Moving away from the crime scene of eastern Uttar Pradesh in Mirzapur, where he played gangster Munna Tripathi, Divyenndu now brings the complexities of toxic masculinity to Haryana’s fiercely competitive boxing circuit. In Glory, he plays Dev, the estranged son of celebrated boxing coach Raghubir Singh (played by Suvinder Vicky), under whose guidance Dev has grown to resent both the sport and his father’s obsession with legacy.
For Divyendu, the first step to play the character was not to feel sorry for him, but understand his inner world. “Dev carries deep emotional baggage of our society, where men are conditioned not to express themselves,” he says. “You feel sorry for such characters, but when you play them, you cannot judge them. You have to understand their perspective. It does take a toll on you, but I enjoy it. Somewhere, these characters find me too.”
When the murder of a close family member forces Dev to return home, the series unfolds as both a murder investigation and an exploration of boxing’s brutal ecosystem. Glory, Divyendu believes, once again captures audiences’ growing appetite for stories rooted in lived realities and social complexities, often told through morally grey characters. “Audiences understand where a character is coming from now,” he says. “We are no longer telling them, ‘This is the hero, the symbol of sacrifice and valour.’ They want protagonists to feel like real people, one among us, and that has found acceptance.”
The emotional weight of Dev came naturally, but the physical transformation proved tougher. Divyenndu had to gain weight and train extensively for action sequences. “All the pain and anger inside Dev found an outlet in the action scenes,” he laughs. “It was exciting to unleash that rage on screen.”
The film, Divyendu believes, once again captures audiences’ growing appetite for stories rooted in lived realities and social complexities, often told through morally grey characters
The 42-year-old actor’s journey since Pyaar Ka Punchnama has been steadily rewarding. After supporting roles in films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, streaming platforms transformed his career trajectory, with performances in Mirzapur, The Railway Men, and Madgaon Express making him popular.
As creators compete for shrinking attention spans through darker genres and violent storytelling, Divyenndu sees the trend as reflective of society itself. “Maybe this violence is just society showing up in another form,” he says. “Action films are a genre, and there is nothing wrong with that. What matters is what you take away from it. We are looking at an ugly face in the mirror and not liking it.”
Divyenndu will next be seen opposite Ram Charan in Peddi, but says his focus remains on chasing unfamiliar worlds and stories. “Let’s be fearless,” he says. “Let’s go out there and be part of different kinds of stories and character worlds.”