Taking centre stage: Sharman Joshi raises the bar, to direct a play now

The actor will helm a play, which is set to premiere this May; says that direction came naturally to him because of his theatre background.

Sharman Joshi, whose recent play, Raju Raja Ram Aur Main, has tasted success, is now working on his next theatre production. This time, the Hate Story 3 (2015) actor has decided to take things up a notch. He will be directing his new play, which premieres in May.

“Theatre has always been special to me. I discovered my love for acting while doing theatre,” says actor-turned-director Sharman Joshi. (HT Photo)

Sharman, who has acted in several plays, including the Gujarati version of the popular drama, All The Best, is looking forward to directing a production for the first time. “Theatre has always been special to me. I discovered my love for acting while doing theatre, and it runs in the family. After having acted in a few plays, direction came quite naturally to me,” he says, adding that he loves theatre, as it lets him connect directly with the audience.

Read: World Theatre Day: Does a theatre background help in Bollywood?

“It (directing a play) never occurred to me before. But now, it is something that I have to do. It’s like a calling. I started [my career] from theatre, and I’m back here again. With Raju Raja Ram Aur Main, which was appreciated globally, my audiences wanted more from me,” says Sharman.

Moreover, he may have ventured into directing plays, but Sharman hasn’t thought about helming movies yet. “Directing a film is not on my mind at present. I am happy just acting in them for now,” he says.

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