of legendary American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, “It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.” Few friendships embody that sentiment better than the two-decade-long bond between actors Abhishek Banerjee and Divyenndu. It all began when two cinema enthusiasts crossed paths at Kirori Mal College in New Delhi in the early 2000s, with Divyenndu a year senior to Banerjee. From sharing the stage in college plays to becoming best friends while shooting for the web series Mirzapur, their story is a reminder of the enduring value of old friendships. Excerpts:

Abhishek: I am a single child, so for me, friendship is like a sibling relationship. It’s a comfort zone, because I don’t have a brother or sister, and my parents belong to a different generation.

Divyenndu: For me, friendship holds a really high place in life. It truly tells who you are as a person. Everything else, such as your parents or your siblings, you get by default. Mere dost mere bohot kareeb hai. Abhishek and I have a very strong telepathy. If there is any karmic connection, we definitely have it.

A: Not at all. When Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011) came, that was a big moment for all of us because it felt like one of ours had reached that stage. Seeing him grow, I realized that there was a huge chance for us as well because he had no godfather.

D: We are very secure people. We know what our paths are, and we will not cross each other; we will always walk together. When I started, there was hardly anything that was organized. But when I saw Abhishek taking some very sensible decisions and casting actors on their merit, I felt really proud.

A: Him ragging me. That is like a lifelong thing. (Laughs)

D: Honestly, jokes apart, our belief system in terms of work. We really respect what we do, and we don’t take that for granted. We can have fun on set, but if we are working on a scene, we go back to the basics.

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Destiny surely played a role in how we met. We started doing shows together, ended up staying in the same building; even our in-laws are in the same colony in Delhi. Too many coincidences in life!

- Abhishek Banerjee

Your friendship really tells who you are. Mere dost mere bohot kareeb hai because I have invested in that kind of relationship with them.

- Divyenndu

The biggest name to have come out of the PKP cast is Kartik, who is currently one of the most sought-after leading men in Bollywood. It took a while for him to find that footing, and it happened with another of his collaborations with director Luv Ranjan in Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018). After that, he built it up with hits like Luka Chuppi, Pati Patni Aur Woh (both 2019) and then solidified that place with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (2024). He also gave critically acclaimed performances in Satyaprem Ki Katha (2023) and Chandu Champion (2024). Now, Kartik has Captain India, Naagzilla and director Anurag Basu’s romantic drama in the pipeline.

The after effects of PKP and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety success worked for Nushrratt too, who went on to be part of films like Dream Girl (2019), Chhalaang (2020) and Akelli (2023). The actor also headlined the horror franchise Chhorii with its two films released in 2021 and 2025, respectively. Last seen in the silent comedy film Ufff Yeh Siyapaa last year, Nushrratt has Ghooskhor Pandat and Bun Tikki in her kitty next.

Divyenndu wasn’t a part of the PKP sequel (2015), but embarked on a solo career on his own. He did films like Chashme Baddoor (2015), Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) and Madgaon Express (2024). But his breakthrough role came as Munna Tripathi in the web series Mirzapur. While his character was killed in the show after two seasons, he will return to the franchise in its big-screen outing, Mirzapur: The Movie, this year. Divyenndu will also appear in Ram Charanstarrer pan-India film Peddi next month.

After PKP, Sonnalli went on to star in films such as PKP 2, Jai Mummy Di (2020) and Aseq (2023), but none managed to work out well. She appeared in the web series Illegal Justice, Out Of Order and Anamika, but found little success. Sonnalli has several unreleased projects, including Noorani Chehra and Boondi Raita, which have been on the back burner for years. On the personal front, she got married to hotelier Ashesh L Sajnani, and the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Shukar in 2024.

Post the success of PKP, Raayo was the face that didn’t come out as often. He did a film, Ishk Actually (2013), but it disappeared without a trace. The actor did a few offbeat projects including 706 (2019), short film Guzara (2019) and the music video Hoon Main Alag (2024). He ventured into theatre last year with Kaneez: A Musical Love Story and was last seen in the micro drama Mera P A Don in March this year.

