‘I was thrilled when Omung called me’

Darshan Kumar seems to have had a good run in films so far. His portrayal as a doting husband in the National Award-winning film Mary Kom was widely appreciated and then he surprised everyone with his cold-blooded villainous turn in the highly critically acclaimed NH10. Darshan will now be seen next in Omung Kumar’s much-talked about biopic Sarbjit. He will be playing Khalid Pervaiz, a Pakistani lawyer who left no stone unturned to get justice for Sarbjit. Khalid Pervaiz was more than a friend and a brother to Sarbjit and was a major support for his sister Dalbir Kaur’s fight to free him from the Pakistani jail. The actor says that it is his most challenging role so far.

After working with Priyanka Chopra in Mary Kom and Anushka Sharma in NH10, Darshan will be seen sharing the screen with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for the first time. Ash plays Sarbjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur while Randeep Hooda essays the role of Sarbjit.

Speaking of how he landed the role, Darshan says, “The day when Omung called me and said that he wanted me to do the film and even narrated the role, I was thrilled. But at that time I was out of town shooting for another film, so I could only confirm when I got back.”

His director has only good things to say about him. “Darshan Kumar is a brilliant actor. He was outstanding in my previous film Mary Kom. When I started working on my second biopic Sarbjit, I was certain that I needed an exceptionally good actor who would do full justice for the part of the lawyer. It’s a complex character and the subject is very intense. I had Darshan in mind for the part, so I gave him a call and narrated the role to him. After hearing it he said yes instantly. And he added that he would do anything for me because of the sheer respect he has for me. This really touched my heart.”