In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, renowned TV personality Harman Singha, discussed playing Dhruv in Potluck, what season 2 has got to offer to the audience, the two people who are solely responsible for keeping the cast intact, the role of improvisation on the sets and the bond he shares with Cyrus Sahukar.
Amartya Smaran
Post the incredible success of Potluck season 1, Sony LIV’s Potluck 2 is cooking up to premiere on February 24.The comedy web series amassed a great following and the cast in particular seems to be more excited than anyone else.
Potluck is a familial sitcom and from the trailer of season 2, it is safe to say that things are going to get a lot more dramatic and funnier in the Shastri household.The Pioneer connected with Harman Singha, who discussed playing Dhruv, what season 2 has got to offer to the audience, the two people who are solely responsible for keeping the cast intact, the role of improvisation on the sets and the bond he shares with Cyrus Sahukar.
Harman says, compared to season 1, the audience will get to witness the journey of each character up close. Hinting at what season 2 has got to offer, he said, “This time the women of the family will take centre stage.There is the same love and humour that we saw in season 1 , but this time we see a little depth into each character’s journey.”
TV shows or web series demand a lot from actors. For instance, you play a particular character– let’s say in 2019 and you’re done and dusted with season 1. Now the show is a mega hit and everyone wants season 2 and there you go, after a break of one or two years, you must go back to the character and pull off the same thing. It could be tough. However, for some actors like Harman, things are not really difficult.
Why! you ask? The artist explained, “Playing Dhruv has been so much fun, I can really be relaxed when I have to slip into this character again and again because he is very close to me on my best behaviour. If I was nice all the time, I would be Dhruv , he as a character is the purest one along with being the most loving towards his wife and family.”
If there’s one thing that Potluck fans love, it’s the camaraderie that the cast members share on screen. Imagine you have to act like family but the other actors don’t really put in the effort to make friends with you on the set! That’s an actors’ nightmare but Harman was lucky in the sense that he landed in the company of friendly collaborators on the sets of Potluck.
“All the credit goes to Gaurav Lulla , Pavneet Gakhal who are the brains behind the show and have cast the show beautifully,” expressed Harman speaking of the great bond he shares with the actors on the screen. “We all got along from day 1 and the bond kept getting thicker over the last 2 years.”
The best actor’s are the ones who can be spontaneous. Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, for example, is a master of spontaneity. Reading the script and delivering the lines is good, but what are you adding to the scene as an actor?
For example, this is what legendary comedian and filmmaker Woody Allen had to say about stand-up comics being good actors as a result of acquiring spontaneity on stage, “Most stand-up comics can act well because they are so used to being spontaneous on the stage. It’s really hard out there. You’ve just got to be funny and once you’re on the set to act where you can do things at your own pace, it’s a lot easier. They’re naturally funny and they can pull off the scenes well.”
In a sitcom like Potluck, it’s really important to be super spontaneous.Does Harman Singha improv on the set? “I do improvise a lot on Potluck, I rewrite my dialogues and sometimes I rewrite the entire scene on set because you can never take the writer out of me. This is the only show where I have complete freedom to do so thanks to Rajshree , my director.”
Speaking of the one special scene that’s going to resonate with women, he said, “Kitu ma’am entering a beauty pageant and the varied reactions of the entire family on the dining table is a fabulous moment in the show, it’s a very powerful thought as well that will resonate with a lot of ladies.”
At one point, Harman Singha was a huge fan of his co-actor, Cyrus Sahukar. Looks like Harman shares a fantastic bond with Cyrus, “He and my brother used to work together back in the day in MTV and I was always in awe of him. I was one of the biggest Cyrus Sahukar fans all along the way and then to play his younger brother on this show felt like a true blessing.”
