Actor Priyanshu Painyuli, who has gradually made a mark in both mainstream and independent cinema, opens up in an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal about a special project that could have changed the course of his career - a film opposite the late legendary actor Irrfan Khan. Unfortunately, the film never saw the light of day due to Irrfan’s cancer diagnosis. What made it more heartbreaking for Priyanshu was the fact that he had already started physical preparations for the role and was eager to share screen space with a legend he deeply admired.
Talking about his shelved film with Irrfan, Priyanshu said, “There was another film with Vishal Bhardwaj that he was making but he stopped because Irrfan sir fell sick. That is one very unfortunate moment for me. I really, really wanted to work with Irrfan sir. Even if it was one scene, I would have loved it. And in that film, I did have many scenes with him. I was supposed to put on weight and look a little aged and I remember for two weeks straight, I ate so much to put on weight. I even grew my beard and moustache to look the part, but unfortunately, the film got shelved.”
The actor also shared other notable near-misses. From losing out on Mirzapur Season 1 to being almost cast in Sacred Games as Kuckoo, he opened up about other rejections too. “I remember during Mirzapur season 1, Vikrant, me and a couple of more actors were shortlisted for Bablu’s role, but then Vikrant got it and I love him, he’s deserving. Even Raghav Juyal’s role in Kill was offered to me, but I was prepping for Pippa back then, so I couldn’t do it. So you miss one, you get some. But if somebody deserving has done it and they’ve done a good job, you like it. I want all of those guys to also collectively do well. But yeah, sometimes when a non-deserving person comes in because of their family connections, we can’t do much. We can only sit there, get angry, channelise it and show them next time.”
He also revealed being in serious contention for the lead in The White Tiger, which eventually went to Adarsh Gourav. “Even I was one of the shortlist for The White Tiger and I met the director for it. I did the makeup test and tried to look the part. It didn’t happen because I looked a little too urban for the role. But when I saw Adarsh in the movie, I felt he fit the bill perfectly. He is a great actor.”
But perhaps the most surprising revelation was that he was almost cast as Kuckoo in Sacred Games, the role that ultimately went to Kubbra Sait. Priyanshu went to extraordinary lengths to prep for it - complete with prosthetics, dance training, and drastic weight loss. “Even for Sacred Games, I auditioned for the role of Kuckoo. It was a great experience. I don’t know what happened but it was a last-minute creative call. Both Kubbra and I were the final two and they were deciding between us. I wore the same costume, same wig, with prosthetic breasts and heels. I also lost weight. I was really thin for a month or two. I even learnt the choreography for Jawani Janeman. At Phantom’s office, we even have footage of me in the full look, dancing in the same outfit Kubbra wore. It took 2–3 hours to get ready. Later, when Kubbra and I met at a screening, she hugged me and said, ‘You looked prettier than me!'"
