From doing films like ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ to series such as ‘The Freelancer’ and ‘Kankhajura’, actor Mohit Raina has carved a niche for himself in the industry – and how. His latest release, ‘Kankhajura’, is a crime thriller that stars Roshan Mathew and him in the leading roles. While the show continues to win the hearts of the viewers, Mohit got candid with Mathrubhumi English over his role.

‘Kankhajura’, directed by Chandan Arora, is an official Hindi adaptation of the acclaimed Israeli series, ‘Magpie’. Interestingly, the actor, who plays the brooding and conflicted Max, revealed why he consciously avoided watching the original.

“I knew it was an official adaptation, but I never looked into what the original was about or who played which character. I consciously stayed away from it,” he said, offering a rare glimpse into how he approached Max’s character.

His decision not to watch the original series came with a lot of thought, but mostly an understanding that helped him interpret Max’s character his way. “I didn’t watch it, read about it, or even try to understand its structure. I wanted to approach this role with a completely clean slate, without any preconceived notions like, ‘Oh, this actor did it this way, so maybe I should do something similar.’ When they told me we were adapting an Israeli series, I simply said, ‘I’ll wait for the script—until then, I won’t touch anything.’”

But now that ‘Kankhajura’ is out, has he got a chance to watch ‘Magpie’? “To this day, I have no idea about the original show or its cast. Even if the makers of ‘Kankhajura’ made changes in the adaptation, I wouldn’t know. I have absolutely no clue what happens in the original.”

‘Kankhajura’ also marks Mohit’s departure from the heroic and morally correct roles that he has played in the past. His character isn’t easily characterised as a hero or villain in the series; rather, it navigates through a grey moral zone. And that is what got him to say yes to Max.

“I was very excited to play Max. It was a deliberate decision because I wanted to play a character with different shades. I was waiting for this kind of opportunity,” he said. Furthermore, he explained that he was thrilled by “the idea of playing somebody who is corrupt, who is ambitious, and also has a lot of angst inside him”. “Tapping on all those characteristics was very interesting for me,” said Mohit.

The SonyLIV Originals series, which started streaming on the platform from May 30, features Roshan and Mohit as Ashu and Max, respectively. When asked about the dynamics that the two stars had during the filming of the series, Mohit called Roshan a ‘secure’ actor.

“At times when there is a story of two brothers, you want the actors to be very secure, that is when things come out very differently. I think he (Roshan) is one of the most secure people that I have come across in my life. It was really a treat to work with him.”

He also recalled how their equation changed with time, going from strangers to becoming friends. “The first time I met him was only once before the filming began. Earlier, we were strangers, and now we really talk a lot and have a different bond. We don’t talk regularly, but when we do, we pick up where we left off the last time.”

During the conversation, Mohit, who has left a significant mark on the world of OTT with his past works such as ‘Bhaukaal’, ‘Mumbai Diaries’, ‘The Freelancer’, and now ‘Kankhajura’, also chose his favourite role among the four series. “Mumbai Diaries,” said the actor. Explaining why he chooses the role of Dr Kaushik over Vedant (‘Bhaukaal), Avinash (‘The Freelancer’), or Max (‘Kankhajura’), he said, “I have done two seasons of it. When you do two seasons of a character, you get an opportunity to not make the mistakes that you might have made in the first season. If there is a certain part or aspect of the character that you didn’t like, you can rectify that in the second season. Thus, I pick ‘Mumbai Diaries’.”

Apart from Roshan Mathew, ‘Kankhajura’ also features Sarah Jane Dias, Mahesh Shetty, Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju, Ninad Kamat, Heeba Shah, and Usha Nadkarni in pivotal roles.