‘I’M NOT JUST THE HAPPY, COMIC ROLE ACTOR’

Actor Saurabh Shukla wants to go beyond what his image suggests

Saurabh Shukla, who has won praise for playing both intense and light characters in films, reveals that he has had to work hard to shatter the stereotype filmmakers had formed of him in their minds.

“When I started off, I used to do smaller roles but still [those of] my choice. For a long time, I asked people to give me roles where I could display my talent. It’s very clear that I have gone against the grain of my physique. The first thing that comes into anybody’s head is to cast me in happy, comic roles. But I decided that I need to break that soon,” says Shukla.

However, Shukla, last seen in Raid and Daas Dev, never felt hard done by. “Everybody has to struggle for what they want. My desire was to do complex roles and be praised for it. I’ve not been denied (any role). Yes, it has taken time to come to a certain level but I finally got what I wanted, and it paid off,” says Shukla.

There have been both highs and lows, but nothing that he wants to undo in his career. “There are characters that I almost got but couldn’t do or didn’t get selected, but I believe they were not mine,” he says.

Does that mean even he got rejected for roles? “There are a thousand reasons why you don’t get a role. Maybe I am committed at that time, or the money doesn’t match, or the director has doubts about you because he (already) has options in his hand. So, it’s all fair and there’s nothing personal about it,” he signs off.

The first thing that comes into anybody’s head is to cast me in happy, comic roles. But I decided that I need to break that soon.

SAURABH SHUKLA ACTOR