Jatin Sarna has been a part of the movie industry for 10 years and in this time, he has played at least 2 characters that one can be called iconic.
Gangster Bunty in Sacred Games and cricketer Yashpal Sharma in 83.
That’s as far as two worlds can get, but his portrayal of the characters, one fictional and one real, is on point.
Now, while the accuracy of his performances can be attributed to many things, the reason they are so memorable, is simple – he has the ability to make his characters charismatic.
Which is such a distinguished talent. To take someone as purely evil as Bunty – an all-hating, all-killing gangster and to give him shades of humanness, couldn’t have been easy.
Meanwhile playing a cricketer, someone who was a part of India’s first World Cup-winning cricket team, comes with its own set of very specific challenges.
You need to have memorised the player’s shot selection or action to the point that it comes naturally to you. And anything less than natural is unacceptable in a decent sports drama, so this is non-negotiable.
Jatin does it. He is so good in 83, he convinces you that he is Yashpal Sharma. Or at least that the things he is saying and doing must have been said and done by the cricketer back then.
On the pitch and off it. As Yashpal, he gets a lot of screen time and delivers on each occasion. Yashpal was famously called the ‘crisis man of India’ by Sunil Gavaskar for getting the team out of trouble when no one had hope, and Jatin seems to have imbibed that go-getter attitude.
Yashpal was also very competitive. He did not like to come second. He got angry. This is portrayed brilliantly by Jatin in one of the scenes inspired by real events.
Interestingly, Jatin had first auditioned for Madan Lal’s role and was really keen on playing the part. So, he spent time trying to get his action and expressions right. He asked for a fake mustache from his makeup artist and copied the attire with whatever he had.
Jatin was ultimately not chosen for the role but everything turned out for the better.
It was probably this ‘win at all cost’ attitude that got him the part of Yashpal Sharma and we are not complaining about it, are we? As for Jatin, it has been the “experience of a lifetime”. In a recent interview, he said:
While it was Sacred Games that put me on the map from the audience point of view…I believe 83 will open the doors for the different kinds of roles that I want to do. From getting the mannerisms of Yashpal Sharma right to meeting the real and reel teams, working in this film has given me memories for a lifetime.”
Apart from all this, what also works for Jatin is his authentic dialogue delivery. His words “yaha Parle-G khaana pad raha hai kaali chai mein dubokar” in Sacred Games are still used in the meme-world and one sees why.
Jatin, who started his career with plays, is a very talented actor with the ability to make every character his own. We can’t wait to see more of him in the future.
