"It is a conscious decision to make 'Sultan of Delhi' look massy for today's audience" - Anjumm Sharma

Actor Anjumm Sharma became the person to watch out for when he made an appearance as Sharad Shukla in Mirzapur Season 1. However, it was in Mirzapur Season 2 that Sharma finally had the chance to be one of the primary characters. It had been a while since Sharma appeared in anything else, but now has one of the biggest and most ambitious shows set to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar in the form of Sultan of Delhi.

The show, created by Milan Luthria, is set to premiere on 6th October 2023. In an exclusive at-length conversation with us, we asked Sharma about what he thinks makes Sultan of Delhi stand out from several other mafia shows and if there were any personal checklists or fantasies that he fulfilled while shooting.

Q. In the modern era, Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai is the benchmark when it comes to portraying a stylish gangster drama. Since then, there has been a barrage of content surrounding similar ones, but not much has been delivered. And even then, the sty of a boy rising through the ranks is rather done-and-dusted. While the premise of Sultan of Delhi seems similar, what do you think makes it different? And considering how much has been done surrounding the whole gangster drama genre so far after Once Upon a Time, how is it that Sultan of Delhi is better or gets a little better? 

So, I would give a quick answer on that. The thing is, obviously, I mean, the fact that even two things that have similar kinds of palettes can never be the same because of the interpretation of the director and the making, the sensibilities, and the choices; however similar it may look in a broader stroke, but it can never be exactly same. Having said that, I understand what you're saying. Like Sultan of Delhi, though it's a crime saga, but it is basic. That's the world at the macro level. But deep down, it is about people who are in an environment who are trying to, you know, struggle and have a survival instinct; survive through the conditions and the situations around them - socially, politically, you know, the kind of era where the show is based in. Everybody has a survival story. They are emotional; they are vulnerable. And the whole take of the show is very contemporary. Though the show is set in the 60s, and that was the idea right from the beginning, that though it's a period show, the whole approach in making it and executing it will have to be contemporary so that it connects with the audience of today's day and time. So the conscious decisions of making it classy, making it look appealing, and then the whole, as far as if I can talk about the, you know, about the take as an actor, it's a very humanizing and realistic take as far as portraying the character is concerned. The whole structure and everything are very set in a period drama, but the sensibility and the, and the, you know, the tonality of the performance, if I can say, is very real, and it's very contemporary.

Though the show is set in the 60s, and that was the idea right from the beginning, that though it's a period show, the whole approach in making it and executing it will have to be contemporary so that it connects with the audience of today's day and time.

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Q. What were the kinds of personal checklists, fantasies or dreams?

If I say it was mainly, it was the scene, if you're working with a filmmaker like Milan Luthria, you know the scene would have intensity, it would have drama, and it would be dialogues, there will be style. There will be an image which he would be creating with you, you know, and the only thing which you can bring is your craft to make it, just have fun with all these elements, which he's going to bring personally, plus the show allows, the story allows, which is by Arnab Ray, you know, the slow, the story allows the images to take those shapes. So you, you know, as an actor can just have fun with those dialogues that you deliver them in the correct essence, and you can hold the intensity in the performance, and you can live that character through, you know, with your own interpretation, with your own craft, you just see it through and you know, you hold it through is the only thing which you can do while having a great experience and loving each and every bit of it.

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