'Peasant': Saurabh Sachdeva opens up on working with Dev Patel
What's the story
Saurabh Sachdeva, known for his roles in Sacred Games, Animal, and Jaane Jaan, is now a part of the highly anticipated international project The Peasant. Directed by Dev Patel and backed by A24, the medieval action thriller has been generating buzz as Patel's next directorial venture after Monkey Man. In a recent interview, Sachdeva opened up about his experience working on The Peasant.
Role significance
On why 'The Peasant' is more than just a film
Sachdeva described his experience on The Peasant as both a film set and a cultural moment. He told Variety India, "On one level, it was a film set, with all the discipline, pressure, and creative exchange that comes with it." "But on another level, you could sense that something larger was shifting. When a company like A24 chooses to shoot its first film in India, it is not just a production decision; it is a cultural signal."
Director's approach
On working with Dev Patel
Sachdeva also praised Patel for his clarity. He said, "What struck me most about Dev was his clarity...When someone is carrying so many responsibilities, there is often a risk of diffusion, but with him there was complete focus. He had a very strong sense of what the scene needed, what the story needed, and what the emotional truth of the moment was." "What people may not always see...is how present and grounded he is in the middle of all responsibilities."
Cultural shift
India's role in global storytelling today
Sachdeva also spoke about India's changing role in global storytelling. He said, "For too long, India was treated as exotic scenery or a cost-effective location. Now there's a shift: international producers and audiences are recognizing that Indian stories carry their own architecture, rhythms, and emotional logic." "When storytellers honor language, culture, history, and its textures, regional idioms...those stories become global because they reveal truths audiences everywhere recognize. India is moving from backdrop to origin."
Industry insights
Concerns about emerging performers today
Sachdeva also expressed concerns about emerging performers, particularly their impatience. He said, "The speed. Definitely the speed. People want results before they have experiences." "But craft is built from digestion. You have to live, fail, embarrass yourself, love badly, lose things, sit in confusion... Otherwise what are you acting from? References?" He believes many young actors today focus more on studying performances than understanding people, which leads to "imitation instead of art."
Global perspective
How 'colonial hangover' impacts cinema
Sachdeva also shared his thoughts on whether Indian cinema underestimates the global demand for culturally rooted stories. He said, "Completely. I think we still carry a colonial hangover in storytelling. We think 'international' means sanding away our edges." "Globally, people are actually exhausted by sameness. They are searching for emotional texture. Our families alone contain more emotional complexity than entire screenplays sometimes." "The future is specific. The more honestly we reveal ourselves, the more universal we become."