If one measures an actor’s success by the projects in their kitty, Suvinder Vicky comes out shining. The actor, who is currently enjoying a box-office biggie in Awarapan 2, will soon be seen in Hrithik Roshan’s maiden production, Storm. The actor, however, has a different metric to measure success — to him, it’s about earning the trust of his directors.

Vicky told mid-day, “When I get a message from a director saying that they want to work with me, my happiness knows no bounds. Whether I end up doing that project or not is secondary, but that trust shown by them is precious. For instance, Honey Trehan is like my brother. Whether he casts me in his next or not, I will always be present in his films, in spirit.”

The actor collaborated with Trehan on Satluj, which was pulled down from Zee 5. Vicky had almost exited the movie, but a line by Trehan compelled him to remain part of the drama on human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.

“There was a clash of dates between Kohrra and Satluj. I told Sudip [Sharma, Kohrra creator] and Honey to sort it out. Honey is great. When I told him that I was leaving his film because I was getting paid better on Kohrra and it was a longer commitment, he said, ‘My film will not be made without two people, Diljit Dosanjh and you.’”

Even as ‘Satluj’ remains unavailable for streaming, Suvinder Vicky is happy that the controversy around it has shed more light on Jaswant Singh Khalra. “My daughters would ask me what the film was about. I told them to Google it. The new generation should at least get to know about this story,” he said.

Actor Barun Sobti recently reprised his role in a web series (Kohrra) where he plays a cop reporting to a new commanding officer, a female superior played by actor Mona Singh. The new season of the show delves into the discomfort some men feel about working under women in positions of authority, a theme Barun believes reflects reality, including within the film industry.

He shares, “It’s evident that men have a problem with stronger women. To a certain extent, it depends on the family you’ve grown up in, but we cannot deny it. Taking orders from them is still a huge thing. Even if a woman makes a strong point in an argument, I see men getting uncomfortable.”

The first season of Kohrra marked a turning point in Barun’s career, earning him significant recognition. Reflecting on its impact, the 41-year-old says, “In terms of viewership, there are shows that people watch and then there are shows that the industry watches. What happened with Kohrra was that the industry watched the show, and that’s why I started getting more work.”

You can’t talk about Kohrra (2023) without talking about Suvinder Vicky, its breakout star. Now, the Netflix crime thriller has moved on to its second season, albeit without him, and so has he, with the upcoming series Shabad - Reet Aur Riwaaz. Even then, during our chat, Vicky’s attachment to Kohrra was evident as he asked, chuckling, “Are people missing me?”

The second season of Sudip Sharma’s creation features Barun Sobti from the original alongside Mona Singh, a new entrant in the universe. Was it always designed to go ahead without him, we asked Vicky. “Initially, I think the makers didn’t expect the show to blow up in a way that there would be a second season. Sudip has also [said] that. I didn’t even know when the second part was happening, or if it was happening at all. I was shooting for Glory [his upcoming Netflix show] at that time. When I was told that I wasn’t part of Kohrra: Season 2, I thought, ‘Okay, I anyway have work’.”

Did he feel bad about being left out? “Not at all. Whatever happens, happens for the good,” smiled Vicky, presumably referring to Shabad.

The ZEE5 family drama features the actor as a strict patriarch, who wants his son to follow in his footsteps as a Ragi singer. To Vicky, a parent to two girls, the opportunity to explore a father-son relationship was exciting.

He recalled, “After the shoot, I hugged my father, which I had never done in my life. I couldn’t tell him that I love him, so I made an excuse to hug him. I felt so much warmth for him after doing the show.”

Unlike his character, Vicky wouldn’t dream of thrusting his wishes on his daughters. But the actor in him is hopeful that they may join the film industry. “My younger daughter wants to become a doctor, but I tell her that she should try acting. My elder daughter has done a Punjabi film. She asks me if she should [continue] and I [encourage her]. My name [may] help her a bit. Ananya Panday and so many star daughters are doing it. So, why not my daughters?”

On Monday, Netflix India unveiled its star-studded slate for 2025 that includes Aryan Khan’s directorial debut The Ba***ds Of Bollywood, Dining With The Kapoors, and many anticipated offerings. But Triptii Dimri and Vijay Varma’s Afghan Snow was conspicuously missing from its roster. The spy thriller, produced by Karnesh Ssharma’s Clean Slate Filmz, was reportedly delivered to the OTT giant in December 2023. So, why is it nowhere close to reaching the audience yet?

