‘I Am Getting 1,000 Calls Every Day’

‘I
am
7
feet
and
7
inches
tall.’

How
do
you
make
sense
of
striding
across
two
polar
opposite
professions?

You
don’t,
you
just
dive
straight
into
it.

Jammu-based

Sunil
Kumar
is
a
police
constable
with
the
J&K
Police,
whose
flirtation
with
acting
turned
into
a
parallel
career
in
films.

He
entered
showbiz
through
small
commercials,
and
his
unusual
physicality
landed
him
his
first
big
acting
gig
in

Kalki
2898
AD,
where
plays
Amitabh
Bachchan’s
body
double
as
the
mighty
Ashwatthama.

He
was
later
brought
out
of
shadows
in

Stree
2.

Sunil,
31,
epitomises
a
monster
from
the
worst
nightmares
as
Sarkata,
going
toe-to-toe
with
Rajkummar
Rao
and
Shraddha
Kapoor’s
characters
in
the
film.

Off
screen,
Sunil
shares
a
warm
rapport
with
the
stars,
flashing
smiles
and
posing
with
them
for
pictures.

“I
couldn’t
believe
I
was
working
with
Rajkummar
Rao,”
Sunil
reminisces
about
his
time
on

Stree
2
sets
with

Mayur
Sanap/Rediff.com.
“The
first
person
I
met
on
sets
was
Shraddha
Kapoor.
She
has
the
best
nature.”

While
it’s
a
joyous
time
for
the

Stree
2
team
as
it


basks
in
its
success,
the
moment
is
wreathed
in
a
personal
tragedy
for
Sunil,
who
is
reeling
from
his
father’s
passing
away
just
three
days
before
the
film’s
Independence
Day
release.

Did
your
father
watch

Stree
2?

No,
he
passed
away
on
August
12.

He
had
seen
my
previous
film
called

House
Arrest
(The
2019
film
starring
Ali
Fazal
and
Shriya
Pilgaonkar).

He
also
knew
about
my
role
in

Kalki
2898
AD.
I
used
to
tell
him
stories
from
the
sets.

He
was
happy
with
my
work.

It
must
be
a
bittersweet
moment
for
you.

Just
before
the
release,
I
was
called
for
the
promotions
of

Stree
2
in
Mumbai.

I
got
the
news
of
my
father’s
demise
when
I
was
in
transit.
I
informed
the
production
team
that
I
won’t
make
it
to
the
event.

After
that,
I
wasn’t
even
aware
where
I
had
kept
my
phone.

I
couldn’t
take
any
calls
the
whole
week
when
he
passed
away.

Who
all
are
there
in
your
family?

I
have
a
younger
brother.
My
elder
sister
is
married.

We
are
from
the
Matoo
village
in
Akhnoor
of
Jammu
district.

My
father
was
a
retired
army
serviceman.
My
mother
is
a
housewife.

Who
named
you
‘Great
Khali
of
Jammu’?

I
am
7
feet
and
7
inches
tall.

My
team-mates
from
the
police
academy
used
to
call
me
Great
Khali
during
those
days.

Since
then,
very
few
people
say
Sunil,
most
of
them
call
me
Khali.

Have
you
met
Khali?

Yes,
I
met
him
when
he
visited
Jammu.

I
remember
everyone
was
looking
at
him
at
the
event.
When
I
approached
to
greet
Khali,
he
was
looking
at
me!

How
did
you
get
into
films?

I
started
out
with
commercials.

I
got
an
audition
call
for

House
Arrest
and
later,
was
selected
for
the
film.

Then

Kalki
2898
AD
happened.
They
were
looking
for
someone
very
tall.

After
that,
I
got
the
offer
for

Stree
2.

Did
you
always
want
to
be
an
actor?

I
was
interested
in
acting
since
childhood
but
never
thought
about
pursuing
it.

I
used
to
see
lot
of
action
films
as
a
kid.
Mithun
Chakraborty
was
my
favourite
action
star.

After
all
these
years
when
the
opportunity
of
acting
came
to
me,
I
thought
why
let
it
go?

I
am
glad
things
are
working
well
now.

What
was
your
life
like
before?

I
used
to
play
volleyball
in
my
village.

