Sleuthing on tele

Sharad Kelkar’s career is like a zero-to-hero fairytale. Starting off as a gym instructor in small town Gwalior, Sharad moved to Mumbai to chase his Bollywood dream. After his initial struggle, and a two-decade association with the entertainment industry, Sharad is finally getting his due.

If fans started loving his voice in Baahubali (he had dubbed Prabhas’s voice), his latest avatar as Agent Raghav on the telly has turned him into a household name. Sharad is back on television after a slew of significant films including Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty’s debut film Hero, and his powerful negative role in the Marathi blockbuster Lai Bhaari.

What made him choose Agent Raghav on &TV as his comeback vehicle? “Indian television is booming with fresh content. The concept of mega serials is dying and short programmes are gradually becoming popular. I found the premise of Agent Raghav interesting. I enjoyed watching old detective shows like Karamchand and Byomkesh Bakshi and still remember them almost 30 years down the line. Now I want people to remember Agent Raghav the same way.”

Unlike most actors, Sharad has a tendency to keep shifting his line of interest despite being successful in one. When his Marathi film Lai Bhaari became a big hit, Sharad did not sign any other Marathi film. “I am a little picky when it comes to work. When Lai Bhaari did well at the box office, people thought I would sign any Marathi film that comes my way. But I was determined to take my time because I sign a project after analysing the entire plan — how the film will be made, promoted and projected.”

The actor however has signed a biopic on the deceased politician Gopinath Munde. Throwing more light on the film Sharad says, “I had initially turned down the offer. But the director of the film was adamant and showed a lot of confidence in me. After the first two schedules, I felt reassured. With prosthetics and make up, I was amazed to see the transformation.” The film is scheduled to release next year.

Apart from his looks, Sharad’s baritone voice has also proven lucky for him. “I have often been compared to Amitabh Bachchan. He is an institution for all of us and we have all learnt a lot from him,” he says with pride. It was this baritone that earned him the opportunity to lend his voice for Prabhas’s character in the blockbuster Baahubali.

“When I am not acting, I take up a lot of dubbing assignments. I feel that dubbing is as an integral part of acting and I take it seriously. Baahubali was a good experience as I dubbed for one of my favourite directors SS Rajamouli. As I was doing a Telegu film at that time, someone recommended my name to Rajamouli and we worked together.”

So how does he sum up his two-decade long journey in the entertainment industry? Sharad, who has acting in hit shows like Saat Phere, Bairi Piya, Kuch Toh Log Kehenge, doesn’t take success or failure seriously. “I have been always a positive person because I believe that if I am happy, I can make people around me happy. As an actor, I do my best to the role. But success of the show depends entirely on the audience.”