When we reached actor Divyenndu’s hotel in the city—huffing and puffing—and asked the security personnels to lead us to the celebrity’s room for his interview, a group of men came running with a plastered smile on their faces, declaring, “Haan! Munna Bhaiya aa gaye hain.” Upon hearing this anecdote, a visibly proud and evidently flattered Mirzapur-star replies, “This character is not mine, it’s theirs. They have the ownership of this more than me.”

But this level of adulation should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the actor’s career trajectory. His Pyaar Ka Punchnama character Liquid, for instance, is a classic example of that. Perhaps his sense of perspective that the audience immortalizes iconic charcaters on screen comes having spent years navigating an industry that has changed considerably since he first arrived in Mumbai. For Divyenndu, however, the journey began in Pune, at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), an experience he still carries with him.

“Pune will always have a special place in my heart because those two-and-a-half magical years at FTII changed a lot of things for me,” he says,” adding, “I learnt so much about cinema and spent my days watching films, learning, shooting and discussing cinema with students from different parts of the country. It was such a magical experience, and that's why Pune remains so special to me,” he recalls. 

The atmosphere was so immersive that students had a name for it - Planet FTII. Why? “Because the campus had everything. Once you entered, you didn't feel like going out,” says Divyenndu.

About 15 years into his career, Divyenndu doesn't see himself as someone who has finally figured out the industry.

“I don't think I understand the industry any better now,” he admits, adding, “I don't really have a sob story to tell because I got lucky that my first film was a hit, and my second film was a hit too.”

What followed, he feels, was partly ‘self-inflicted pain’. Despite receiving offers, there was always the keeda of not wanting to play certain kinds of roles, prompting him to turn down projects. Looking back, though, he sees an industry that has evolved alongside him.

“It’s more organized now, there are more opportunities for outsiders like me, and audiences have developed a much more varied taste. They are more accepting of flawed, layered characters and different kinds of stories. Writers have also come a long way. I'm just happy that I've been part of that movement and have witnessed this change,” says the Madgaon Express actor.

Divyenndu is uncomfortable with the increasing emphasis on box-office figures and the industry’s tendency to celebrate opening-day or opening-weekend numbers. “I find that quite embarrassing because filmmaking shouldn't be reduced to box-office numbers,” he says. He acknowledges that numbers matter to the business but doesn't believe they necessarily determine the quality of a film. More importantly, he doesn't think audiences should be made to feel responsible for supporting a particular film or filmmaker.

“Whatever they see in a trailer should engage them and they should decide for themselves whether they want to watch it in a theatre or later on OTT. The beauty of this field is that you never really know what audiences will connect with. I would never want to burden them with that choice,” he shares.

At a time when actors are expected to remain as visible as possible, be it on social media or at events, Divyenndu is comfortable with the idea of disappearing. “I'm not a publicity-hungry actor who's always out there,” he adds, “I believe there should be some mystique to an actor or an artist. Do your job, go back and do whatever you want. Go stare at a wall if you want to, but you don't have to tell people that you're sitting and staring at a wall.”

For him, there is an important distinction between being relevant and being constantly visible. He worries that constantly projecting a public persona can eventually make actors lose sight of who they really are. “You can eventually lose the real you in all of it. You start projecting a certain image of yourself, and that behaviour can reflect in your work,” he says, adding, “For me, life is much better when you're seen less. Sometimes I even feel like quitting social media altogether.”

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

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.

Such has been the appeal of his character in Mirzapur that Divyenndu Sharma has become synonymous with Munna bhaiya. Only months after the second edition of the crime drama made waves in the web world, the actor is seen in another show in a similar milieu — Bicchoo Ka Khel. "UP is the flavour of the season. So, everyone is setting their stories in the state. As an actor, I can try and bring a new flavour with each character. The comparisons between them are all the more heightened because Bicchoo released just after Mirzapur. However, my character in Bicchoo is completely different from Munna bhaiya," says Sharma.

In the ZEE5 and ALT Balaji show, the actor plays Benaras boy Akhil Shrivastava whose love affair with a local girl lands him in a web of deceit and violence. Ask him if he worries about being typecast, and he says that the role has been a "palate-cleanser" for him. "My character has a '90s vibe to it. I can't keep thinking of how to break my image. Instead, I am enjoying the moment."

Meanwhile, his journey has come to an end in Mirzapur with Munna bhaiya being killed in the last season. Sharma is amused that fan pages have created various theories that will enable his character to return in the third instalment. "There is no disappointment [to leave the show] because it's been a complete journey for Munna. He has touched all emotions possible and his arc is complete. The series has been a great high for me."

Divyenndu is a happy man. Not only has he been lauded for his performance in Mirzapur season 2, it has led to him getting the recognition that maybe eluded him in films. Ask him if he feels the same and the actor says he, in fact, doesn’t believe this. “The OTT world is more fearless and democratic. Our ultimate aim is not numbers, but to be on par with shows from around the world like Narcos. Mirzapur’s also been widely appreciated. There’s only merit on this platform, it’s a much happier space for every artiste,” he says.

But what is it about Bollywood that makes it a less happy space than OTT? The 37-year-old explains, “There is perception, but only a few celebs will work.”

He continues, “It’s not that each and every artiste is a hit, so we have a very low success ratio. People liked Pyaar ka Punchnama (2011) in which I made my debut. Then, I did films such as Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (2017). We think we understand film business, but the reality is we don’t. We need to tap more talents.”

As Munna Bhaiya in Mirzapur, the actor got a chance to show his menacing side, far from his goody-good roles in Toilet and Batti Gul Meter Chalu (2018). But the love that he got for his negative shade is something he wasn’t prepared for.

“It feels very overwhelming, I’m very thankful for all the affection people have given me. You can’t ask for more. It’s so emotional this time around than the last season. People have told me ‘we can’t imagine season three without you (his character is shown to have died in the last episode), why did you do that’. It’s so real, they’re thanking me for giving them Munna. It is way too sweet,” Divyenndu shares.