Manu Rishi Chadha, who has been acting in various roles in films for the past 24 years, is preparing to change his image. In the Netflix drama about war, 'Operation White Ocean,' he plays Parvez Musharraf, the former president of Pakistan and is considered the organizer of the Kargil War. Interestingly, the actor, who was often seen in comedic and improvisational roles, portrayed Musharraf in a very restrained manner.
Rishi shared that he was offered similar roles for a long time. After the success of the film 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!', the creators began constantly inviting him for improvisations. He noted that he sometimes worked simultaneously as a screenwriter and an actor in one picture, but payment was only made for one of these functions.
He shared that at some point, he grew bored of just acting. He felt like he always had to be 'Manu Rishi.'
Upon receiving the role of Musharraf, Manu Rishi first studied his video materials. Later, he also spoke with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Nawaz informed him that during the filming of 'Manto,' he did not have video references of Manto, only photographs and written materials. This helped Rishi understand that instead of simply copying Musharraf, it was crucial to convey the person behind him.
The actor noticed one important detail while studying old videos of Musharraf: he felt that Musharraf was telling the truth, even though his interlocutors knew he was lying. According to Manu Rishi, this contrast was the key element to understanding the character.
To embody the image of Musharraf, Manu Rishi had to control his natural energy. He emphasized that restraint and proper vocal volume are critically important in this role. While reading the script, he decided to take small pauses before each line. He stated, 'I turned all my pauses into a weapon.'
During filming, he did not look at the monitor. He thought that if he made a mistake, he would apologize to the director, but the director reassured him that the performance was going well. Manu Rishi jokingly added that he gets nervous during filming, and when he isn't nervous, big mistakes happen.
When asked what he would do if given the opportunity to work on another part of Musharraf's life, Manu Rishi did not delve into historical books but let his imagination take over. He joked that he would show Musharraf alive, at the moment he realizes his mistakes. Later in the story, there will be a twist with Dawood Ibrahim's return to India, and at the end, he will talk about Dawood's burial in Azamgarh.
Manu Rishi believes that showing the truth through artistic fiction is more interesting than blindly repeating history. The actor, who was held within the confines of comedy and improvisation for many years, is now opening the lid of that very box by playing Musharraf.