I
got
into
police
force
through
the
sports
quota.
Now
I
play
handball
as
well.

I
am
also
very
fond
of
wrestling.

How
did
you
land

Stree
2?

I
got
an
audition
call
from
the
production
team.

They
asked
me
to
shoot
a
couple
of
videos
on
phone,
and
I
sent
them
over.
They
probably
wanted
to
see
my
expressions.

They
liked
my
videos
and
asked
me
to
visit
them
in
Bombay.
I
met
Director
Amar
Kaushik.

It
was
a
quick
one-day
visit.
After
meeting
the
director,
I
flew
back
to
Jammu
by
evening.

What
was
the
conversation
about?

We
rehearsed
for
a
few
scenes.
They
explained
the
technical
aspects
of
the
shooting
process.

Amar
Kaushik
told
me
the
shoot
will
begin
soon.

How
challenging
was
the
shooting
process?

It
felt
difficult
initially,
but
I
got
used
to
it.

I
had
to
undergo
prosthetic
makeup
to
become
Sarkata.
I
would
sit
on
a
chair
for
five
hours
everyday
to
finish
the
makeup.
My
eyes,
ear,
mouth
would
be
covered
by
makeup.

It
would
take
another
two-three
hours
to
remove
it.

They
attached
white
strips
on
my
body
for
the
VFX
effects.
My
body
movements
were
captured
on
camera
and
enhanced
by
VFX.

We
used
to
start
with
the
makeup
process
by
6
am
and
then
continue
working
till
evening.

I
shot
for
40
to
45
days
in
Madhya
Pradesh
and
later
in
Mumbai.

How
was
your
experience
with
stars?

The
first
person
I
met
on
sets
was
Shraddha
Kapoor.
She
has
the
best
nature.
My
first
picture
was
with
her.

I
uploaded
that
picture
on
Instagram
but
the
production
team
asked
me
to
remove
the
post.
They
said
I
can
put
up
shoot
pictures
once
the
film
is
released.

I
had
a
memorable
time
on
sets.

I
couldn’t
believe
I
was
working
with
Rajkummar
Rao
and
Pankaj
Tripathi
sir.

They
used
to
jokingly
say,
‘Give
us
your
secret
so
that
we
can
also
grow
our
height.’

Did
you
meet
Tamannaah
Bhatia?

Yes,
I
was
around
on
sets
when
she
was
shooting
for
her
song.

It
was
very
nice
to
meet
her.
But
I
was
there
only
for
two
days.

What
happens
to
your
police
job?

I
hope
to
do
it
simultaneously.
For
six
months,
I
am
on
duty
in
Jammu
and
for
the
rest
of
the
year,
I
work
in
Kashmir.

Our
DSP
Kuldeep
Handoo
sir
really
supports
me.

Wherever
I
have
to
go,
be
it
wrestling
or
film
shoots,
he
always
allows
me.

I
always
request
the
production
team
to
inform
me
beforehand
so
that
I
can
plan
my
leaves.

What’s
the
longest
you’ve
been
away
for
an
assignment?

I
took
one-and-a-half
month
leave
for

Kalki
2898
AD.

We
shot
at
Hyderabad’s
Ramoji
Film
City.

For

Stree
2,
I
took
leave
for
one
month.

Other
projects
took
significantly
lesser
time.

What
do
your
colleagues
and
friends
say
about
your
work
in

Stree
2?

I
am
getting
1,000
calls
every
day.

People
are
sending
me
messages
on
Instagram,
WhatsApp.

Bohut
pyaar
mil
raha
hain
(receiving
a
lot
of
love).

Our
DSP

saab
called
me
and
congratulated,
saying,
‘Your
film
is
a
big
hit.’

Do
your
friends
ask
you
for
selfie
requests
with
Rajkummar
and
Shraddha?

Yes.
We
have
a
WhatsApp
group
of
friends.
I
tell
them
if
I
get
an
opportunity
to
meet
them
again,
then
why
not?

What
do
you
hope
to
do
next?

I
have
decided
that
I
will
do
two-three
years
of
service
and
then
shift
to
Mumbai.

My
father
once
advised
me
that
I
should
do
service
only
for
20
years
or
so,
not
more
than
that.

I
want
to
do
more
work
in
ads
and
movies.