Ishita went on to star in Meeruthiya Gangsters (2015), PKP 2, Yaaram (2019) and Wild Wild Punjab (2024), but found little success. She also did special appearances in dance numbers in Prassthanam (2019), Chatrapathi (2023) and Kapkapii (2025). Her last work on screen was this year’s release, action crime thriller Human Cocaine, but the film didn’t get much exposure.

Known for his comedy in films like Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Madgaon Express, Divyenndu Sharma has also carved a niche for himself with dark, volatile characters. The actor, who became popular as Munna Tripathi in Mirzapur, is seen in another gritty role in his latest series Glory.

He says, “It’s a new experience each time. You try to discover this person, get to know him better, as you’re going to live with it for the next six to eight months of your life — and sometimes even longer. In some form or the other, it stays with you for life. It takes a toll on your health because it’s literally a chemical reaction within you when you’re constantly angry, stressed, or under tension. And it’s not like after ‘cut’ you can just stop it; it doesn’t work like that. That reaction continues for hours. You just have to deal with it, and you don’t even know in what form it might come out or how it might alter you as a person over time. So you have to be very, very careful.”

The actor admits that he learned this the hard way. “Earlier, I had an episode with another character where I didn’t realize what was happening to me. It’s always easy to get into a character, but it’s way too difficult to come out of it. This time, I had my territory marked—I knew that even if I went very deep, I needed a way to come back. Almost like having a whistle around my neck so someone can locate me,” he shares.

The impact, he reveals, has spilled over into his personal life as well. “Yes, it has affected my family. My wife, Akanksha, was the first one to point it out—that there’s something different in me, that I’m reacting differently and my temperament has changed. And honestly, I didn’t even know how to process that information at the time. When you’re in it, you don’t realize it. It’s like ear pressure—you don’t notice it when it’s there, but once it goes away, you realize something was off. It’s very consuming,” says Divyendu.

It has been a strong few years for Abhishek Banerjee, who is celebrating his 41st birthday in Goa. The actor is building a home in the beach state and ringing in his birthday there. Known for delivering impactful performances regardless of screen time, Banerjee admits he is as surprised as anyone by the range of characters he continues to juggle across projects.

He believes that while people differ, emotions remain universal. “We all have the same agony, angst, pain, love, empathy, and sympathy, just the degree varies from character to character. I bring that in my performance, but also keep it close to [my real personality]. Gautam, my character from Stolen [2025] is very close to how I would react to a situation. I feel that putting yourself in different situations helps with the process,” he says.

He adds that directors, along with the make-up and costume teams, play a key role in shaping a character.

For Jana from the Stree franchise and Bhediya (2022), he tapped into his childhood. “I was a bondu bachcha when I was a child. I tapped into that to play Jana.” 

For Compounder in Mirzapur, he leaned on real-life bonds. “Divyenndu and I have been good friends since college. I played his friend like in real life, with the only difference that this friend can kill,” he smiles. Banerjee confirms both Munna and Compounder return in Mirzapur: The Movie, but stays tight-lipped on details. “Their friendship and sacrifices are back… we ate and drank together, and bullied each other on set [for fun].”

Despite advice against revisiting a small role, he remains unfazed. “If I’m getting an opportunity to earn more money from one tiny role and go back to the audience, and share their love for the character, then why not?”

When crafting a full-blown action spectacle, it’s not surprising for a filmmaker to take inspiration from Hindi cinema’s most enduring movie, Sholay (1975). Gurmmeet Singh would agree. After all, the director, who is readying Mirzapur: The Movie for the big screen, has created a dance number along the lines of Mehbooba Mehbooba, which featured late Amjad Khan and Helen. Pankaj Tripathi aka Kaleen bhaiyya, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu, Jitendra Kumar, Abhishek Banerjee, and Ravi Kishan feature in the track that has Sonal Chauhan at the centre.

We’ve heard that the unit filmed the track in Jodhpur last month. Tripathi’s Kaleen bhaiyya may be more skilled with guns than with dance moves, but it turns out producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani were certain that such a song would only amp the sequence.

