Exclusive - Manoj Chandila on entering Tum Dena Saath Mera as Sriti Jha's toxic husband: says 'here’s another opportunity to take the villain of TV to the next level'

Manoj Chandila is all set to enter Prateek Sharma's Oh Humnava—Tum Dena Saath Mera starring Sirit Jha and Shabir Ahluwalia in lead roles. The actor shared that being part of the show, presented him another opportunity to explore the darker shades of storytelling, something for which he is known. However, this time with a deeper emotional edge.

He said, "In TV, generally we don’t get a bound script to read, but a broader story narration is always there. My creative Ameeta narrated the story and briefed me about my character, which is negative. I was getting an adrenaline rush as Ameeta was narrating my character. I’ve been doing negative roles mostly, and I thought, Here's another opportunity to take the villain of TV to the next level. So yeah! It was a happy and exciting moment for me."

As the excitement of taking on a new role settled in, the focus shifted to preparation. He said, "I have a habit of saying the dialogues at a fast pace, but for this role I’m going slow, sometimes pausing longer than normal to increase the drama, and I’m also going to introduce/include something I never did, which I can’t reveal to you right now, but the audience will enjoy it if it happens, that’s for sure."

While he is no stranger to playing negative roles, this particular character demanded a different level of emotional investment. This made the process more challenging than before.

He said, "My earlier negative roles dealt with family feuds, property inheritance, excess greed and jealousy, and men touching women's cruelty slightly. But this one has to do more with torturing an innocent wife and playing with her emotions, trust, and vulnerability. To be that degrading abusive husband, I have to be someone I’m not. And this is where it gets challenging: I have to convince the audience of something I personally hate. So for someone who respects women, it gets in the way sometimes, but thank God I’ve got an amazing actor and human to work with. Sriti is very cooperative and even helps in improvising."

Navigating such emotionally complex material requires a grounded approach, which he believes is essential regardless of the role's nature. He said, "Complex or simple, you have to be honest in portraying your character. I’m not a fan of half-hearted performances. I try to imagine what an abusive person would do in a particular situation and then execute the scene. It’s a psychological journey."

Instead of building a big backstory, he added small details to make it feel more real. He said, "There's not backstory, but I do think of nuances that I can integrate in the role which can help the show to grow."

This role is quite different from his earlier work, especially because it carries stronger emotions. He said, "Again, it’s more spiteful because it breaks the heart and demeans a woman."

The environment on the set plays an important role in building the overall experience. For Manoj, this association holds a special place. "Studio ⁠LSD is my home. I’ve worked with them before. Work doesn’t feel like work here. Iss production house ki vibe hee alag hai. This is one house which I want to keep coming back to. These guys are my brothers more than producers. I thank them for choosing me for Lalit," Manoj ended.