In a male-dominated industry, female actors are finally paving their way with some really good subjects on the big screen and even on OTT. Sharad Kelkar won hearts with his stellar act as a transgender in Laxmii, and opening up about the gender dynamics, Sharad says, “Cinema is not dependent on any gender, female actors are very much part of any story narration, without them, stories are incomplete. I am glad that many women-centric stories are being made, and they are accepted by the audiences too. It is great for the industry.”
The actor also made heads turn with his performances in Bhuj: The Pride of India and The Family Man series. “I feel happy and content, but there’s lots more to do. I deliberately choose different kinds of roles and films as I don’t want to restrict myself to one genre or in a particular hero or villain image,” Sharad explains.
He further adds, “I want people to say that I am a good actor, rather than saying I am a good hero or a villain. Moreover, it is a very point of view based tag. I have several unreleased projects that will hopefully come out in 2022. There will be around seven releases next year, people will get to see me a lot, but that doesn’t mean I earned a lot of money (jokes). It is a sad part of our industry that people tend to typecast you, but times are changing.”
Sharad spoke about how he played the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior. “When I did Tanhaji, there was a certain image of Chhatrapati Shivaji in people’s minds. As an actor, I portrayed the character to the best of my abilities. It was my responsibility to make people believe that I am Shivaji."
Spilling the beans about an upcoming project, Sharad reveals, “You get to see a surprise very soon, maybe next month or so, there’s a film where people will be astonished to see me, but I won’t be able to talk more about it at the moment. I am consciously choosing my films and growing as an actor.”
Off late OTT is one of the booming industries, and in the wake of visibility and numbers, the production value has drastically fallen. Sharad explains, “There are so many platforms but not all are backing quality production. Also, there is a viewership for every kind of content so those few are running their shops. One can’t stop them from making low quality content but it’s a great time for the actors. Good actors are given good chances on the web.”
