Tigmanshu Dhulia is known for crafting narratives where characters resist easy labels of hero and villain. His new film, ‘Ghamasaan’, draws from real-life events and centres on two men: Maharaj (Arshad Warsi), a notorious dacoit chief, and Aditya (Pratik Gandhi), a Special Task Force officer determined to bring him to justice. Recently, Dhulia spoke about working with his lead actors, how the characters of Maharaj and Aditya were shaped, and why deliberately keeping the two apart on screen ended up strengthening the film.
Building tension without a single shared scene
Speaking to The Free Press Journal about the fact that Arshad and Pratik never shared a single day of shooting, Tigmanshu was asked how he managed to build tension between Maharaj and Aditya despite this. He explained, “Interestingly, we shot both of them separately. Arshad and Pratik never shot a single day together, which was actually quite appropriate for the nature of the story. Maharaj and Aditya are constantly connected by the conflict between them, but they never really come face-to-face. So, instead of creating tension through direct interaction between the actors, we built it through their individual journeys, actions, and the consequences of those actions. In a way, keeping them apart helped preserve the sense of anticipation and made their conflict more intriguing.”
What Arshad Warsi brought to Maharaj
On the subject of what Arshad Warsi brought to the role of Maharaj, Tigmanshu shared, “I have always believed that Arshad is a very gifted and uninhibited actor. He has the ability to bring a lot of restraint to a performance while still making the character extremely impactful. With Maharaj, he brought a sense of ruthlessness, but at the same time there was dignity and control in the way he played him. That combination gave the character a very strong presence. He brought certain nuances to Maharaj that made the character much more powerful and compelling on screen.”
About ‘Ghamasaan’
‘Ghamasaan’ builds up to the clash audiences have been waiting for, with Aditya and Maharaj finally coming face-to-face in a tense, violent finish. Still, the last portion of the film races through a lot of events, and a few parts of the story could have used more time to develop. Even so, the ending gives ‘Ghamasaan’ something more than just a standard cops-and-criminals tale. Maharaj may be gone, but the political backing and system-level support that kept his empire running suggest the bigger fight is still not over. The film is now streaming on ZEE5.
