Abhilash Thapaliyal reveals why Taapsee Pannu sent him Blurr script after he had already shot for his part

Abhilash Thapaliyal moved to Mumbai with the dream of playing one of the characters on The Kapil Sharma Show but has now delivered two films and a web series this year. From playing a hopeless romantic in Raksha Bandhan to returning with a serious role in Blurr and a drunkard in Faddu, Abhilash showed quite the range on screen this year. The radio jockey has surely come a long way from impressing with just his voice to trying his hand at comedy and then moving to films and shows. Also read: Pavail Gulati on Faadu shoot: Mosquitoes, foul smell from drain was bothering us, then it became our home

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Abhilash says he is yet to feel satisfied as an actor. “That will be when I get to chose stories. I am still auditioning and relying on people to see me. I want to do good stories but my struggles still continue. I am still not in a position to say okay or not okay to scripts,” he says.

Abhilash has quite a story to tell when it comes to starring in Blurr. He got to read the script after he had already shot for his part. It revolves around a partially blind girl who goes on to find the truth behind the mysterious death of her twin sister. Taapsee Pannuhas a dual role of the twin sisters in the film.

Opening up about how he landed the role of the antagonist in the suspense thriller, he says, “When Taapsee told me about making her production debut, I expressed my desire to star in it. She had told me that if I clear the audition, I will get a part. I got the role of a hotel manager and went to Nainital for the day-long shoot. When I came back from Nainital, Taapsee called me to say that she is sending me the script to read. I said I have already played the part, what will I do with the script now. She told me that director Ajay Bahl wanted me to play the antagonist. I went on to shoot for that role then and travelled to and fro from Delhi to Nainital as my mom had a heart surgery. That part (of a hotel manager) was then shot with someone else.”

Both Blurr and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s web series Faadu released on the same day, December 9. While Blurr arrived on ZEE5, Faadu released on SonyLIV. Abhilash plays lead actor Pavail Gulati’s drunkard brother on the show. However, he doesn’t drink in real life and tried to do method acting before giving it up.

Talking about how he went on to portray Roxy in Faadu, he says, “What I had auditioned was about a person who was already rehabilitated. I got the part in Faadu but then ‘haalat kharab hogai (my condition was terrible)’. I don’t know how one behaves after being drunk. I didn’t want to play the part like it was seen before in films and on TV. I wanted to create my own version of Roxy because there is a reason for why he drinks all day. Two days before the shoot, I had three tequila shots at home and called up my friends to understand how to do method acting. I don’t remember what happened that day. It didn’t work out for me. I had seen my friends and my father drink and picked some nuances from them, as well as some from Roxy’s journey.”

Abhilash continues to work as a radio jockey in Mumbai in evening shift while he goes for auditions during the day. He is currently working on a show with NH10 director Navdeep Singh and also has second season of Aspirants. He will also be seen in the role of a commentator in Amit Sharma’s Maidaan, starring Ajay Devgn in the lead role.