‘Filmmakers now invest in characters besides the hero’

Kallu Mama in Satya, a selfstyled Godman in PK, a funny yet brainy judge in Jolly LLB, and a corrupt politician in Raid — actor Saurabh Shukla has won hearts of the audience with the strong supporting roles he has portrayed onscreen.

The more, the merrier seems to be the sentiment of fans, but does it become too much to handle for Shukla sometimes? “Till the time you have the desire to work, and can bring in a new expression in your characters, it doesn’t matter how many times you are appearing on screen... It’s only when you start repeating yourself [that] the danger comes,” says the actor, who also featured in Sudhir Mishra’s Daas Dev, in which he again played a politician.

Having earned accolades for most of his characters, Shukla feels happy that the line between a lead hero and supporting cast is blurring. “In the last couple of years, filmmakers have started investing in other characters [too]. Earlier, in late ’80s and early ’90s, we were making films which were hero centric, so, the possibility of participation of other characters was very less. That’s why it was difficult for actors who were not the hero or not in the lead role, to make their mark.”

Having said that, the actor is all praise for this welcome change in Bollywood — of supporting characters being written in great depth. “Whenever a good actor gets a fully edged out role, the job of the actor becomes easier. You get to participate completely and you get the chance to bring nuances in a much better way. It’s important that it’s an integral part of the script and not something which the actors try to force on the script,” adds Shukla.

PHOTO: AMLAN PALIWAL/ IANS