A source told mid-day, “Sonal Chauhan has performed the item song against a desert backdrop. The mood is such that Kaleen bhaiyya and the other characters are having fun at a rural bar where she is shaking a leg, and eventually they all join in the revelry. Tents were put up across the deserts of Jodhpur, where the song was shot over three nights.”

Mirzapur: The Movie’s soundtrack has been composed by Khandal and Junaid Kumar, while Vijay Ganguly choreographed the dance number.

The source added, “Pankaj is not known to dance much, but he enjoyed shaking a leg. Whatever he does, he does with great satisfaction.”

Playing a boxer had long been on Pulkit Samrat’s wishlist. The actor has manifested it this year with Glory, which marks his first OTT series as the leading man. “It’s a dream character for me,” he tells mid-day.

Created by Karan Anshuman and Karmanya Ahuja, the Netflix sports thriller revolves around a renowned boxing coach and his two estranged sons, whose Olympic dreams collide with secrets and revenge. Samrat stars alongside Divyenndu and Suvinder Vicky. Revealing that the shoot wrapped in mid-2025, the actor shares that being part of the universe was physically taxing. “The process has been intense, yet addictive,” he smiles.

Taxing as they may be, Samrat believes roles like these are essential to push creativity. He reasons, “Otherwise, it all turns into formulas. Everyone starts saying, ‘Oh, this is the formula, this works, and it’s all that sells.’ That’s not why we became actors. It’s necessary to get out of your comfort zone to see growth. You have to say, ‘Okay, let’s give the audience something they haven’t experienced before’.”

Divyenndu is set to return as his popular character Munna Tripathi in Mirzapur The Film, and he describes it as a “surreal, almost like a second-life experience”.  He adds, “You see the same people, the same world — it all comes rushing back. It seems like nothing has changed; the energy is just renewed as we’re coming back with full power.”

However, the excitement is accompanied by a sense of nervousness as well. “People have a lot of expectations and a great recall value for the franchise. I’m just nervous if I can do the same thing again,” he admits, but adds that he constantly tries “to not be boxed” as just one character and chooses varied roles to break any one image.

The 42-year-old asserts that he is happy with the pace of his 14-year-old career, but admits that saying ‘no’ to work has been harder than saying ‘yes’ during this time. “While I’ve been selective about roles, it’s very difficult to say no. Not just to films, but to money and big egos too,” he says.

Opening up on his approach, the actor shares, “The first thing I look for in a character is whether it challenges me or not. Also, I try not to repeat myself.

Last seen in Saali Mohabbat. Divyenndu insists that for him, creative integrity outweighs everything else. “When I see myself on screen, I should not feel embarrassed. That’s the bottom line for me,” he explains, adding how factors like money, the production house, director, co-actors, and the overall working environment do influence his decisions, but only after that fundamental filter is met.

Divyenndu has already begun counting days to 2025. Reason? The new year will mark his return to the Mirzapur universe. “We start shooting sometime next year,” says the actor.

Mirzapur The Film is a perfect, although unusual, example of how there is no stopping a successful series. In a first, the popular Prime Video series will extend into a film, with Gurmmeet Singh at the helm, and Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee in front of the camera. Divyenndu’s character Munna bhaiyya was shown dead in the crime drama’s second season. But when the film came his way, the actor said an instant yes.

“I have said that I am a selfish actor and I do a project for myself. But Mirzapur The Film is one of those projects that I’ll do for friends and fans because they deserve it. When people give you so much love, you have to give it back. I’m happy that Excel Entertainment [production house] thought of making it into a film and releasing it on the big screen. It’s our return gift to the audience,” he smiles.

If a much-loved series can spawn a movie, the reverse too is possible. That’s an idea Divyenndu is toying with as his latest OTT film, Rahul Dholakia’s Agni, has opened to wide praise.

“When we showed the film to Mumbai firefighters, we received a great response, and in Delhi, we got an even greater response. So, there can be a web series on firefighters, where different stories and characters can exist,” he shares.

