Sharad Kelkar says he was kicked out of his first show on day 1 of shoot, it changed his life: ‘I was stammering; director decided to replace me’

In an interview with indianexpress.com, Sharad, 44, shares the moment which he still remembers very clearly.

Getting replaced on his first big show

“I was in a struggling phase for almost two and a half, three years. When I landed my first show in 2003, I was very excited to be working with a big production house for a serial and going on set and seeing people who you must have seen on television and now you are working with them. It was pretty new and I didn’t know the first thing about acting. I can now say that I was pretty bad but you don’t know how you are acting when you doing it. When my scene came, the director gave 30-40 takes and I couldn’t perform,” says the actor, who has been part of television shows such as Aakrosh, Sinndoor Tere Naam Ka and Kuch To Log Kahenge.

The actor continues, “I was really helpless. I used to stammer and I couldn’t say dialogues and by the night he said ‘let’s replace him’ and I was kicked out of the show and I felt very bad and sad that after so ling I got a good show and I lost it.”

Not the one to let anything pull him down, Sharad took things in his stride and channeled the sadness into building a better career for himself.

“Now that I think of it, that was the turning point of my life and made me realise that nothing comes easily in life, work hard and think seriously about what you want to do. That is the motivation I got to put in a lot of hard work and continuous effort and still, I am trying to do that,” he shares sounding optimistic about his journey.

The actor did several television show and became a known personality and turned towards films. While he did cameo in films such as Hulchul and 1920: Evil Returns, it was his role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2013 film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela that got him a wider recognition.

 

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Sharad is married to actor Keerti Gaekwad, who often asks him the need to step out every day and read stories being offered to him even now when he is famous.

“I tell her that this is my process. I need to work, create more stuff run behind good work, and prove that I am worth…That is the process I have been following for so many years, I am not sitting at home. I think that one show where I got kicked out was a turning point. That time I must have been sad but that was the right time otherwise I would have been a lenient guy and wanted everything on a platter, which happens to many actors,” shares Sharad, who entered the web world with Prime Video’s original popular series The Family Man as his character Arvind.

Sharad is also known as the Hindi voice of Telugu actor Prabhas after he dubbed the Hindi versions of the Baahubali franchise and Adipurush and Nani’s character in Dasara. He has also dubbed for several Hollywood films such as Dawn Of The Planet Of Apes, Mad Max: Fury Road. The actor is also known in Marathi film industry for his lead characters and is a familiar face in the Telugu and Tamil industries.

 

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Sharad’s need to multi-task as an entertainer

When asked at what point did he feel the need to branch out as an entertainer? Sharad, who specialised in Maths during schooling, graduated in sports and physical fitness and did his masters in business marketing points out the pattern.

“It was always there… I have been like that since childhood. I didn’t think much, I just did it. I was never in two minds that I did my schooling in Maths, so why should I do my graduation in physical education? Then if I had done my graduation in that, then why should I do my MBA in marketing? I never thought of that. This just happened in my life. God has been kind that whenever there was a chance, I chose the right path, ofcourse there were ups and downs and life has not been easy…”

He adds, “Another theory I have is that obviously, you feel bad for a moment but I did not regret not doing something. I always think something better is there in the book for me. Everything I can’t do, I also have to let go of a few things. That also I know. I think I am still very hungry and greedy and I think.”

Sharad’s birthday plans

As he celebrates his birthday on Saturday, the actor has left the birthday preparations for the “wifey department.”

“I don’t get into it,” he says, “I hate cutting cakes and firstly I don’t like cakes, so I don’t cut. I love surprises and she is hopefully up to something.”

Sharad has a series of projects lined up for him. He will be seen in Rohit Shetty’s digital debut web show The Indian Police Force, Jio Studios’s Doctors and Slum Golf. He is making his Tamil debut with Ayalaan, which is set to release in 2024.