You’ve seen him light up the screen in Mismatched, Campus Diaries, Hello Mini and more — but there’s so much more to Abhinav Sharma than just the characters he plays. Warm, witty and wonderfully grounded, he brought the same energy to Hyderabad with External Affairs. The actor sat down with CE for a warm, honest, and unfiltered chat about it all.
Excerpts
How does it feel to be in Hyderabad and perform here?
It feels great to be back because the last time we were here, we were shooting for a show called Mismatched. We were living in Gachibowli and were shooting at Woxsen University, which is just outside the city, so we didn’t really get to see much of Hyderabad. This time, even though we’re here just for a day, we’re excited to hopefully meet some fun people and finally experience the wonderful hospitality.
Your favourite local food from the city?
I was in Lucknow for a month for another show before coming to Hyderabad, and I had all the biryani I could while I was there. Then, just a month later, Mismatched started in Hyderabad, and of course, I had biryani here too. I’ve always loved biryani, and while my mum makes the yummiest mutton biryani, I genuinely think Hyderabadi biryani edges hers, which honestly says a lot. It really does. (laughs)
In External Affairs, you switch characters frequently. How do you manage to do these quick transitions on stage and how do you prepare for them?
Nothing really changes, I think you just keep it simple. That’s been my approach to work, no matter what part I’m playing. I feel we take a lot from real life because, in a way, we all play multiple parts every day. It’s like what Prajakta’s character says in the play — aren’t we all performing? That’s a reflection of real life too. So whether Garima Yajnik and I are switching roles on stage or in life, it all connects. Performing live is different from acting on camera because there are no retakes. If you mess up, you learn from it. You get one chance, and you have to trust yourself. That’s why I feel theatre is an actor’s medium, while filmmaking is a director’s medium. This is why I feel an actor learns their basics in the theatre.
Looking back on your journey, what challenges have you faced along the way and how did you overcome them?
Honestly, I don’t think my struggles or anything I’ve gone through is any different from anyone else’s, so I’ve never been one to glorify them. Acting, to me, is actually the easiest job on set compared to what the technical department or other departments do. But the toughest part of this journey, especially after moving from Delhi to Mumbai, has always been the evening phone calls to my mum. Those calls are the most difficult when there’s no good news to share, because all a parent really wants is for their child to be happy and doing well, especially when they’re in a different city and are in the acting business. Even if you’re surrounded by people, you can still feel alone but I’m lucky to have friends like Taaruk Raina, who has been my friend since school and am glad that he is also in Mumbai. But as tough as it is to make those phone calls back home, I feel those calls can also be beautiful — when things go well, and I get to tell my mum I had a good day, the celebration makes it all worth it.
Before getting on stage, is there any ritual that you follow?
Mentally and physically, we all have our own ways of getting ready. Some of us do vocal warm-ups, others stretch or move around just to feel loose and ready to go. But as a group, we always come together for a little huddle, like a family, and wish each other good luck. I also keep a small Ganeshji in my pocket, and before we perform — Garima, Prajakta, Taaruk, Ahsaas and I — we quickly take blessings from Ganeshji and then head out. One thing we’ve always stood by is never taking the audience for granted. We truly value the fact that people choose to come and watch us. Even when we make mistakes, we do everything with love. We just want people to have the best time, because that’s what they come for, and we go out there to give them exactly that.
Future projects.
I’m doing a film with Shashank Khaitan called Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, along with Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Rohit Suresh Saraf, Sanya Malhotra and some other wonderful actors, and it’s going to be a fun film. I also did a show called Campus Diaries and hopefully we start shooting for season two soon. As of now, there’s nothing else to announce, but hopefully good things are on the way.