Before we look ahead at all the possibilities in the next year, it’s evident that the actor has had a successful 2024, offering diverse work across platforms. His performance in the big-screen laugh riot, Madgaon Express, was widely appreciated, while his gritty act in Agni was the perfect way to cap the year. Even as he enjoys balancing the two mediums, Divyenndu admits that pulling audience to theatres is becoming difficult.

“Earlier, [viewers’ thought process] was that they had to watch a film over the weekend. Now, it takes an effort for a person to buy a ticket and watch a film. Every kind of cinema is thriving, but you can’t take [the audience] for granted. Also, both experiences are important—there are some stories that you’d like to watch intimately on your TV or mobile phone.”

A cop character, a credible director and a world that’s hardly explored on screen before. Divyenndu had every reason to jump at Agni, which tells the story of Mumbai’s firefighters. But the actor points out that the world’s novelty can excite one only to an extent. That’s where writer-director Rahul Dholakia and writer Vijay Maurya’s magic came in.

“The screenplay has to be a page turner for you to make a film out of it. When I read it, I felt not only is this world new but also the things happening inside it are novel,” the actor says.

The Amazon Prime Video film also stars Pratik Gandhi, Saiyami Kher and Sai Tamhankar. Playing a man in uniform for the first time felt slightly daunting to Divyenndu. But it also fit perfectly in his plan of constantly attempting different roles.

“It was my first portrayal of a highly decorated cop. I had to play a certain age, [bring] a certain aura. Also because it was beautifully written, there was a lot of pressure,” he smiles, before adding, “My want is to not get too comfortable with one kind of role or a particular genre. My calling is to play different characters.”

On that count, Divyenndu has been having quite a run. Late last year, he earned rave reviews for his performance in The Railway Men (2023), following it up with a hilarious turn in Madgaon Express earlier this year. Coming up, he has Agni, Saali Mohabbat, and Mirzapur: The Movie. What makes it all the more remarkable is that he was typecast as the hero’s friend for the initial part of his career, but successfully broke that mould. How did he do that? By being stubborn about the work he wanted to do, even if that meant rejecting films with A-listers.

“If I am saying no to a role, it’s only because I know I can pull off other characters. My self-confidence comes from the training I’ve had. To be stubborn is not a good thing. Many people told me, ‘You are saying no to a lot of big people, films and franchises. Why?’ It wasn’t giving me happiness. As an artiste, I want to express myself and if I can’t do that in the best way, it’s going to suffocate me. At one point of my career, I was getting suffocated. Films and money were coming my way, but I was not happy within. I said, ‘I won’t do this. One life, one chance.’”

As the year is nearing its end, it’s a new start for Manish Malhotra. The fashion designer is taking his maiden production, Saali Mohabbat, to the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The Radhika Apte, Divyenndu and Anurag Kashyap-led suspense drama, which marks actor Tisca Chopra’s foray into direction, will premiere at the film festival on November 22. Malhotra was scouting for a powerful story to venture into filmmaking, when Saali Mohabbat came his way.

“The moment I read its script, I was drawn to its intense and thrilling narrative. At Stage5 Production, we work closely with directors to bring their vision onto the screen with artistry and care. Tisca Chopra’s commitment to crafting this story with such complexity made it all the more compelling,” says the designer-turned-producer.

Jyoti Deshpande, President of Media and Content Business at Reliance Industries, shared her happiness on the news, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Manish Malhotra, who is bringing his creative brilliance from the world of fashion to film—a natural progression for a visionary who has always made impactful statements. With Saali Mohabbat, Manish extends his legacy of creativity, now crafting stories that captivate just as his designs have. Saali Mohabbat is a thrilling and layered story that aligns with our mission to present unique stories from India. We’re honored to debut this film at IFFI and reinforce our dedication to meaningful storytelling.”

In Saali Mohabbat, Apte plays a homemaker who is telling a story of infidelity, deceit and murder to a group of people. While her listeners are riveted, one of them gets the message she intended. First-time director Chopra is thrilled that her ‘howdunit’ is premiering at the prestigious film gala.

