Sanjay Dutt’s energy is infectious: Kelkar

For actor Sharad Kelkar (above), working alongside Sanjay Dutt (far right) in the latter’s comeback film Bhoomi, was nothing short of a dream. Sharad feels lucky to have gotten the chance to know Dutt as a person while working with him in the film. “The way he speaks or cracks jokes, he might come across as someone very intimidating, but soon you start behaving like him. I observed how after 15-18 days of shooting with him, I started to talk like him. So he is infectious and transfers [his] energy,” says Sharad, who plays the lead antagonist in the father-daughter revenge drama. However, the actor says he was quite nervous when he met Dutt for the first time. “I had gone to his office for a cast meeting. And when he came, I didn’t know how to react — whether I should touch his feet or say namaste or say hello or hug him. I stood silent for those five minutes,” shares Sharad. He says that when he was shooting his first scene for the film, Dutt stood there staring at him throughout the shot. “Imagine Sanjay Dutt staring at you… achhe se achha actor bhi chup ho jayenga. I somehow focused and did that scene in one shot and even after cut, he kept looking, and then he said, ‘fantastic’ and hugged me,” recalls Sharad. The 40-year-old says it was on that day the ice was broken and they became close. “We used to sit together and eat. He’s a fantastic guy to work with and be with — so genuine,” he says. Asked what he learned from the Khalnayak (1993) actor, Sharad says, “Most important thing is acting and he is just fantastic. His dedication towards work is on a different level. Before the shot he might not look so serious that he is going to do this, but once the camera is on, what he does is something totally different.”

PHOTO: VIRAL BHAYANI

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/ SHARADKELKAR