“Everybody’s Embodiment is in Bhugol”: Sparsh Shrivastava Reflects on Channeling Govinda, Salman Khan, and Madhuri Dixit in Prime Video’s Dupahiya Season 2!
A distinct wave of Bollywood nostalgia is woven into Bhugol, the small-town dreamer at the center of Prime Video’s Dupahiya. As the second season returns to the familiar world of Dhadakpur with fresh chaos, Bhugol finds himself grappling with newfound fame while harboring big cinematic ambitions. For actor Sparsh Shrivastava, capturing that vibrant energy meant drawing inspiration from the legendary screen icons he admired while growing up. From Govinda’s signature comedic flair to Madhuri Dixit’s timeless dance legacy, the actor shares how these quintessential Bollywood influences shaped Bhugol’s persona and found their way into some of the season’s most memorable moments.
Sharing the inspiration behind the much-talked-about mandir scene from Season 2’s trailer, Sparsh said, “The inspiration for that was Govinda sir. There’s this moment in Raja Babu, I think, where he goes to his mother and says, ‘Itna pyaar diya tune mujhe, maa,’ so I was just trying to channel that feeling. There’s a little bit of Govinda in Bhugol, there’s a lot of Deewaar, and he’s also wearing Salman Khan’s jacket from Maine Pyar Kiya. So, in a way, everybody’s embodiment is in Bhugol. He’s everything. And then there’s Madhuri ma’am as well, of course, especially when it comes to the launda naach in his character. I loved bringing all these little references together because that’s how I see Bhugol. He’s this small-town guy who has absorbed so much from the films and stars he loves ”
That Bollywood influence also connects with something much more personal for Sparsh. While shooting the launda naach sequence, an unexpected gesture from the choreographer took him straight back to his early days as a dancer and to one particularly memorable experience from a dance reality show. He recalled, “The choreographer was Kruti, and I remember this one specific moment from that launda naach. When I did a dance reality show back in 2010, Saroj Khan ma’am was the judge, and after every good dance, she would give you a ₹100 note. This time, when I did that shoot, Kruti came to me and gave me a ₹500 note, and I was so emotional.”
Directed by Sonam Nair, #Dupahiya season two is created and produced by Salona Bains Joshi and Shubh Shivdasani under the banner of Bombay Film Cartel LLP, and created and written by Avinash Dwivedi and Chirag Garg. Picking up from where Season one left off, the new season brings back Gajraj Rao, Renuka Shahane, Sparsh Shrivastava, Bhuvan Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi, and Yashpal Sharma, with Dinesh Lal Yadav (Nirahua) joining the ensemble. Dupahiya season two will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on October 1.
By Keerti Kadam