Tanmay Nagar on his Pushpa Impossible character: He is neither your typical hero nor villain

Tanmay Nagar

Tanmay Nagar initially auditioned for another role. While he didn't get the part, the makers of the Karuna Pandey-starrer Pushpa Impossible had a good impression of him. Months later, without another audition, they roped him in to play Arjun Shikhawat - the love interest of the protagonist's young daughter, Rashi (played by Deshna Dugad). "We did a mock shoot before the actual shoot. I had initially auditioned for the role of Prabhas, which Bhavya Gandhi later played. So when this character came to me, I didn't have to test for it," he shares.

A still from Pushpa Impossible

Nagar claims that while his character seemed to have been loosely "modelled on Shahid Kapoor's Kabir Singh [2019]," the makers won't call him a hero. He says, "He is a perfectionist, and honest but has anger issues and is aggressive. Any minor incident could trigger his anger, which he corrects after realising his mistake. He is neither your typical hero nor villain." The actor believes that Arjun feels more real as he has both positive and negative attributes, and as the show progresses, viewers will connect with him. "We all wear a mask in society and have a bit of negativity in us. Arjun has his own parameters of right and wrong; he is not worried about rubbing people the wrong way. His childhood trauma manifests as anger and rigidity in adulthood. We don't showcase him as a hero when he is wrong - it was a conscious effort not to portray him as one in those scenarios. I didn't have to prepare much for the role," he adds. While he is set to play the character for five to six months, he is positive that his role will be extended if the audience connects with and loves it.