Sandeepa Dhar Credits Aatish Kapadia for Her Chumbak Comedy Turn
Sandeepa Dhar says a random call from the Chumbak team led her to her first comedy role, and Aatish Kapadia's theatrical narration sealed the deal.
Netflix’s Chumbak has been winning attention for its offbeat characters and situational comedy. Sandeepa Dhar, who plays Kiran in the ensemble, says she almost could not see herself in the genre. Her entry into the show came from an unexpected call, and her performance took shape under creator-director Aatish Kapadia.
A comedy test she never expected
Sandeepa said the first call arrived on “a random Thursday.” The director told her Netflix and JD–Aatish were making a show together and asked her to test for a comedy role. She remembered thinking, “Me? Comedy?” because she had never really done comedy before. Then she read the scene and found it hilarious.
The narration that sealed it
Meeting Aatish Kapadia was the deciding factor. He narrated the show to her while playing all the characters himself, which Sandeepa said felt “almost like watching a play.” She described him as a brilliant actor apart from being a director, and said she immediately felt she had to be part of the show.
Playing the sane one in a madhouse
Kiran is not one of the show’s loudest characters; she is the grounded presence. Sandeepa said the difficulty lies in creating humour through reactions. Kiran responds to situations the way many viewers would, with an unspoken “What the hell is happening?”
But the reactions had to stay controlled. She said overdoing them would make the performance feel gimmicky, so she discussed the balance with Aatish. He wrote Kiran deliberately as the sane person in a madhouse.
Why Kiran matters to the comedy
In an ensemble built on chaos, Kiran works as the audience’s anchor. Her grounded responses make the eccentric behaviour around her land, and her restraint keeps the humour believable on repeat. That kind of role is often called the straight man in comedy: the character whose sanity makes the madness funnier.
- A random Thursday call led Sandeepa to her first comedy audition.
- Aatish Kapadia’s theatrical narration convinced her to sign on.
- Kiran’s controlled reactions ground the show’s chaotic energy.
- Her performance relies on balance, not broad comedy.
For viewers, Kiran is the character to watch when the chaos gets too fast: her reaction shots are small moments of release. Sandeepa’s pivot into comedy also mirrors a broader OTT trend, where actors use streaming to explore genres the big screen rarely offered them.
Source: Bollywood Hungama
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