Learnt focus and sincerity from Salman Khan: Sharad Kelkar

“Salman Khan is really such an inspiration to work with. Working with him on ‘Lai Bhaari’ was such an honour and I was really impressed with how well he can speak Marathi. He is very focused as an actor, which is what I learnt from him,” Sharad told PTI in an interview here.

“Even though it was a cameo, he gave it his 100 per cent. I think that’s what I learnt from him. The length of a role doesn’t matter, you need to be sincere,” he said.

Sharad, who is known for his performances in serials like “Saat Phere”, “Kuch Toh Log Kahenge”, had auditioned for the role (in “Hero”) and director Nikhil Advani liked his work and felt he was the right choice.

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“I am happy about the fact that I have a pivotal role in the film that was played by Sanjeev Kumar in the original film,” he said.

The popular TV actor had a great time working withnewcomers Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty.

“Sooraj and Athiya are hard-working. They are as dedicated as seasoned actors. It was really great working with them and they are both full of energy and fun too,” he said.

Sharad made his mark with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Ram Leela”.

When asked how it benefitted him in terms of film offers received, he said, “A good role and film always makes a huge difference in the kind of projects you are offered later. ‘Ram Leela’ has opened a lot of avenues in Bollywood for me.

“I got ‘Hero’ after ‘Ram Leela’, so the makers must have liked my role in the film to be offered such a big role in a big production,” he said.

The 38-year-old actor would be next seen in two Marathi films, one where he will be playing the role of late politician Gopinath Munde and another one titled “A Paying Ghost”.

“I have a guest appearance in the Marathi film ‘A Paying Ghost’, which is based on a Marathi novel by author V P Kale,” he said.

“I have another interesting Marathi project, in which I play the role of late politician Gopinath Munde; that’s one of the most challenging roles I have done so far – to get his mannerisms and the way he spoke such brilliant Marathi,” he added.