‘I’ve been cast on the basis of my talent and not looks’

Actor Saurabh Shukla has played a variety of roles in his acting career spanning over three decades. Be it a corrupt politician in Raid (2018), a Godman in PK (2014), a comic character in Baadshah (1999) or a villain in Satya (1998), he is always on point with his part. But, the 56-yearold actor asserts that he didn’t bag these diverse roles because of his physical appearance.

“My casting in films has been done on the basis of my acting abilities and not because the way I look or because I am

bald. Of course, your appearance matters but the primary factor is your talent,” says the actor.

Explaining how a physical characteristic such as baldness can never decide an actor’s fate, Shukla adds, “Superstars like Bruce Willis and Rajinikanth, who turned bald much earlier in life and during the peak of their career, have still continued to surprise the audience with their acting prowess.”

It’s only coincidental that Shukla’s next, directed by Amar Kaushik, is based on the medical condition of sudden hair loss. However, the actor is quick to clarify that “it doesn’t mean that because I’m half bald, I got the part in this film. I’ll be very sad to know that I was cast not for my talent but because I’m half bald”.

Shukla goes on to add that irrespective of one’s looks, it’s the “inner confidence” that makes them beautiful. “Amitabh Bachchan was not considered a classic beauty, but he is the most beautiful person we have in our industry. It is because of his character and the kind of person he is that he is what he is today,” Shukla says.

Actor Saurabh Shukla