Sharad Kelkar: I sat home for six months and refused 50 shows; want to reinvent my image with each role

While last year, actor Sharad Kelkar had five releases including four Hindi and one Marathi film, this year, he has had only one release so far — Marathi film Rakshas. But doing several movies at the same time is not on his mind, and neither is he worried about the number of offers he’s getting.

“If you observe my career, I always do one positive role and then one negative. I don’t want to do limited things in the same category, so I am always reinventing [my onscreen image]. I may wait for six months but I ensure that I pick something different,” says the actor who was seen in the Sanjay Dutt and Aditi Rao Hydari-starrer Bhoomi and Baadshaho, featuring Ajay Devgn and Ileana D’Cruz, last year.

Sharad insists that he wants the audience to remember him for his “good work” and not the “number of films” that he has been a part of. “Number of films don’t count for me. It is the quality of work I am doing in a year that matters. I don’t want to get dated or typecast and I work with that in mind. I did a biopic on a minister, then Rocky Handsome (2016), and then played a common man, followed by a villainous role in Bhoomi, so I have always tried to grow as an actor,” he adds.

The actor refrains from being part of films where he doesn’t have a substantial role. “I believe that even if you do one film, people should remember your character for a long time after the film, and hope that he’ll do something different next. That’s my motto,” he shares.

Sharad recalls that even during his television days, he never repeated roles on screen. “There were times when I was sitting at home [for six months] with nothing in hand, and I used to chill and choose between shows. I remember 50 shows came to me but I refused and said that I have already done this. Whether the money was good or not, I’ve not got repetitive,” he says. Sharad is a well-known face on television through shows such as Uttaran, Sinndoor Tere Naam Ka, Saat Phere, Koi Laut Ke Aaya Hai, and more.

So is this the reason that despite hailing from TV, he’s had a fairly good graph in films too? Sharad replies in agreement, “Yes, I guess that attracts filmmakers, to an extent. Also, when you go on set, you have to be honest, punctual, and prepared for whatever role you are doing. And then when you perform, the director also sees that hard work in your performance and that urge to do something new each time. Eventually, they start liking you, so it’s a formula that everyone has in their life.”

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