Pallav Singh, the breakthrough star of Mirzapur 3, talks candidly about his incredible journey from the realm of engineering to the big screen in an exclusive interview with The Pioneer. Pallav is well-known for his eerie depiction of Shayar Raheem
AARTI SREENATH
In the labyrinth alleys of Mirzapur, where chaos reigns and loyalties are fleeting, one figure has etched his name into the diaspora of Indian web series with verses as sharp as his wit. Pallav Singh, who breathed life into the enigmatic character Shayar Raheem in Mirzapur 3, is far from a conventional actor. His journey is as compelling as the character he plays, an engineer turned artist whose words have the power to linger long after they’re spoken. His portrayal of Shayar Raheem was not merely about delivering lines; it was about the rhythm and cadence that transformed those lines into something unforgettable.
“You gave me the cue to answer the question,” he says, almost instinctively. “The lines were impactful intrinsically. I just had to step away from their way.” For him, shayari is more than just poetry; it’s a medium that compresses emotions into metered verses, leaving just enough space for the audience to project their imaginations. “What we fill in is always more powerful,” he adds, highlighting the art of saying more with less. But before the world of shayari and cinema beckoned, he was entrenched in the logical world of engineering at the Manipal Institute of Technology. His transition from constructing equations to constructing characters might seem like a leap, but for him, it was a natural progression.
“Engineering is equational and logical. You have to put one brick after another in the best proportions to build a stable structure,” he reflects. It’s this methodical approach that he carried into acting, where each layer of a character is meticulously crafted. “The most important lesson I’ve learned is that we need a good mix of intensity and consistency.”
The depth of Raheem’s roles speaks volumes about his dedication. From playing a Down Syndrome patient in Mai to a homosexual man in Taj: Divided By Blood, he’s drawn to characters that challenge him and push him to explore the unfamiliar. “The extraterrestrial nature of these characters compared to my personality compelled me to explore more about their lives, the differences and the similarities with myself,” he shares. This desire to delve into the unknown, to stretch the limits of his own experiences, is what makes his performances resonate so deeply with audiences. Being part of a historical drama like Taj presented a unique challenge. He found himself navigating not just physical, mental and psychological spaces but a new, ‘historical’ space as well.
“One has to be careful not to play into the clichéd mould of historical portrayals,” he warns. Yet, the experience was markedly different from his work on Mirzapur. “The difference is that Taj didn’t have the flowery abuses Raheem has and if I had killed Lala in the Taj era, I would’ve been paid in gold coins,” he quips with a smile. His influences are as diverse as his roles. From Kader Khan to Hugh Grant, from Olivia Coleman to Tabu, his list of inspirations is both eclectic and extensive. “From each, I learn something different—flamboyance from some, craft from others and wildness from the rest,” he notes. It’s this amalgamation of styles and influences that has shaped his own unique approach to acting. Balancing the emotional intensity of his roles with his personal life is no easy feat, but he has found his own way. “Diving into the emotionality of a character has some rub-off into personal life,” he admits.
After a long day on set, it’s his close circle of friends who help him disconnect and return to himself. “They make a fuss and humiliate the hell out of the character, like all friends do. They’re the mad hatters I need,” he laughs. His journey through Mirzapur has been filled with both intense moments and lighter ones. He recalls the feeling of leaving a part of himself behind after wrapping up his last shot for Mirzapur 3. “It strangely felt saddening. But when the bank account got credited, I felt happy again,” he says with a grin, perfectly encapsulating the bittersweet nature of his work. Navigating the digital space as an actor comes with its own set of challenges, but he is determined to remain authentic. “I still don’t have very stark boundaries between my personal and professional life on social media,” he confesses. But he’s optimistic about maintaining a light-footed, candid approach to the digital world, trusting that his audience will allow him the space to evolve.
Looking to the future, he is eager to explore genres that blend realism with fantasy, drawing from his love for stylised, escapist cinema. “I was drawn to cinema by escapist, stylised, fantastical and action films, whether it be Karan Johar Sir’s films or those by Tarkovsky and Almodóvar,” he says. He envisions a future where Indian cinema is recognised as the best and most potent form of entertainment, both creatively and financially.
