Faisal Malik broke the entire country’s heart after his portrayal of grief-stricken Prahlad in Panchayat. The actor was so good in it that his sorrow became central to the narrative of this Prime Video series. Recently while speaking to News18, Malik revealed that his devastating emotion on-screen did emerge from some experiences he had off-screen
The actor shared, “I immediately liked this person (his Panchayat character)’s simplicity very much. I know many such people who live this way and are happy with it. The grieving is a part of this character and his life. He has lost his wife and his son, but he endures his pain like a stoic.” Faisal then asked that all of us know someone like Prahlad around us who survived despite losing their most loved ones.
While Prahlad made people cry, his character also left us rolling on the floor whenever he broke into laughter over Pradhan Ji’s joke. In the same interview, Faisal admitted that it’s a tough balance to switch between emotions. “It doesn’t feel good to cry and mourn, but it takes an actor a long time to get into that space. I mean, this is not just a normal scene because the preparation itself messes with a person’s mind,” Malik said.
Faisal admitted that once an actor gets into the emotional space of the character, half of his battle is won. When asked about the amount of pressure coming on his shoulders with every passing season, the 43-year-old said, “I believe there should be this kind of pressure in every actor’s life because it motivates us to keep working hard.”
The Gangs of Wasseypur 2 actor also shared why the love for Panchayat is massive even though it has a rural setup. According to Faisal rural India is now the driving force of rooted content in showbiz. “You won’t be able to see as many city-driven stories for a very long time. All of us are drawn at some level to rural or small-town living. This relatability will remain for life,” Malik added.
The actor believes that after 50 years, these stories will remind us of what life used to be like and would be like reading a book about the times gone by.