She says, “Saali Mohabbat is a story close to my heart, and I’m grateful to Manish Malhotra and Jio Studios for trusting in my vision and supporting my journey as a director. I couldn’t be more excited to present it at IFFI, which celebrates diverse and bold voices in cinema.”

Actor Divyenndu built a dedicated fan base for himself when he starred as Munna Tripathi in the popular OTT series Mirzapur. However, he recently broke his fans’ hearts by revealing that he wouldn’t be returning for the upcoming third season. His character was killed in season 2, yet the audience was expecting some twist for his return.

“I feel it was my responsibility. I was meeting people, and they were all saying, ‘We are waiting for season 3.’ [Because I didn’t inform them otherwise], I felt this gave them the false hope that Munna would be returning in season 3,” says Divyenndu. 

The 40-year-old, who recently received praise for his role as Dodo in the series Madgaon Express, shared that he had pre-empted the fate of his character long ago: “But I felt very happy for Munna because there was a beautiful arc to the character, showing how he became responsible, loving and stood up for his wife. In season 1, he was really brash, and people worshipped him. I am happy that I could balance that craziness with some sweetness and tenderness. Amid all the filmy elements, guns blazing and style, it’s important to show the audience these aspects. I felt that if you have to go, you should go out on a high note, and that’s exactly what happened.”

One release in the first five months of the year doesn’t sound like much, but when it’s as impactful as Madgaon Express, no one is complaining. Divyenndu, however, promises that the audience will see more of him in the coming months. The actor has Rahul Dholakia’s Agni, which reunites him with Madgaon Express co-star Pratik Gandhi, and a Disney+ Hotstar series in the pipeline.

“The show is tentatively titled Castle, where I play an uber rich guy who is struggling in life. I have another project called Tatkal, which is about the Tatkal ticket scam, where I am playing a Bihari character for the first time. I’ve also done a psychological thriller. You will see a lot more of me because I have worked non-stop for the past two years,” he shares.

The success of Kunal Kemmu’s directorial venture confirmed what we knew—that Divyenndu has a knack for comedy. But as he talks about his upcoming projects, it’s easy to see that sticking to the same genre is not his style.

“It’s a defect in me that I like to do something different after I have worked in one genre,” he grins. Versatility is what he seeks. “Comedy offers keep coming in. I’m also known for being choosy. I take my own sweet time to commit to a project. It’s painful for people to approach me and I don’t blame them,” he laughs.

Has the box-office success of the Divyenndu, Gandhi and Avinash Tiwary-starrer changed things for him? The actor reflects, “When you prove yourself at the box office, people feel they can put money on you. I’m mindful that my producer must recover his money.”

From Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011) to Kunal Kemmu’s directorial debut Madgaon Express that releases today, Divyenndu has loved every second of being in front of the camera. But now, the actor feels ready to add another dimension to his career. “I will 100 per cent direct,” he shares.

Though there is no concrete plan in place at the moment, direction is something he viewed as a goal from his film school days. “I helmed short films when I was in film school, and [plays] when I was doing theatre. I have a liking for direction as well as an understanding of it. So, I will definitely direct in the future.”

Even while shooting for a project, Divyenndu says he makes sure to spend time with the crew to further his knowledge of different aspects of filmmaking. “On a film set, I will hang out not only with my co-stars, but also with the cinematography team. Camera fascinates me. So, I am always with the DoP [director of photography] or sound guy, asking some stupid question [or saying], ‘Let me do this or that.’”

For someone who began his career with the buddy comedy, Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011), and followed it up with Chashme Baddoor (2013), Divyenndu took more than a decade to say yes to another comedy. But now, aboard Madgaon Express, the actor has returned to his home turf.

What made him give his nod to Kunal Kemmu’s maiden directorial venture? “After a long time, I read a well-written comedy script that made me feel I had to do it,” he smiles.

Starring Pratik Gandhi, Avinash Tiwary and him, Madgaon Express revolves around three friends whose dream holiday in Goa soon turns into a series of misadventures. A comedy relies as much on the actors’ timing as on the director’s vision. Divyenndu says he lucked out on both counts.

