JioHotstar’s latest espionage drama Salakaar is set to turn up the heat on the streaming charts. The series, which unfolds in two timelines, 1978 and 2025, dives into the murky world of nuclear missions, covert intelligence, and unfinished business between India and Pakistan. While Bollywood and OTT have served their share of Indo-Pak spy thrillers before, Salakaar promises something different. With secrets, betrayals, and high-octane political tension, it’s the kind of binge-worthy thriller that thrives on edge-of-your-seat storytelling. Fans can stream Salakaar exclusively on JioHotstar.
At the heart of the series is Surya Sharma, who steps into the role of Pakistani Colonel Ashfaqullah, a man with a singular focus and a mission that could change the fate of nations. Interestingly, the very first glimpse of Ashfaq in the show could fool you into thinking he’s a romantic. Surya reveals that’s no accident. “I think that is what the makers were implying on, to make the audience see that Ashfaq is human, not just a guy who is behind a nuclear plant,” he says.
Talking about his co-star Mouni Roy, Surya has nothing but praise. “It was great. She is a wonderful co-actress, and above all that, she is a great human. I met Mouni on the sets only, but the level of comfort we built made it easy to work together,” he shares.
But getting into the skin of a military man was no easy task. The confidence and persona and body language of an army colonel was a challenging task, Surya admits. He explains that Ashfaq’s arc is tightly focused: The story’s demand for the role of Ashfaq was very cut-to-cut as he was behind one and single goal. It did not have a lot of layers to it, which turned out to work in my favour.
Surya credits his support system for keeping him sharp. “I am very thankful to have my wife, my father, and a few friends who are very critical about my work,” he says.
Addressing whether he hesitated to play such a role, Surya is clear: “Mai kalakar hu, ye mera kaam hai. Ashfaq se mera personal life ne kuch lena dena nahi hai. Jo samajhdar log hai, wo cheezo ko usi tarah se dekhenge jaise mai dekhta hu.”
On the topic of online trolling, he doesn’t hold back. “Hum logo ne social media ko itna bada hauwa bana diya hai, ki kisi ko bhi power aa gayi hai kahi pe bhi troll karne ki.”
“Mere se koi Bina reason ke bhidna pasand karta nahi hai, this is my personality and this is what I am,” Surya concluded by threatening trollers that they can troll all they want but once he finds out who is behind that, he would not leave them.
With Salakaar ready to stream, Surya Sharma’s layered yet intense portrayal of Ashfaq is set to be one of the show’s talking points, proving once again that sometimes, the villain is just as fascinating as the hero.
