With brilliant performances in films such as Style, 3 Idiots, Rang De Basanti, Golmaal, Life in a… Metro and Ferrari Ki Sawaari, you’d think actor Sharman Joshi would have found a place in at least the top 10 performers of Bollywood since his debut in 1999 with Shabana Azmi starrer Godmother. Yet, the 35-year-old actor prefers to be picky about his projects.
“I don’t know actually. There have been some films where I’ve felt I’ve done my job right, such as my last two films, including Ferrari Ki Sawaari. Everyone had the right intentions, passion and thoughts, but the result wasn’t as desired. You win some, you lose some,” Joshi told tabloid!.
Well, this is a big weekend for Joshi as not only his film Super Nani, with legendary actress Rekha, is releasing, he’s also making a theatre comeback with the Hindi play, Raju Raja Ram Aur Main, at Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, after a decade. Joshi will play four characters in the play. He has acted in the Gujarati version of the play, written and directed by Marathi director Kedar Shinde, who also directed Joshi in the Hindi film Toh Baat Pakki.
“It’s been 10 years since I’ve done theatre and the urge to return was pretty acute,” Joshi said. “As they say: once a theatre actor, always a theatre actor. Theatre acting is all about doing something interesting and exciting for the actor in me — I am treating myself. Raju… was the last play I did and it made sense to come back with that. It’s a visual treat [because of the various characters] because you usually don’t get that in theatre. It is a farce, which in my opinion, will be a classic — not just on the Indian stage but also internationally. Internationally in the sense, it’s much like the plays I’ve seen on Broadway and off Broadway — I mean, this is right up there if not beyond.
“For some reason or the other, I’ve always been tied up to perform [theatre] outside India. Several of my plays have visited UK and US, but I’ve never been part of the team.”
The original Marathi play, Joshi informs, has run close to 3,000 shows in the past 12 years. The Hindi version is on a world tour with Dubai — a city which Joshi considers his second home as much of his wife’s family is based here — as its first leg, followed by UK and US.
Joshi hails from a theatre-based family. His father Arvind Joshi is a veteran of Gujarati theatre, his aunt Sarita [Joshi] Bhosle is a well-known face on Indian television and much of his extended family has dabbled in Gujarati and Marathi theatre. Yet, he says acting wasn’t really his first choice.
“I’ve always been interested in creativity. But, by nature, I’m the kind of person who likes to analyse things and then do what I like to do,” said Joshi, who has acted in several languages on stage before moving to movies. “It was a big move and coming from a middle class background, [I had to make sure] whatever career I opted for had to be right, as it would be crucial to my livelihood. I had a leaning towards criminal law and considered management too. But while in college, I participated in various intercollegiate activities in Mumbai. A lot of professional people are connected to these. So you get an immediate exposure to the theatre world, and I earned a lot of appreciation and acceptance from them. So I decided to take the plunge into acting.
“And that’s all I am. I live, breathe and eat acting. There’s nothing more to me — I’m quite boring otherwise.”
On ‘Super Nani’
“Inder Kumar is probably one of the biggest grossing directors in the industry. In 30 years, he has done some 18 films, out of which only three or four haven’t been a superhit,” said Joshi about the Super Nani filmmaker. “If you consider the budget side, this is a small film. Yet the subject of the film is exceptional and the entertainment value from it is as good as any.
“Its beauty is in the story. It’s a coming together of traditions and values [which] we are so proud of and adaptation of certain modern influences that work to our advantage. We find foreigners coming to our country to seek some sort of solace or hoping to find some truth through our culture and values. That’s what we need to hang on to. All this is said in a very entertaining fashion. It’s a family comedy with some important things to say, but with fun.”
On working with Rekha
“She’s not just a superstar but also a true super achiever and that was evident on the sets. She continues to be so disciplined and focused on her work. She’s a legend. And likewise in her personal life, which reflects in the beauty she is. She’s a wonderful person.”
