'I AM GETTING 1,000 CALLS EVERY DAY'

I am 7 feet and 7 inches tall.'

How do you make sense of striding across two polar opposite professions?

You don't, you just dive straight into it.

Jammu-based Sunil Kumar is a police constable with the J&K Police, whose flirtation with acting turned into a parallel career in films.

He entered showbiz through small commercials, and his unusual physicality landed him his first big acting gig in Kalki 2898 AD, where plays Amitabh Bachchan's body double as the mighty Ashwatthama. He was later brought out of the shadows in Street 2.

Sunil, 31, epitomises a monster from the worst nightmares as Sarkata, going toe-to-toe with Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor's characters in the film. Off screen, Sunil shares a warm rapport with the stars, flashing smiles and posing with them for pictures.

"I couldn't believe I was working with Rajkummar Rao," Sunil reminisces about his time on Stree 2 sets with The first person I met on sets was Shraddha Kapoor. She has the best nature." While it's a joyous time for the Stree 2 team as it basks in its success, the moment is wreathed in a personal tragedy for Sunil, who is reeling from his father's passing away just three days before the film's Independence Day release.

Did your father watch Stree 2?

No, he passed away on August 12. He had seen my previous film called House Arrest (The 2019 film starring Ali Fazal and Shriya Pilgaonkar). He also knew about my role in Kalki 2898 AD. I used to tell him stories from the sets.

He was happy with my work. It must be a bittersweet moment for you. Just before the release, I was called for the promotions of Stree 2 in Mumbai. I got the news of my father's demise when I was in transit. I informed the production team that I won't make it to the event. After that, I wasn't even aware where I had kept my phone. I couldn't take any calls the whole week when he passed away.

Who all are there in your family?