'Agni': Playing with fire

In Rahul Dholakia’s upcoming Prime Video film Agni, Divyenndu plays a corrupt cop who is always at loggerheads with his firefighter brother-in-law, played by Pratik Gandhi. The two pass casual taunts at each other on every occasion.

In real life, however, the actors get on well and share their experience of working with each other with us. This is their second outing together after the hilarious buddy-comedy Madgaon Express, which was released earlier this year. Agni was shot before Madgaon Express.

“It was love, sorry, friendship at first sight,” Divyenndu says with a laugh and then adds lightheartedly, “It took me some time to like him but it eventually happened.” Pratik responds with a quip: “When you know that the other person is taking so much time to like you, then you have to go all out.”

A good vibe

Pratik feels that having an off-screen bond helps while performing on-screen. “Agni is somewhat of a serious film whereas Madgaon Express was more lighthearted. Yet, in both the films, we had to perform sincerely and having that comfort was useful,” he says. For Divyenndu, playing a cop in Agni was way easier than his flamboyant high-pitched character in the Kunal Kemmu directorial.

“Doing comedy and getting that timing right every time from different camera angles is really tough,” he says. Although Divyenndu started his career as an actor by playing lighter, comedic roles, it was his portrayal as the hyper-violent gangster Munna in Mirzapur that got him the spotlight.

He feels that while playing characters who are on the extreme end of morality, it is important not to judge them. “You have to see the vulnerability in them,” he says. “At times it is nice to throw morality out of the way and just be that raw, animal energy.”

However, the world of Agni isn’t as dark. In the film, Divyenndu and Pratik play characters in uniform with differing worldviews and contrasting goals. Divyenndu shares that it is important to respect people in uniform but at the same time, it is crucial not to over-romanticise them.

“It is important to represent them correctly by trying to understand where they are coming from, be it their working conditions, their psychology or how they live,” he says. Pratik says in agreement, “We wanted to explore their human side as firefighters are battling fire outside and also in their personal lives,” he says.

Saiyami Kher also plays a fire brigade officer, investigating a series of arson incidents across Mumbai in the film. There are scenes where she goes into the fire to rescue people, wearing safety gear and firefighting equipment. All of that required intensive training. “We didn’t want to look like actors, we wanted to look like actual firefighters.

For that, it is important to know how to hold the water pipe and where your weight transfer should be, as it throws you back,” she says. The actor has undergone physical training earlier as well for films like Mirzya (2016) or more recently in Ghoomer. “It is exciting for me to learn something new with every film,” she says.

Filling a gap

The idea to make a film about firefighters came from Dholakia, who last directed the Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster Raees (2017). He found it rather strange that there have been no films made about firefighters’ lives in Hindi cinema.

“We read about them, we see them, but we don’t really recognise them,” he says, adding that meeting firefighters and their families opened up a new world for him. “I felt like it was my duty to tell their story. At the same time, I didn’t want to be patronising or preachy about it,” he says.

Agni is also his first film to be directly released on OTT. Rahul feels that making an OTT film is more challenging as people have the power to pause it at any time while watching. “In theatres, you don’t have that power. Therefore, the film needs to be engaging, entertaining, and gripping enough,” he says.

The director gets nervous during the test screening of his films as he sees people reacting to it. “When I see them taking out their phones in between, it makes me anxious,” he says. “I don’t want to see anyone getting distracted while watching my film. So, I better make a good one,” he says in conclusion.

This article is written by Shreyas Pande