Actor Saurabh Shukla,best known for his role of gangster ‘Kallu mama’ in ‘Satya,is making is comeback to theatre after a gap of 18-years with comedy play ‘Red Hot’. “I am returning to theatre after a hiatus of 18 years and will make an effort to do a play once a year. But that does not mean I will be saying goodbye to films,” said Shukla.
“I will always remain indebted to Bollywood for the recognition which I have got among the masses. But the true feeling of acting comes from theatre which I have been ignoring for a long time. Through ‘Red Hot’ I am initiating this journey and will continue to do so,” he said.
Red Hot is the Hindi adaptation of American play by ‘Last of the Red Hat Lovers’ by Neil Simon.
Shukla,will be essaying the role of Praneet Singh Sethi,who is suffering from a midlife crisis. “I came to mumbai in 1993 and kept myself busy doing films thus neglecting theatre. Since my struggle in the film industry has reduced I am making a comeback to theatre. I started my theatre journey in Delhi and hence would like to dedicate this play to the city,” said Shukla,who has received critical acclaim for films ‘Hey Ram’,’Mumbai Express’ and ‘Yuva’.
A graduate of Delhi University,Shukla forayed into the theatre by joining famous theatre group ‘Sakshi’. He got his first break in Bollywood with Shekhar Kapur’s ‘Bandit Queen’ in 1992.
Shukla was nominated by Screen as best supporting actor for his role in Sudhir Mishra’s ‘Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin’ and later won Screen and Zee Cine awards for best screenplay for film ‘Satya’ alongside Anurag Kashyap.
In 2008,he acted in the Oscar winning film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and portrayed the character of constable Srinivas. His forthcoming projects include Prakash Jha’s ‘Aarakshan’,where he essays the role of education minister and ‘Kashi Ka Assi’,based on veteran Hindi author Kashi Nath Singh’s book.