EXCLUSIVE: Rishabh Sawhney on playing double role in Nagabandham: “I tried to make them very unpredictable”

August 25, 2026 - 7:01 PM IST

Rishabh Sawhney has opened up about the process of playing two distinctly different characters in Nagabandham. The actor revealed that he relied on body language, movement and facial expressions to ensure the two personalities felt different on screen.

EXCLUSIVE: Rishabh Sawhney on playing double role in Nagabandham: “I tried to make them very unpredictable”

Rishabh Sawhney on playing two characters

According to Sawhney, the challenge was not limited to changing the characters' costumes or appearances. He consciously developed different physical traits for each role. “I tried to design them as differently as possible. For Ali, I kept his movements very sly, slithering and cunning. I tried to make him very unpredictable,” the actor said.

For Abdali, however, Sawhney took a completely different approach. “For Abdali, I went with a lion because he was leading the pack and had to be this huge, larger-than-life character with an immense stature,” he explained.

Actor worked on his gaze and body language

Sawhney also used his eyes to create a distinction between the two personalities. He described Abdali's gaze as powerful and driven by his desire for gold, while Ali's was designed to appear more secretive and calculating. “My gaze with Abdali was very powerful and lustful for the gold that he was searching for. With Ali, it was again very sly and cunning,” he said.

The actor added that these differences came through extensive practice. “I kept it deliberately different so that people can see two different people in me,” Sawhney said.

Rishabh Sawhney researched the historical setting

Playing Abdali also required Sawhney to understand the period and the lives of the people associated with it. He researched the Afghan dynasty and the battles fought during the era to better understand the character's motivations.

“It was tough, the kind of life they led. They would leave their homes on nothing but horses and travel for hundreds of days to different lands, not knowing what was happening back at home or what was waiting ahead of them,” he recalled.

Sawhney also studied accounts of historical battles to understand how people of that period thought and behaved.

“Those tales talk about what they thought, what they felt during those fights and how they fought during that time. That really helped shape my approach towards the character,” he said.

Understanding the characters beyond their appearance

For Sawhney, the research was important in understanding the mindset of the characters rather than simply recreating their physical appearance. “They were just highly motivated, tough men who would just give it their all to get it all,” he said.

Through contrasting movement, expressions and extensive research, Sawhney aimed to ensure that Ali and Abdali appeared as two separate personalities despite being portrayed by the same actor.

Also Read: Rishabh Sawhney reveals he trained with International action directors for Nagabandham: “Safety was the priority”