Anurag Sinha: The thrill was to act so bad that people hate you in the end

Anurag Sinha’s portrayal of Prakash Kumar in the Emraan Hashmi-starrer Taskaree struck a chord for its mix of authority, vulnerability and moral ambiguity. While audiences found themselves empathising with the character, Sinha insists he never tried to justify his actions.

“There’s certainly no space to morally justify how Prakash Kumar is revealed towards the end,” he says. Still, the response has been overwhelming. The love that is being showered for playing such a character is quite euphoric, and I am so, so grateful.”For the actor, the challenge was to explore the character’s inner wiring rather than soften him. “Prakash Kumar is what he is because of his inherent wiring. For me, it has been an incredible experience to tap into that territory as an actor and bring that human out, regardless of his moral standing.”With talks of Taskaree 2 doing the rounds, Sinha leaves the character’s future to the creators. “I leave that entirely for the makers to decide. And that will be the correct thing for me as an actor to trust,” he says.Reflecting on his journey from earlier roles to Prisoners of War and Taskaree, Sinha calls his choices instinctive. “The choices have been very organic in terms of the dynamism that they bring in their portrayal. At the end of the day, I believe, it will not be about what you did, but how you did it.” For Sinha, playing an antagonist is about stepping into unfamiliar territory. “It is rewarding as an actor to get into spaces where you generally don’t want to venture in real life.

The thrill was also to act so bad that people hate you in the end,” he admits.