Mithila Palkar on Vir Das’ acting tip for ‘Happy Patel’: ‘I knew I was in safe hands’

Mithila Palkar, seen in the recently released ‘Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos’, credited Vir Das with changing the way she approaches her work on set. He told her to block out worries about timing and punchlines and instead give her full attention to the written lines.

That single piece of advice, she said, opened up a fresh layer of confidence and ability in her performance.

Mithila Palkar recalls Vir Das’ guidance on comedy

During a conversation with IANS, Mithila said, “What he helped me with was that he said, ‘Don’t overthink it. I have to make people laugh right now. You’re not, it’s not your job as Roopa to make people laugh. People will laugh with you when you say your lines’. Like I said earlier, he said, ‘Don’t play that comedy. Say the lines, the comedy will happen’.

So that was really helpful."

Feeling supported and guided on set

She added, “Yeah, it’s a different genre, but I’m still an actor and I’m still doing what I know how to do and what to do. So that definitely helped. I feel like who better than Vir Das to guide you through the comedy genre. So I knew I was in safe hands. Even if I got lost somewhere, they would bring me back on track. So it was good. So there were times when we would just riff off each other, even on set. So it was a lot of fun."

Mithila Palkar's web series success to films

Mithila is widely recognized for her performances across television, web series, and Hindi films. Trained in theatre and acting, she first gained popularity through the digital space. Her breakthrough came with web series like ‘Little Things’ and ‘Girl in the City’, which played a vital role in shaping India’s early web content landscape. Eventually, she transitioned to films, appearing in ‘Karwaan’ and ‘Chopsticks’.

She has also worked in Marathi cinema with projects like ‘Muramba’.