‘YOU HAVE TO PROVE YOURSELF WITH EACH FILM’
Sharad Kelkar says while it is easier these days to make the jump from television to films, actors have to be careful of the choices they make
With films such as Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013), Hero (2015), Rocky Handsome (2016), Telugu film Sardaar Gabbar Singh (2016), Bhoomi (2017) and Baadshaho (2017), Sharad Kelkar has been steadily making his presence felt in not just the Hindi film industry but in regional cinema as well. Now, the actor has signed the Sajid Khandirectorial Housefull 4 and a big-budget Tamil film costarring Sivakarthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh.
Sharad says, “What excited me about Housefull 4 was that it is a light-hearted role, something that I have never done before. It should be fun being the fourth hero of the film. Every actor wants to be part of a hit franchise, and the team is fantastic. I have worked with Ritesh Deshmukh in the Marathi film Lai Bhari (2014), and I know Bobby [Deol] as well, who are going to be my costars in Housefull 4. As for the Tamil film, it is a sci-fi film being helmed by popular director Ravi Kumar and is made on a huge budget. It will be a learning process for me to be part of the project. I enjoy doing films in different languages as that way every project is a novelty for me.”
As many actors from television make a foray into Bollywood, Sharad feels the lines between the two mediums are blurring. “I have always believed that an actor is an actor irrespective of the medium. I have done a lot of television shows in the past and have been doing films for the last five-six years. I feel making the jump from TV to films these days is not a big deal. But what I have learnt is that you can’t be sure of what will happen next. In films, you have to prove yourself with each film. The audiences might accept you in one film and reject you in another.”
Sharad feels that if one is getting into films, then they should be careful about their choices. “You should also choose the right kind of films because at times, people leave TV shows for films and then it turns out that the film never releases and they lose out on both fronts. One has to be little careful as success on television will not necessarily translate into success in films,” he adds.
Though Sharad knows many people in Bollywood, he admits it does not mean “more work”. He says, “You will have to go through the paces. But yes, knowing people does make it easy to meet the right people. In spite of knowing Sajid since a long time, I gave a look test for the role in Housefull 4 with other actors and then I got finalised. Earlier, I used to audition but now as I have done a few films, people know me. However, when the director wants, I do give look test to see if I suit the character or not.”