Malayalam actor Roshan Mathew may be only two films old in the Hindi film industry, but he is enjoying his run. In Darlings, he was charming as Zulfi, who is always happy to help the mother-daughter duo — essayed by Shefali Shah and Alia Bhatt — in their endeavours. His earnest portrayal has earned him a Best Supporting Actor: Film nomination at the upcoming mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards. Looking back at his role, Mathew says while the powerful script gave him a solid foundation, perfecting the Mumbaiyya accent proved tricky. “In Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai [2020], I played a south Indian character, but Zulfi is a little more ambiguous. He might have his roots in Kerala, but he had to convincingly come across as someone who belongs to that locality [in Mumbai]. A lot of prep went into acing the language,” he shares.

Zulfi’s unexpected romance with Shah’s Shamshunissa was one of the highlights of Jasmeet K Reen’s directorial venture. Mathew credits his co-star for making it a love story that people rooted for. “Shefali is warm and has a great sense of humour. So, the sense of intimidation ended as soon as I saw her. We were comfortable at our very first reading session.” Working with Shah, Bhatt and Vijay Varma made him raise the bar. “I was inspired by watching these three bring in their best for every shot.”