Praising the first-time director’s clarity of vision, he says, “When I first read the script written by Kunal, I could see the film clearly. I felt he had a deep understanding of what he was doing. When I met him for a narration, the film became so clear that I felt even I can direct it now!”

Sharing screen space with Gandhi and Tiwary was another high. “Since we are trained actors, we come with a set of principles of acting. For comedy, you need a good co-actor. Once we started doing the readings, we saw that the comedy between us was effortless.” 

Like his fans, Divyenndu too is happy about his return to laugh-riots. If he stayed away from the genre in the past, it was for two reasons. “The scripts weren’t that good. At one point, we were in the zone of sex comedies. But it didn’t resonate with me at all. Also, I wanted to explore other genres. Initially, people would tell me, ‘Why are you saying no to comedies? Make that your home ground.’ I’d tell them, ‘It’s the easy way out, but I don’t want that.’”

The television industry has provided fertile ground for female protagonists to shine and to be the centre of the show. TV has given them a chance to get the same respect and recognition as their male counterparts. In fact, I agree that OTT platforms have also disrupted the traditional power dynamics of the Indian film industry. There is no doubt that we’ll be creating a level playing field for women to showcase their talent and creativity.

In television, whoever is the lead of the show gets paid more. Whoever brings in the most viewership for the show will be paid in accordance with that; it doesn’t matter what their gender is. I look at it in terms of, ‘Who’s running the show?’ I’ve never been in a situation where someone got paid more than me or when I’ve been paid more than someone. In the projects that I’ve been involved in, pretty much everyone gets paid according to what they bring to the table and they seem to be happy about it.

The TV industry is primarily a medium where actors, producers, directors and almost every artiste are women. If not more, female protagonists do get paid equally as their male counterparts. In a time when pay disparity has existed in mainstream cinema for years, the television industry is definitely paving the way for women to be equally valued and paid for their hard work. Time has surely taken a reverse turn, as women are far more valued now and are being paid better than they were earlier.  

The TV and OTT industries have been game-changers for female artistes. In most cases, female actors on TV get paid equally or more than men. This is a positive step towards gender equality in the entertainment industry, as it shows that women are valued for their work and talent. However, it is also important to remember that sometimes people are paid according to their experience and worth. It is not always a reflection of how hard one person has worked compared to the other. This is not the case for everyone and pay inequality is still a major issue in many industries. It is important to recognise and address this problem if we want to create a more equitable society.

I don’t think that female protagonists get paid more or equally in the OTT industry. Maybe it happened with Raveena Tandon (who starred in the web show Aranyak) because she’s already a Bollywood star. People also get different treatment because of their background. When you come from a mainstream cinema background, you come with the mindset that, ‘Oh, I’m already a star in Hindi films, and I’m moving to OTT, so I should get a higher pay’. I don’t think that happens with other actors; in fact, I don’t think I get equal pay. 

In television, now and always, especially since the whole Ekta Kapoor era started, women have been at the forefront. Since then, they’ve been getting paid more because they play the leading roles. It’s a commercial business and at the end of the day, whoever is in the driver’s seat will get paid more. Gender isn’t really the deciding factor here. Whoever can attract more viewers will have a higher price. It is a very clear business principle: whoever controls the market will control the price. 

I don’t think female leads are paid equally or more than their male counterparts in the OTT industry, unless the woman is a significantly bigger star. The pay disparity scenario has changed from what it used to be 10 years ago. However, I don’t think there’s been a blanket change across the industry. Also, it differs from one project to another. There are times when I get paid more, and sometimes my co-actors are paid more. And the inequality is not just about the actor’s fee but also things like hotel, vanity van, flight, etc. that again vary for different actors.

In this profession, no project will be similar to another because of the people attached to it. I’ve experienced the difference in storytelling, as we see a lot of stories being told about women in OTT. The characters for women on TV and OTT are quite empowering. But in terms of pay parity, I do feel that OTT still has a long way to go. With TV, it is definitely true that women are paid equally or even more than their male counterparts. I’ve worked on both mediums, so I can speak for both industries. If you’re headlining a project and you’re the biggest star, then you will automatically be paid more. And talent is, unfortunately, not respected as much in our industry as marketing is.

