Nishant Singh on Giving Shiv Kulkarni His Best in Drishyam
Nishant Singh on playing Shiv Kulkarni in Drishyam 2 and Drishyam: The Conclusion, trusting the writing, and acting with conviction instead of fear.
The cop who plays to lose
In the Drishyam universe, everyone who moves against Vijay Salgaonkar eventually has to explain how they were outsmarted. Nishant Singh’s Shiv Kulkarni is different only in how willingly he walks into that trap. Introduced as an undercover presence in Drishyam 2, Shiv is revealed at the interval to have been bugging Vijay for two years. Drishyam: The Conclusion then opens the backstory further: how he picked up the plot while working as a real estate agent, and how Jenny, now his wife, completes the picture.
Staying an actor on a franchise set
Talking to Filmfare, Nishant says the character’s arc was “very thoughtfully written,” so he did not have to build it alone. As a writer and director himself, he had to resist the reflex to edit scenes in his head. “I was having too much fun living the character,” he adds, explaining that he chose to focus on being an actor and give his best to Shiv Kulkarni.
He did joke with Ajay, Abhishek, Aamil, Tabu and Prakash Raj about switching sides, since Vijay always wins. But he kept those writer’s thoughts to himself and trusted the team’s vision.
What the preparation taught him
Born in Bihar and playing a cop in a Goan-Maharashtrian world, Nishant credits his training at Mumbai University’s Academy of Theatre Arts for bringing him closer to Marathi culture. A few experiences stood out:
- Playing Sambhaji in the Marathi play Raigadala Jevha Jaag Yete, including reading two Marathi books to prepare.
- Around 60 shows of the Marathi play Kaay Danger Vaara Sutla Aahe.
- A 73-episode daily soap that taught speed and consistency.
Conviction, not embarrassment
In a thriller where the audience knows more than the police, Nishant argues that looking one step behind is part of the design. “The film is not so much about what happens as it is about how it happens,” he says. So he stopped worrying about whether Shiv looks foolish and focused on playing Shiv’s belief in catching Vijay. “If Shiv is outsmarted, that’s part of the story,” he says. “The audience gets to enjoy the cleverness of Vijay’s moves, while I get to live Shiv’s conviction.”
The bigger win
For fans, the interview is a reminder that the franchise’s cops are not just obstacles. Shiv gets a past, a plan and a wife, which makes him one of the series’ most memorable pursuers. For anyone working in films, Nishant’s method is the takeaway: absorb the local rhythm, trust the script, and do not watch your character from outside.
Source: Filmfare
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