According to multiple industry insiders, Netflix has assumed control of the project from Sharma and is now considering making some changes to the thriller that has been directed by Anshai Lal, who previously helmed Phillauri (2017) and Mai (2022).

An actor from the show, on the condition of anonymity, said, “Afghan Snow has been given to Netflix, and the team is contemplating re-editing the show and even shooting additional parts as they deem fit. I’m told it will release later this year. Many titles will be added to the streamer’s slate beyond the ones announced on Monday.”

After its successful collaborations with Netflix on Bulbbul (2020) and Qala (2022), Sharma’s production house had greenlit Afghan Snow for the OTT platform. Sources say that after the series was completed in December 2023, there were some creative differences between the makers and the streamer. With the project in limbo over the past year, crew members apparently also struggled with delayed payments.

A unit hand revealed, “Our payments took very long to get cleared. While some got the full payment eventually, for many of us, the final tranche will come upon release. We were expecting the show to be announced on Monday evening.”

With this series stuck and Sudip Sharma—who had made Kohrra (2023) with Clean Slate Filmz—announcing its second season independently, rumours about the production house undergoing major changes have gained credence. An insider said, “The production house has been practically defunct for the past year. It will be re-launched soon with a new name.”

Mid-day reached out to Netflix and Clean Slate Filmz for a comment on Afghan Snow’s fate. Both didn’t respond till press time.

Look at the past year and Mona Singh’s choice of projects has been impressive, from Made In Heaven 2 (2023) to Kaala Paani (2023), from Munjya to an upcoming Aamir Khan production. Now, the actor has added another acclaimed project to her résumé. Sources tell us that Singh has joined the second season of Kohrra, created by Sudip Sharma.

The Netflix crime thriller, starring Suvinder Vicky, Barun Sobti and Harleen Sethi, opened to rave reviews last year. Sharma, who had co-written the first season while Randeep Jha took on directorial duties, began filming the second edition last month.

A source reveals, “Mona is the latest addition to the second season, which is being shot in Punjab. The team is excited to have an actor of her calibre on board, and her fluency in Punjabi makes her the perfect fit. Mona too is thrilled to work with Sudip, who is known to create rich and complex characters.”

The details around Singh’s character have been kept under wraps.

It has been learnt that Singh and Sobti are part of the ongoing schedule. “It’s unclear whether Suvinder, who was Kohrra’s breakout star, is also part of the second season. The makers are taking the story forward with a fresh case,” adds the insider.

Everything about her character in Bad Cop felt like a wish come true for Harleen Sethi. Yet, she initially refused director Aditya Datt’s crime thriller. Reason? She was skeptical about playing Devika Naik, a young mother. “Our industry tends to stereotype actors quickly. The moment you hear it’s the role of a young mother, as a female actor, you get scared. You think what if the industry offers only such parts thereon,” she reveals.

But the director’s persistence made Sethi eventually embrace the part of Devika, who is also a police officer, in the Gulshan Devaiah and Anurag Kashyap-led series. Now, she counts it as one of those roles that gave her not only creative satisfaction, but also a sense of fulfilment.

“I enjoy doing roles that speak to society in some way. Another reason was that I got to don the uniform. I come from a Sikh family, and Sikhs have a long-standing relationship with the uniform. They wear it with absolute responsibility. Thirdly, I got to do action. How many such parts are written for women?”

Another perk was sharing screen space with Devaiah, whom she considers a fluid artiste. “I learnt so much by just observing him. He is unpredictable. That’s why his choices in a scene are interesting.”

The Disney+ Hotstar series follows Sethi’s breakthrough work, Kohrra (2023). The actor says she has seen a drastic shift in the industry’s perception of her since the release of the Sudip Sharma-created series. “Since Kohrra, I don’t have to walk up to people at parties; they come up to me to speak. I have gained more respect in the industry. There is the stamp of a good actor on me now.”

To Rajkummar Rao, Raj-DK (Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK) are friends first, then collaborators. The opportunity to be directed by them, coupled with an exciting story, made Guns & Gulaabs an instant choice for the actor. “While Raj-DK were my co-producers and writers on Stree [2018], this is the first time they directed me. They are two of my closest people in the city. We had been meaning to work together for a long time,” he smiles.

Rao is known for seeking novel stories, and Guns & Gulaabs didn’t disappoint on that count. The Netflix crime comedy, also starring Dulquer Salmaan and Adarsh Gourav, has all the ingredients of a Raj-DK offering—oddball characters and quirky humour tied neatly into an engaging narrative. “There have been many serious crime and investigative dramas, but sometimes you need a break. You just want to sit and laugh out loud at bizarre things, and nobody does that better than Raj-DK,” says the actor.

