Actor Pankaj Sharma, who is best known for his work in ‘Dahan’ released on Disney+ Hotstar, ‘Farzi’ directed by Raj & DK, and MX Player's show 'Beta Settle Kab Hoyega', is set to feature as an STF officer in UP based series titled 'UP 77'.
The actor recently got candid about his role and working experience in the series. He added, "I am Playing an STF officer who is an encounter specialist and my fictional name is Shikhar Rana. In the series, I am known for being strict and Firm about my work."
Sharing about how he prepped for the character, he mentioned,"When I came to know about my role, I started watching a couple of videos of past encounters and later on, came across the real STF officer’s interviews whose role was being played by me. I often used to sit and listen to him and the way he thinks, talks and operates. I worked on my body language and other required skills to be that tough officer. It really helped me get into the skin of that character and I hope I have done justice to it.”
“Also, Chanakya, who is our creative producer, really helped us in the research work and explaining about the real incidents and graphics. We were trying to figure out the best look for the main primary characters, for that we approached a quite talented makeup designer Payal Bhatia, who has already designed my look in ‘Dahan’. She came on board and designed mine and Vikram Kochhar’s look for the show. I hope I have done justice to it."
Giving insights about the show, he said, "It’s a real life story based on a Kanpur’s Gangster who died in an encounter. The whole journey of how brutal he was and how the STF officer and his team caught him is shown and is very interesting."
Talking about his working experience in the series, Pankaj stated, "Honestly, it was an amazing experience working in ‘UP 77’. We shot in real and raw live locations as well as studios which added depth to the major sequences. The live locations were mainly typical villages in UP where the villagers were extremely supportive. The whole cast and crew were superb and hard working. It always felt like home. Every one in the cast is talented and mostly they all are trained actors from theatre background and mainly from either FTII or NSD. The primary characters are played by me and Vikram Kochhar. He is a great co-actor to work with."
