How Vineet Kumar Singh shot 'Ugly' without a script
29 Dec 2024

As Anurag Kashyap's psychological thriller Ugly recently completed 10 years, actor Vineet Kumar Singh reminisced about his time on the film's set.

Speaking to Zoom, he disclosed that he was never handed a script for the film owing to its suspenseful element.

"Anurag sir had never given the script because it was a thriller; he had played this thriller game with many actors as well," Singh said.

Singh's character was a prime suspect in 'Ugly'
Character details

In Ugly, Singh played Chaitanya, a character who is suspected of kidnapping a young girl.

The actor revealed that while shooting, he was often left wondering if his character was the kidnapper.

"In some scenes, it used to seem that I am the kidnapper, in some scenes it used to seem that no, there is someone else," he explained.

This added an extra layer of intrigue to his performance.

Singh's intense filming experience for 'Ugly'
Filming challenges

Singh also spoke about the intense conditions he faced while shooting Ugly.

He said there were scenes where his character was brutally interrogated, resulting in sleep deprivation.

"During that entire phase of the shooting, I would sleep only for three to four hours, for a schedule of almost 35-40 days," he said.

In one such intense scene, Singh was slapped nearly 50 times!

'Ugly' holds a special place in Singh's heart
Career impact

Despite the challenges, Singh said he was happy with the film and how it shaped his career. He got several Best Actor nominations for Ugly.

"It was a different kind of role. I had never done such a character before, so it feels good to do challenging roles; it is fun and I have a lot of memories of Ugly and they will always remain with me," he said.

The film is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.