In the upcoming series, he plays Paana Tipu, a love-struck mechanic with a violent streak. The actor credits Raj-DK and their writing team for conceiving a screenplay that gave him enough scope to explore his character’s eccentricity. “When you get great material and fabulous [collaborators] like Raj and DK, it becomes easy. You just have to push yourself a little and do something that you haven’t done earlier. If you aren’t here to just say lines and if you do your job for the right reasons, you get the results.”

But hard work doesn’t always assure you of great box-office results. Since the pandemic, there has been a shift in viewing patterns of the audience, who prefer watching tentpole movies on the big screen and content-led offerings on OTT. Rao looks at the upside of the situation, pointing out that with streaming services, actors don’t need to depend on box office to achieve stardom.

“For instance, I was blown away by Suvinder Vicky’s performance in Kohrra. For me, he is a star. It doesn’t matter to me if 1,000 people have watched Suvinder Vicky’s work or only 400 have, but he is one of the best actors we have today. The same thing happened with Jaideep [Ahlawat] in Paatal Lok [2020] and Pratik Gandhi in Scam 1992 [2020]. Manoj sir’s [Bajpayee] second innings started with The Family Man, and today, he is right up there.”

Barun Sobti entered the digital world with Tanhaiyan in 2017, when “OTT ka culture India mein nahin tha”. Cut to today, the actor has already had three web releases in the year so far, including the recent web series Kohrra. The 38-year-old, who was a known face on television around 2011 and had two cinematic releases, didn’t take much work until Tanhaiyan to prepare for the anticipated OTT boom.

“I didn’t do much work for some time before 2017. When the digital revolution happened in the US, I consumed a lot of content from the West. It was like a training ground for me, as I was certain that a digital revolution would happen in India too,” says the actor. In a chat with us, he opens up about his journey on the digital medium so far. Excerpts:

I shot for five projects in two years. At one point, I was shooting for three shows simultaneously. So yes, I knew I’d have a flurry of projects coming out one after the other. I also knew that Asur 2, Badtameez Dil and Kohrra would do well.

Asur 2 felt like homecoming because I had already got into the skin of the character in the first season. Whereas, for Badtameez Dil, I did workshops, as the character was quite layered. But the preparation for Kohrra was most extensive. I did a lot of workshops in Punjab to get into the skin of my character [a cop], Amarpal Garundi.

Aisa nahin hai ki OTT projects ko shoot karne ke liye aapko bahut time milta hai. The first scene that you shoot may not be the first scene of the show. So you have to dive in immediately. The great thing about web is that it gives the characters time to be etched out well in terms of writing. As an actor, if you know how the character is shaping up at the very outset, you put your heart into it.

We have just started understanding the value of the long format content. As an actor, you don’t feel the monotony as you get to do five different kinds of projects over two years. Also, the writers get so much time to write. For instance, writer Gunjit Chopra researched for Kohrra in Punjab for so long that whenever I asked him a question about my character, I got such valid answers that I didn’t have to go back to him with more queries.

If a performance is good, it’s impossible for it to go unnoticed. As far as stars exploring the medium is concerned, the way audiences embrace a show plays a huge role. Like in my case, ever since the release of Kohrra, people who usually [just] clicked pictures with me, have started talking to me about the show. I feel this kind of appreciation makes everyone want to explore the medium.

At the core of Kohrra is the dysfunctional relationship between a father and a daughter. Balbir Singh, played by Suvinder Vicky, and Nimrat Kaur, played by Harleen Sethi, are angry at each other. Where the father thinks their daughter is going wayward, the daughter resents the manner in which she was raised. The relationship needs work, but the performances are pitch perfect. We are speaking to the two on Zoom on a particularly rainy Mumbai day—Sethi is at her home in Andheri, and Vicky is joining in from Punjab.

And that’s the main difference: While Sethi is a Sikhni born and brought up in Mumbai (her ancestors are from Pakistan), Vicky is a Punjabi munda born in Sirsa.

“I didn’t even know how to speak in Punjabi,” says Sethi, “and at one point in the show, I have a long monologue in the language. But Suvinder paji helped me.”

She now seems at ease with the language, asking Vicky when he will be back so that they can meet up. “Tussi toh star ban gaye ho!” she says. Vicky, shy, laughs: “Tu bhi toh! I will be back soon. And of course, we have to meet. But Harleen impressed me. She got a Punjabi tattoo that says ‘Nirbhau Nirvair (without fear, without hate)’, and I knew she had committed herself to the process. She would come up to us after every line, ‘I said it right?’”

