The cold breeze of Delhi winters has an admirer in actor Sharman Joshi, who has featured in films like Rang De Basanti (2006) and 3 Idiots (2009). “I find Delhi extremely romantic. I have shot [here] in the winter time, that’s been nice. Something about Delhi is very charming. I love Mumbai during the rains, and I love Delhi during the winters. My wife (Prerna) has a large family [here],” he says.
For the 38-year-old, who comes from a family of actors, there is “nothing like the stage”. And his love for theatre will be evident in the comedy play Raju Raja Ram Aur Main, which will be staged in Delhi and Gurgaon this weekend. Directed by Kedar Shinde, the narrative of the play follows the life story of Madan Sukhnandani — an industrialist who catches his second wife with her lover. The lover is none other than Sukhnandani’s PA (personal assistant). With tempers running high, the husband falls prey to the cheating wife, and is murdered.
“It’s an entertaining piece, meant to evoke laughter from the audience,” says Sharman, who plays four different characters in the same story. “The screenplay Kedar has played is a visual treat, [and is] what a film would offer [but] on the stage. I saw the Gujarati adaptation 10 years ago, and now that I have gotten back to theatre, I chose to do the Hindi adaptation. I have always been part of Gujarati theatre; this is the first Hindi play that I am doing.”
Having returned to theatre two years back, does he plan to leave this medium for films? “No, I made that mistake 10 years back. Then, I didn’t feel like doing theatre, mainly because Gujarati theatre is very hectic, in terms of schedules. Any play that you do has a minimum guarantee of 100 shows — [which extend to] about four to six months. We would perform practically every day. On the trot, doing one particular play, monotony can set in; breaking away from which is a big challenge. Now that I have come back [to theatre], I am really enjoying the love from the audiences; live reaction, sheer excitement of hitting the right note in every scene. It’s a great place to learn, unlearn your craft.”
{{/usCountry}}Having returned to theatre two years back, does he plan to leave this medium for films? “No, I made that mistake 10 years back. Then, I didn’t feel like doing theatre, mainly because Gujarati theatre is very hectic, in terms of schedules. Any play that you do has a minimum guarantee of 100 shows — [which extend to] about four to six months. We would perform practically every day. On the trot, doing one particular play, monotony can set in; breaking away from which is a big challenge. Now that I have come back [to theatre], I am really enjoying the love from the audiences; live reaction, sheer excitement of hitting the right note in every scene. It’s a great place to learn, unlearn your craft.”
{{/usCountry}}He finds it amazing that audiences are different, from one city to another. “I have found in two-tier and smaller cities that the audiences are more forthcoming, and tend to enjoy themselves more. In metros, generally the audience is reserved, especially [in] the first 10 rows. There are differences within a city too, like the audience in Borivali (Mumbai) is more relaxed,” says Joshi, whose last film was Wajah Tum Ho (2016).
Joshi will soon be seen in a suspense thriller, and a few romantic comedy flicks. “I am working on three films right now, so [in] 2018, you are going to see a lot of me,” he signs off.
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