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'I love playing baddies on screen': Rajkummar Rao talks up new Netflix thriller 'Monica O My Darling'

The Bollywood actor is joined by Radhika Apte and Huma Qureshi as they bring the neo-noir crime thriller to OTT

Why is it that murder mysteries tend to give away a certain retro vibe?

Well, the new Netflix production Monica O My Darling, currently streaming on the platform, directed by Vasan Bala, and starring Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi, Radhika Apte, and Sikander Kher, gives a similar vibe.

For instance, the name Monica is so 90s-ish, and then the term darling, only old school romantics use it, right?

"The title lends itself to a certain flavour," Vasan Bala tells City Times in a recent Zoom conversation. "And we've retained that flavour. Also, our memory of noir from the greatest noir films we have seen lends to that. But we still tried to stay authentic to the times, and this is more like a flavour which hopefully is time immemorial rather than being stuck."

In our conversation, Vasan is joined by actors Rajkummar Rao, who plays the role of Jayant, a middle class man who has been chosen to lead a thriving AI company, and Radhika Apte, the OTT legend who's taken on the role of ACP Naidu in the neo-noir crime and comedy thriller.

Monica O My Darling is a classic whodunnit case of murder mysteries which embroils most members of the thriving organisation

Coming back to Rajkummar's character, Jayant is a middle class man who will do anything to get ahead in life, but also has certain principles. So was it hard to enact a character with such grey traits, we asked.

Rajkummar can relate to Jayant on many levels, he says, as he belongs to a small town and moved to a big city to make his dreams come true.

"But, of course, there are things Jayant has done, which I would not do," he says. "I could relate to the drama of him being aspirational and him trying to make it big in life and achieve his dreams. So in that way, it was pretty easy."

He added, "But apart from that, I think the way it's written in the script and the way Vasan was guiding us throughout made the journey very smooth for me."

And Rajkummar loves playing bad boys on screen. In fact, the actor has proved his acting abilities by taking on a range of diverse characters. He's always made us feel his screen presence, even as shadowed characters like Shamshad from Gangs of Wasseypur 2 and several others.

Jayant is of course no saint, despite certain redeeming qualities. "I think as an actor, I just can't keep playing sweet, simple, and innocent boys," he says. "I actually love playing bad boys on screen, I haven't done it enough, but whenever I got a chance, I loved playing baddies."

Radhika Apte also plays a character with a twist in Monica O My Darling. She's got some of the best dialogues in the movie and seems to have fun delivering them. She plays a wicked police officer and was convinced by Vasan to take on such a role with hard-hitting dialogues.

"I didn't realise at the time of filming, but when I watched the film I was like 'wow, these are great dialogues,'" she said, and she's hoping that, for a change, fans will ask her instead of male leads to utter the dialogues.

While ACP Naidu has some of the best dialogues, her presence is truly felt only in the second half of the film. When asked what made her say yes to the project, she cited the script and the fact that it was a "great" story. Most importantly, it is a part Radhika has never played. "It was not in my comfort zone," she says, "I was very unconfident. Actually I was not feeling confident enough to play that part, and so it was a great challenge with the safest people possible. So yeah, it was a no brainer for me."

All characters in the film, including the titular Monica played by the stunning Huma Qureshi, and the angst-driven son who feels sidelined in the family business, played by Sikander Kher, have rather heavy shades of grey. Netflix captions the trailer, "All are wicked, but who's the most wicked of all?"

"Neo-noir lends itself into a refreshing palette in that sense," Vasan says of creating characters for a noir thriller. "Because these are people who you will like but they might not be doing the right things. And that is a great journey for an audience as well, which is why it still has a certain viewership and charm over the years."

And will such characters from Monica O My Darling be relatable to the audience? "Yes," Vasan agrees, "but the problems that we give them are obviously exaggerated, which is what leads to the fun, the mayhem, and the entertainment that happens when they take on such obstacles."

Rajkummar added, "That's the fun of being an actor, and to play characters in a way that people can't say if they like you or hate you."

"But I really loved your performance, I was laughing so much," Radhika chipped in, "because most of the time your character is so afraid and you've done it so subtly."

Monica O My Darling is Rajkummar and Radhika's first-ever project together. And their chemistry is topping the charts, as it should since the two extremely versatile actors are known to fit into whatever characters they portray.

"I always wanted to work with her and she knows that I am a fan," says a humble Rajkummar. "The days she came on set, I used to be so thrilled that I am finally getting a chance to work with her. When we were doing rehearsals, I just used to observe her process and the way she approaches her craft and her scenes. It was so unique, and beautiful."

"100 per cent believability, effortlessness, and collaboration," said Radhika, on what Rajkummar brings to the table as an actor. "Working in this field is about teamwork, and your performances will come to life only when people are actually listening and reacting to each other. He is that kind of person, and I am very happy that I got this opportunity."