Sethi grew up in Andheri West, Mumbai, dancing as part of choreographer Ashley Lobo’s troupe; Vicky grew up doing theatre at Punjab University. Sethi made good with leads in shows such as Broken but Beautiful, and Vicky has done multiple movies (2016’s Udta Punjab) and shows like CAT, in which too he played a Sikh cop. He has been quoted by many reports as saying that “it’s better that success came to him late rather than never”.

But for both, the opportunity to be in Kohrra gave rise to different kinds of emotions. “I was too excited when this role came by,” says Sethi. “I had to go to Punjab and speak Punjabi. It was a challenge and a different kind of role. Also, it was a character role, not lead. There were some apprehensions, but I knew it was going to be great. The industry does stereotype you—so I really wish that doesn’t happen with us.”

For Vicky, who calls the success of Kohrra “a balle balle feeling—Punjabi style”, the role was just another one he needed to take up. “If people want to keep casting me as a Sikh cop again and again, well, that’s the way it is,” he shrugs.

“I can only say no if I have another choice in front of me. But that’s not the case. This is it. So I take what I get. At least now, people are saying ‘Paaji, you look great in pagdi’, ‘Paaji, we saw your other show, CAT, also!’”

Ask whether having Punjab as the background has contributed to the show’s success, and Vicky says it’s the story that’s the true star. “It could have been set in Haryana also,” he says. “Then the language would have changed. The rest would have remained the same—down to the fields. It’s the story that’s got the good stuff and that’s what made this show a hit. But, yes, people have appreciated the language—they like the sound of Punjabi. It’s so sweet.”

Where was this guy? What has he done in the past? — these are some of the questions that have been doing the rounds on social media, as the recently released crime thriller Kohrra continues to receive rave reviews. And with it, the star of the show, Suvinder Pal Vicky, is on cloud nine for finally being recognised for his talent.

“This show has gone viral. I am experiencing this for the first time in my life and my career,” exclaims the actor, who has been working in the industry for nearly two decades.

The 50-year-old goes on to reveal that some have even drawn comparisons between his acting skills and the late actor Irrfan’s unmatched versatility.

“That has been a dream come true moment. The thought that they compared me with him is a big thing for me. I have done nothing in front of him, so it is a huge honour. I have looked up to him and his work since theatre days,” shares the artiste.

In the past, Vicky has featured in projects such as Chauthi Koot (2015), Milestone (2020), Udta Punjab (2016), Kesari (2019) and the web show CAT (2022). He will next be seen in Punjab '95, which is set to be featured at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival this year.

“I’m so excited about it. Kehte hain bura waqt hamesha nahin rehta, and jab achcha hota hai toh sab achcha hota hai. Aaj wahi ho raha hai mere saath. After Kohrra, my next film is getting a global stage,” shares the actor, brimming with enthusiasm and hoping that his recent successes open doors to more opportunities in Bollywood and beyond.

Until a few weeks ago, Suvinder Vicky would feel anxious about his career, worried that it wasn’t moving in the right direction. But that has changed dramatically since Kohrra dropped online over 10 days ago. “Maybe this is what fame feels like. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing,” laughs the actor, talking to us over a call from his Chandigarh house.

With Netflix’s gripping investigative crime thriller emerging as a sleeper hit, the Hindi film industry and the audience have found a new breakout talent in Vicky, who plays a Punjab cop investigating a murder case. The actor, 50, points out that his success is not overnight; instead, it’s the culmination of a 20-year journey. To him, Bollywood was always the destination, but he was too scared to pack his bags and move to Mumbai.

“I come from a humble background. My parents weren’t keen on sending me to Mumbai because it felt unsafe. You keep hearing stories of outsiders, struggling to find work and pay bills. I could never muster the courage to follow my Bollywood dreams. So, I kept honing my craft, working in Punjabi films,” he says.

But Bollywood often knocked at his door, even if with smaller opportunities. The actor featured in Hansal Mehta’s Shahid (2013), and Abhishek Chaubey’s Udta Punjab (2016). Unknown to Vicky, it was during the making of Udta Punjab that Kohrra creator Sudip Sharma spotted him. Sharma, who wrote the Shahid Kapoor-Alia Bhatt crime drama, was so impressed by Vicky that he decided he would cast him in a bigger role whenever the opportunity arose.

“Sudip sir then cast me in Paatal Lok [2020], where I just had a few days’ shoot. So, I found it unbelievable when he rang me up and asked if I would do Kohhra,” the actor shares.

