Playing Sikh man in a serious film was tough: Vir Das

Mumbai: Mostly seen in comic roles, actor Vir Das who will be seen in a role of a Sikh man in thriller drama "31st October", says the project was a "tough" one.

"Nobody saw me doing this film and so it was a challenge for me. It is my first real film and I wanted it to be as different from who I am in real life," Vir told reporters here at the trailer launch of "31st October".

As part of preparations for the film, set against the backdrop of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Vir met the family and the person on whom his character is based upon. "It is about a family of five people who had no idea about the assassination of Indira Gandhi. I also met the family and the person I am playing," he added.

To portray the role of a Sikh was tough for Vir. "I am not a Punjabi. So I had to learn the language and the dialect. I had to put on weight and grow beard as well. I am not a father and in the film I had to make choices as a father..So it was tough," he said.

"People who come to watch my comedy films will hopefully take a gamble and see the film as well."

Shedding more light on the plot, he said, "The film is story of 24-36 hours. It's a dark day in our Indian history. There are loopholes in our legal system. But if people understand that how people from other communities help this Sikh family then our purpose behind making this film is served."

The "Delhi Belly" actor thinks he has come a long way in the film industry and is willing to work harder to do good work.

"My journey in Bollywood is like getting promoted in a company. Like from doing one-two scenes in a film to five-ten scenes and then ensemble films and now solo hero films. I tried to get promotion every year. I worked very hard to be here," he adds.