Interview | Malik Kafur and Alauddin Khilji were a good pair of sociopaths: Jim Sarbh

While Ranveer Singh has walked away with laurels for his evil turn as Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat, there’s another actor who has been getting rave reviews for his stellar performance as the Sultan’s slave, Malik Kafur. We are talking about Jim Sarbh, who as Malik, perfectly complements Khilji with his dark thoughts and undertones of lust for his master. The scenes between Ranveer and Jim stand out in the film and the two share an amazing chemistry, especially in the song Binte Dil! Here Jim takes us through his journey in the film, his interpretation of the character, and how one can see Alauddin Khilji, the man, through Malik Kafur’s eyes.

Amidst stars like Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, your performance has stood out in Padmaavat. When you were offered the role of Malik Kafur, what were your thoughts?

I was excited to be a part of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. I was excited to act with Ranveer, who I heard was a great co-actor. Ranveer also mentioned, at our first meeting, that he suggested me for the role, which gave me the confidence as we mutually admired each other. I enjoyed the audition scene, Sanjay sir spoke with a lot of love for the character, as did the entire team working on the project. When I read the script, I could see why.

How did you interpret the character and what was your approach to the role? 

I thought of him as a lithe, fierce black panther, who slinks around with his big, grizzled tiger, master Alauddin Khilji. He is a slave, who has hit the jackpot. He doesn’t take people very seriously. He finds them amusing and their very obvious, silly motivations. He’s like the fool, cavorting around with kings and queens, irreverent and if so commanded, deadly.

Ranveer Singh said that you enhanced his performance in Padmaavat. What do you have to say to that? 

His performance would have been groovy with or without me. However, sometimes, I feel the only times we can truly see Alauddin Khilji, the man, is through Malik Kafur’s eyes. Ranveer is a wonderful co-actor, the kind of actor where we are always hoping to strike magic. Sometimes we did, sometimes we didn’t, but the attempt was always there. 

He is always bringing new ideas and fresh energy to the set, and he was always kind and supportive of me. I would be messing up takes, over and over again, somehow not cracking the moment, and he would not bat an eyelid. If he was frustrated, he didn’t let me feel it, he shielded me from it, and instead was supportive and showed he believed in me. What more can you ask for? I felt my character could easily understand his principles, because I was a version of him, just born in very different circumstances. 

Kafur was also extremely ambitious, dangerous, and was not bound by the same morals and scruples as the people around them. A good pair of sociopaths.

From Neerja, Raabta to Padmaavat, you have grabbed attention with your performance. So far which role of yours did you find more challenging?

Each had their own challenges, really. Neerja was hard because it was so intense, for such a short burst; like a serious sprint. Raabta was more like a triathlon, a little running, a little cycling, a little swimming. Padmaavat was like a serious marathon.

Going ahead, what are the kind of roles that you would like to do? 

Interesting, complex ones. What kind would you like to see me in?

How do you balance films and theatre? Which medium do you enjoy more and why?

Well, since the film work has picked up, I haven’t done any new theatre, just continued to act in the shows that were already up and running. I enjoy the power of a live performance, but I prefer the medium of film, on the whole. I am only just starting to learn the technical aspects of film acting — I think Padmaavat has been essential in that regard — and I hope to continue to explore playing around with my slowly growing knowledge of the power of the frame. 

That said, I hope to do a play later this year, around May, with one of my favourite directors of all time, Rehaan Engineer. The text he has chosen, as usual, is gorgeous: the kind that makes you sit up as you read, because you can’t help imagining playing it out, because you are grappling with a mysterious sentence, the intention of which is still hidden from you on first read. Fingers crossed.

Which films will you be seen in next?

The Sanjay Dutt biopic releases in June, in which I have quite a bombastic part, so I am very interested in seeing how that plays out. I have a day left on Made in Heaven, a web series helmed by Zoya Akhtar and Nitya Mehra, which I have enjoyed working on for the last few months. I am also in a web series called Smoke, and am wondering when that will see the light of day. I have also acted in a film called Teen Aur Aadha, directed by Dar Gai, with Zoya Hussain. I am hoping that receives a theatrical release, because it is a very sensitive and beautiful script. Three stories occurring in the same house, the same room, are told with three long takes, each about 30-40 minutes long.