Even though he played a significant role in CAT (2022), headlining a Hindi show was beyond Vicky’s imagination. He candidly shares, “I read the first few pages of the script, and then went directly to the last page to see if they have killed my character.”

There was no denying that the story—exploring the dark side of love, father-son bond and familial violence—was powerful. But more than that, it was Sharma’s unflinching faith in him that made Vicky come on board. “The script was complex. I was so scared if I would be able to do it. But when the show’s creator says, ‘I won’t make the show if you don’t do it,’ then that becomes your guiding light.”

Now, Vicky feels emotionally prepared to visit Mumbai and explore more opportunities. “I have done many credible films, where I’d be mentioned as a scene-stealer, but it’s the first time, every praise mentions me as the leading man. It’s such a different feeling, especially when directors like Karan Johar, Hansal Mehta and Deepa Mehta specifically mention your name,” the actor smiles.

“I’m a non-violent person. I have never even got into a heated argument with anyone,” laughs Sudip Sharma, aware that his screen offerings might suggest otherwise. But then, it takes a calm mind to understand the complex subject of violence, its roots, and different manifestations.

After Paatal Lok (2020), Kohrra is creator-writer Sharma’s latest attempt to examine the dark side of humans. “We all carry that darkness inside us as individuals, families and societies. That’s fascinating to explore,” he begins.

The Netflix series sees Suvinder Vicky and Barun Sobti as cops investigating the murder of an NRI groom in Punjab. Under the disguise of a thriller, Kohrra tells a story about love and generational violence. Sharma, who has created the show with Gunjit Chopra and Diggi Sisodia, reveals that love was indeed its genesis.

“The starting point was the title of one of Charles Bukowski’s poems, Love is a dog from hell. We wanted to do a show about relationships. I was coming off Paatal Lok, which was a procedural. So, I didn’t want to do another. But when Gunjit and Diggi pitched the idea, I felt there was an opportunity to explore relationships and how love can be either uplifting or soul-crushing.”

When it came to casting, Sharma knew it was time to work with that actor who had left a lasting impression on him with his bit roles in Udta Punjab (2016) and Paatal Lok. Enter Vicky. “He had one scene in Paatal Lok. But he was so good in that scene that I knew I wanted to work with him again. When we started writing Kohrra, I knew he was the right choice for Balbir Singh. None of his breakthrough work like CAT [2022] and Meel Patthar [2020] had come out then.”

While Kohrra has opened to unanimous praise, Sharma has moved on to the second season of Paatal Lok, which is due next year. So, has he given up on theatrical offerings in favour of long-format stories? Something like that, says Sharma, whose last theatrical venture was Laal Kaptaan (2019), in which he served as a dialogue writer. Reason—“We stopped making films that interested people like me,” he says. 

“No one wants to make a film like NH10 or Udta Punjab for theatres today. The thought—if it’s theatrical, it has to be entertaining and understood by all—basically means it has to be dumbed down. They want you to write the kind of films that are getting made. I don’t even watch those films. How can I make them?”

Barun Sobti always believed in pushing his boundaries as an actor. That is why, at the peak of his career in television, he quit the medium to find work that spoke to him. It was a decision he knew could make or break him. Since then, his journey has been gruelling, with several years of no work and sporadic releases. But 2023 seems like his year as he was seen in the second instalment of Asur and the rom-com Badtameez Dil and the Netflix series, Kohrra. Sobti believes it is his ability to say no that has gotten him so far.

“I had to make a few tough decisions in my life. Sitting back and not doing anything was difficult, but my wife [Pashmeen Manchanda] supported me a lot. I don’t know how far I have come, but I am happy in the space that I am in,” says the actor, who is receiving rave reviews for his performance in Kohrra.

In Sudip Sharma’s thriller, Sobti again found the perfect opportunity to challenge himself as an actor. Playing an investigative officer in the murder case of an NRI in Punjab, the actor says he got to bring realism to the screen.

“We wanted to make it as real as possible. In the first few days, I realized that sticking to the script would be the best thing to do. I hate one-tone, intimidating [cop] characters. That is image creation, not acting. The writing was real, so my attempt was to carry that essence,” he says.

Asked if he feels validated for taking risks with his career, Sobti says, “Even if I didn’t make it, I would have been at peace with it. That doesn’t make me a less ambitious person. I am a realist. I believe good things are difficult to hide. If you are good, you will be discovered. If you aren’t discovered, maybe you aren’t good enough,” he shares.