Actor Saurabh Sachdeva shot to fame with his pivotal performance in the first season of the web-series Sacred Games and Bollywood film Manmarziyan. Saurabh has recently completed the shoot for Housefull 4 and is currently shooting for Sacred Games season 2. Saurabh is an acclaimed acting coach who has trained numerous Bollywood celebrities like Varun Dhawan, Rana Dugabatti, Richa Chaddha, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arjun Kapoor, Kubra Sait and many more. The Kolkata Mail correspondent Priyanka Dutta caught up with the actor in an exclusive chat. Excerpts..

Is this your first visit to Kolkata?

Saurabh Sachdeva- No, it is not. This is my second visit as I came to the city earlier year too.

How is the city treating you? What did you like and dislike about Kolkata?

Saurabh Sachdeva- I am presently staying in Haldia. The weather is fine here. I am quite enjoying my stay here. The team that I am working with is great and it is leading to making my stay at Haldia enjoyable and memorable.

You have shot for the first and second season of Sacred Games. Tell us about the shooting experience.

Saurabh Sachdeva- Working with Anurag is a great experience. He gives the actors freedom to act in a particular scene. I was skeptical about a particular scene. I asked him whether I can do it in a particular way and he asked me to go forward with it. That gave me a boost and the shooting went off in a fantastic way. The team that I was working with was also professional which made the experience even better.

Sacred Games first season intrigued the audience. How will the new season treat the audience?

Saurabh Sachdeva- It will intrigue the audience yet again. I have shot my part already and it is looking very good. The new season is thrilling and powerful. Overall I will not comment about the season. Let the audience see and find it out themselves.

You have recently shot for Housefull 4. Tell us about the character in the film.

Saurabh Sachdeva- The character was a small one and I auditioned for it. Sajid called me and asked whether I would do it. I liked it and I said yes. I play a smart and cunning man in the film. The character may be a small one but has a pivotal role to play in the script.

You have been an acting coach to many actors. How does it feel when your students go on to achieve so much with their acting?

Saurabh Sachdeva- It feels very powerful and very good. You feel that what you are teaching is working. When your students thank you, it feels that I have been successful in teaching them.

What are your best memories as an acting coach?

Saurabh Sachdeva- There are many such memories that I can share. One student had some personal problems and that hindered her learning procedure. I asked her whether she will share her problems. She said yes and after she shared her problems with her female friends, she was very confident. That was a great memory for me.

What do you enjoy best- acting or acting coach?

Saurabh Sachdeva- Acting coach, for sure!!

How did you come up with the idea of Antarang? Do you have any fixed audience that you want to target with this festival?

Saurabh Sachdeva- No there is no fixed audience in mind.

We came up with the idea so that the students can be in touch with work. Otherwise after the classes get over, they tend to get depressed and lose touch with acting. In this way, they can stay connected.

Do you have any plans of directing a film in the future?

Saurabh Sachdeva- Yes, definitely!! I will start a feature film by the end of this year.

You have acted in different mediums-like films, web-series and so on. Which medium do you like best?

Saurabh Sachdeva- Theatre scares me most. You have to learn a lot of lines and there is no retake. So theatre is challenging. However I enjoy working in front of the camera the most. I can do retakes and also I can play different characters.

Will we get to see you acting in Bengali web-series?

Saurabh Sachdeva- I don’t know Bengali. If I learn that, then maybe I will try my hands at this too.

Tell us about your next releases.

Saurabh Sachdeva- Sacred Games Season 2, Housefull 4 and a few other projects are all lined up back to back.

We hope that Saurabh Sachdeva continues to do such interesting work in the future too and keep the audiences engrossed!!