MUSBA HASHMI chats up model-turned actor KARANVIR SHARMA, who shares his experiences, journey and a desire to work with Amitabh Bachchan
Tell us about your character in Mangalam Dangalm.
I am playing Nagararjuna Kutty, the son-in-law. He is a lawyer and belongs to a South Indian family. He speaks truth and respects women. He has the solution to every problem.
How did acting happen with you?
I didn’t want to be an actor. I wanted to become a director but then at that time Anupam Kher used to push me a lot saying that I should try my hand at acting. I used to tell him: Dekhiye Sir, main koshish to kar leta hoon par koi guarantee nahi hai main to ek average sa insaan hoon. This was in early 2000. That was the time when looks were equally important in the industry. I always thought in my college days ki mujhe zindagi main aisa kaam karna hai jisse main bore nahi hoom. Then I started working as a editor. I have also worked as an assistant director. That was when I realised that I have to work in the industry but acting was the last option for me. Then there was a time when I was called on camera as a substitute and it was then when I explored my acting skills.
How has your journey been from Sadda Adda to Mangalam Dangalam?
There were a lot of struggles and nothing came easily to me. I have struggled to earn Rs 200 and have also worked on the salary of Rs 2,000 per day, I have seen all those days. Those struggles have made me a better performer. I believe that if your foundation is strong you can achieve a lot of things in life. The good part of my journey is that I have played a lot of different characters. The reason that I am doing a comedy show now is that a lot of people were saying that I was only playing strong, powerful and intense characters. At that time, I got involved with those kinds of roles and now I am pushing myself to take up a very different character. So it is very challenging for me and at the same time, it is very exciting also.
What all challenges did you face in your life?
There were a lot of challenges aur mushkile toh roz aati rehti hain zindagi main. And acting is not easy. Now the time has come where people are very judgemental and the lifespan of an actor is less because your audience can change the channel anytime or can just switch to the online media or don’t show up in the theatres for your movie. You have to impress your audience at the very first go and that makes the struggle even more. My struggle as a performer is that I should be convincing and real enough to portray it in the right way. Other than that the other challenges were rejections but it has given me enough experience to value my work which I wouldn’t be doig otherwise..
Which role came close to you and why?
All the roles that I have played are equally close to my heart. I don’t play characters that don’t touch my heart. I am not selective in my work but I play those characters where I can build a connection with them otherwise I don’t do it.
How is the experience working in different media?
The experience is different in both TV and films. Television is a medium where you have to do new things daily because it is of longer duration but in films, you do a particular thing for a scene and then it gets over. In television, you have to think of new ways to make your character interesting because it runs for years and you have to keep experimenting with it. Every day is a challenge for a television actor and it is very fast paced.
Any actor that you would like to work with in future?
I would like to work with Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) because I have learnt voice modulation from seeing his work. I would like to work with Aamir Khan also because he does everything with perfection.
What is there in the pipeline?
At present, I am concentrating on Mangalam Dangalam. Then people will see me in a film — Blank. It will release this year. It has Sunny Deol in it. The director of Azhar, Tony D’Souza, is the producer of the film.