Exclusive: State of Siege Temple Attack villain Mridul Das talks about receiving life threat and future

State of Siege: Temple Attack, the Zee5 original movie had its release on July 09, and this Ken Ghosh directorial is receiving unanimously positive reviews from audiences and critics alike. The film has Akshaye Khanna in the lead role, and he played the role of a daring NSG commando in this flick. Another major highlight of this movie is the character portrayed by Mridul Das. 

In the film, Mridul Das portrayed the role of Farooq, a Pakistani terrorist who attacks the Akshardham temple. With impeccable acting skills and spectacular screen presence, Mridul Das has already captured a million hearts, and he is now widely considered the next big thing in Bollywood. 

In an exclusive interaction with International Business Times, Mridul Das opened up about his experience working with the State of Siege: Temple Attack makers, the challenges he faced in his career, and future plans. 

How was it working with the state of siege, especially with a brilliant performer like Akshaye Khanna, and a director like Ken Ghosh?

I bonded very well with Akshaye sir it is because we had many scenes together. He always rooted for perfection, whenever we shot he used to advise and help me to perform much better, he gave me insight tips, spoke to me, and made sure that the scene we execute should turn perfect. And because we had very similar interests we bonded well

Ken sir always had a very warm gesture towards me. He hugged me and told me how much he liked my character and is proud of me. I bonded with Ken sir as well very well, I was very lucky to get the opportunity to work with Ken sir. As an actor, he gives the full freedom to you to execute the scene the way you want it, and also helps us to improvise with every shot. Also, I was lucky to get such great co-actors too. They helped to work on my Punjabi accent because they were from a Punjabi background. And they really helped me to do my best.

Your role in the State of Siege: Temple Attack was so menacing, and you portrayed it in a very natural manner. Tell us about the preparations you did while portraying this role.

The thing is the character like Farooq comes in a million I guess, they don't come again and again. And when you have an opportunity like this knocking at your door, you have to grab it. And characters like Farooq have a massive impact on the audience. After the release of the film, I'm bombarded with text messages by people.

Everywhere people are talking about Farooq because the character is written so well. This character is psychotic, who has been through a lot of trauma in life, and now he has turned into a beast with no remorse, he loves brutality. It was a dream for me to play such a double-layered character, and it came true. That's the unique part about Farooq and I hope it turns out well for me for the hard work I put for the last seven years. It was a responsibility for me to make sure that I get my accent right, so I learned to speak Pakistani - Punjabi, Pakistani - Urdu. I did a lot of research, watched Pakistani shows. 

As you have portrayed such a negative role, that of a dreaded terrorist, what are the reactions from the public, your family, and friends?

The reaction is amazing. My inbox is full and every 10 seconds I'm getting messages not only from India but all over the world. It's a dream come true for me. The best part is I'm getting abuse from a lot of people and I'm loving it because you rarely get abuse for playing negative characters. But when you do you should always remember that you performed it to the next level that people are hating you so much.

I'm getting abuses like never come back to India or else I'll be shot. So people have taken it very emotionally to their heart. I like how all of these is very close to people's heart especially for Indians the Nationalism, Patriotism and the love for the army and country as a whole.

How do you like to know, as an actor or a star?

Anything! As long as my work has a quality I don't mind being calling an actor or a star. I have worked seven to eight years my life to get something like this. If someone calls me a star after doing a big film, I would love to be called myself a star.

Tell us about your personal life, family, and career ambitions.

It's me, my mother and my dog. So we are three very strong family members. The only support I have is from my mother. When I was aged just one year, my mother became a single parent. She did everything to bring me up. So now I take complete responsibility for the house now. My ultimate ambition is to buy a bigger house and give a better life to my mother because she has gone through a lot in her life and I would love to give her a better life.

Please tell us about your future projects...

My next project is with Eros Now. I'm eagerly waiting for it and it is a horror series. This is something the audiences have never seen before, it's huge experimentation and a very unique show. It's a horror but it's also based on many things like time traveling and stuff. I'm not allowed to reveal much about it but it's with Eros now.