It’s true that women are paid equally or more in the TV industry and I’m sure of it because I started my career on the small screen. I don’t think, unless I was a star kid, I would have been given a role like Chandramukhi Chautala in movies. I was paid a bomb during my tenure on (TV show) FIR. In fact, I think I was the highest-paid actor on TV at that time. In films, less performance-oriented roles are given to women. However, in my 20 years of career, I’ve seen that women are always considered important script-wise on television. I’ve never done any mainstream Hindi films, and whenever something was offered to me, the payment used to be peanuts, like almost no money. 

In showbiz, there is no fixed pay scale or grade. An actor’s fee is negotiated based on the value they bring to a project through their skills and brand value. As much as we’d like to believe that it should be based more on the former, it’s mostly the latter — the belief that a certain person will bring in audiences and more eyeballs to the project. If my co-star is more famous than me (according to the producers), they’ll definitely be paid more, and vice versa. Since this value is subjective, it’s prone to biases and inaccuracies. No two actors will be paid equally in a project, irrespective of gender, unless they negotiate together, which is a rare occurrence. That is how this business works. 

Actor Divyenndu’s film Thai Massage, which hit the theatres in November, saw a short theatre runtime and is already eyeing an OTT release. The film, about a 70-year-old man who suffers from erectile dysfunction, failed to work magic at the box office. Divyenndu feels the film’s success will be marked after its OTT release, and that will depend on the number of people who will watch it.

“From what I know, the film was a limited release. It will eventually come out on OTT and more people will be able to watch it in the comfort of their homes. So, for me, the actual success would be decided after it comes out online and then how many people watch it. The film’s views on OTT will give accurate data as to whether the audience have liked it or not,” he reasons.

Divyenndu wants his work to reach a wider audience, and he has no qualms admitting that OTT is the best way out to achieve this. “I do not want my producers to suffer loses, but as an actor, the box office collection does not interest me. I am concerned about more and more people watching my movie — be it in theatres or on OTT platforms. And that’s why I am glad that most [projects] have started choosing this method of limited release, followed by OTT release,” elaborates the actor.

Films releasing on streamers has resulted in another positive change, Divyenndu points out. “The success of your film or show is now decided by its shelf life, and OTT has increased that,” he says and goes on to cite example of his debut film, Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011). “[It] wasn’t one of those films with a big first-day opening. Our Monday was better than our Friday... our Tuesday was better than our Sunday. The film eventually grew, and more and more people started watching it. With OTT, this has become a very common phenomenon now,” he says.

The actor is glad that web releases gives viewers a wider window of time to watch a show or film as per their convenience. “Hence, it’s no more the game of first day or first weekend. In fact, these were all marketing tools — as in, ‘Arrey hamaari film ne itna paisa kamaaya hai first day par.’ But right now, it’s more based on merit,” concludes the actor, who strongly believes in the coexistence of theatres and streaming platforms.

Last year, the news about Fire had caught the attention of many as the film was to reunite Saif Ali Khan with his Dil Chahta Hai (2001) makers, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, after over two decades. The actor was supposed to play a fire-fighter in Rahul Dholakia’s directorial venture.

But it looks like a Khan-Akhtar reunion is not on the cards. mid-day has learnt that Khan has bowed out of the project due to his busy date diary. The actor will be caught up with Vikram Vedha and Adipurush over the next few months.

With his leading man’s exit, it is heard that Dholakia went back to the drawing board and made significant changes to the script. A source close to the development reveals, “Earlier, Fire was envisioned as a single-hero project. But with Saif’s exit, the director and writer Vijay Maurya revisited the script, making it an ensemble project. They have roped in Pratik Gandhi of Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story fame, and Divyenndu in the lead. The project will be a homecoming of sorts for Divyenndu, who played a key role in Farhan and Ritesh-backed Mirzapur.”

If all goes as per plan, Dholakia will take the film on floors next month. Excel Entertainment remained unavailable for comment.