"Life is never conquered" - SIKANDER KHER

INTERVIEW

"Life is never conquered"Sikander Kher

Interview By Armin S.

Sikander Kher is an actor who routinely convinces us, entirely, of the character he is playing. With all of the accolades he is receiving for Aarya, it is about time audiences recognize the power and charm of

Sikander Kher as an actor. I have a conversation with him about Aarya, congratulating him on the success of both seasons, and delve into his take on his characters, figuring out the person he is playing, and more.

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INTERVIEW

WHEN YOU ARE GIVEN A CHARACTER, HOW MUCH DO YOU RELY ON YOUR OWN INSTINCTS VERSUS WHAT THE SCRIPT OR THE DIRECTOR HAS GIVEN TO YOU?

Well, if you are talking about Daulat, there was preparations involved. We made a back story together for Daulat. You know who he is and that was exactly the way he was written in the script. He’s in the shadows, he is standing in the corners, he does not talk at all. It is only when it is very necessary. At the same time, if he is the kind of guy who is always quiet and they are capturing his silences, he can’t just be standing quietly. There is still something that is going on in his mind. So his back story becomes really important. His unflinching loyalty to Zorawar, where he actually went ahead and killed Aarya’s husband. But his moral compass is correct. You do see his guilt after he has done that but why was he so loyal? Making a back story for Daulat – Zorawar probably had him around when he was a child and looked after his mother, helped him out throughout. And he went and did something that was probably against him. You can see the guilt that he has throughout because the child, Adi, witnessed that murder. Perhaps, Daulat had a crush on Aarya when both of them were growing up in the same house. That probably developed into love at some point but he is where he is in terms of social status as a help, so he would never cross the line. These things really do play a big part regarding why he is always silent – but there is always a thought process. But you’re right. Every character is in the script, but you collaborate and you talk about the character. You question certain things as well and come up with certain things as well. I try to do that with every character I can’t.

HAS IT EVER HAPPENED THAT YOU DON’T UNDER- STAND A CHARACTER’S MOTIVATIONS INITIALLY BUT BY THE TIME YOU END SHOOTING FOR A SERIES, OR PARTWAY THROUGH IT, YOU UNDERSTAND? OR IS THAT A PRECONDITION TO START TO PLAY THE CHARACTER?

You know, for me, I have never figured out somebody completely, just by reading it. I feel like acting is getting up and being a part of that situation and just doing it. When I put on the costume the character is wearing, when I’m surrounded by the setting the character is in, and then there are the other characters the other actors are playing – most importantly. Then you start to figure out the dynamics between two people, three people, and their thoughts. I’ve never really found the character until I’m on set and I’m doing the scenes. I do need to know the person and who he is – before – but on set, you start to understand how your character will react to something. Then, you start finding it and everyone gets into a groove, and you feed off each other’s energies and others’ personalities.

IF YOU COULD HAVE COFFEE WITH ANY OF THE CHARACTERS YOU HAVE PLAYED IN THE RECENT PAST, WHO WOULD IT BE?

Wow, that’s…I would coffee with Daulat because he doesn’t talk and I talk a lot. Yeah, I think it has to be him.

WHAT WOULD THE THREE QUESTIONS BE THAT YOU WOULD ASK HIM?

I’d say, “hey, what’s up? Why are you like this? Why are you so quiet? Tell me something about your life. I want to know where you come from. What do you like about Aarya? Why are you in love with Aarya so much? What’s going on there? Are you a trained fighter or completely crazy (chuckles)?”

WHO IS A CHARACTER YOU HAVE PLAYED THAT HAS CHALLENGED YOUR THINKING THE MOST?

They all have different aspects to them. They are all so different. I have played a character in Tere Bin Laden – Dead or Alive, a very spoofy, crazy, comedy film. I play a brown guy playing a white guy who becomes a brown guy but there is no thought required in that because it is a crazy film. Daulat made me think a lot because I didn’t have the crutch of a dialogue so for me to find that person was hard – because I do feel like he was a good person from within. I needed to bring that out. I played a Pakistani ISI agent in Romeo Akbar Walter, and at the same time, at no point, making it seem like Pakistanis are villains. I’m just doing my job as an ISI agent. So every character, I question. I go through that process with every character. The beauty of it is that I get to play such a variety. It’s fun and interesting.

“Every character is in the script, but you collaborate and you talk about the character.”

TELL ME WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THE START OF YOUR JOURNEY UNTIL NOW, DO YOU FEEL AT THE CORE, SIKANDER KHER IS STILL THE SAME OR HOW HAS THE PLAYING THESE CHARACTERS IMPACTED WHO YOU ARE NOW?

Characters probably have not impacted me but we are always changing because that’s how life is. I can tell you I was probably a different person last month. I feel like with life, I am always questioning what’s going on. Life is never conquered. If you feel like something is conquered, life will throw you a curveball and you’ll be like “whoa”. All those curveballs, obstacles, those help a lot more for you to learn as you experience adversity. That process of how you respond to those situations helps you learn. But the more of that, the more it helps with the characters. There is more practice, learning a bit more about each character that comes about.

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