Rohman Shawl on how Sushmita Sen's heart attack impacted him: At first, you're just numb
Rohman Shawl opens up on his debut film Amaran, his bad experrience in acting, being in limelight due to Sushmita Sen and how her heart attack changed him
Actor Rohman Shawl recently made his feature film debut with Amaran, and he is basking the love and appreciation his antagonistic role in the film has brought him. “It's overwhelming and I am still trying to cope with it. I don't think the feeling has still sunk in, but it makes you feel good and grateful, and also nervous, because now the pressure of picking up good projects and performing well has added on. Playing an antagonist in such a film where you kill the hero, I wasn't expecting this kind of love,” he says.
Rohman Shawl has been a supermodel and been in showbiz for a while. Ask him why it took him so long to make his acting debut and he responds, “Because I didn't want to be an actor initially. In 2016, I was cast in a film, and when I was supposed to meet the director, I got a call saying that there are some changes being made in the script. As time went by, I got no response, and I understood that they don't want me anymore. That was a shock for me and I was like, I don't want to act.”
But then he got an offer for a short film that changed his perspective, followed by a meeting with Amaran director Rajkumar Periasamy, whose conviction in the actor as an antagonist couldn’t stop him from acting. “Although, here also the shoot got delayed for two years and I had to keep my look for it. Thus, I had to say no to all other projects these two years. So many people told me ‘time chala jata hai, take on other projects’, but I had this conviction that this film will do wonders for me. And it happened,” he says.
Apart from his profession, Roohman became a known public figure due to his association with actor Sushmita Sen. Ask him about the popularity that came with it and he says, “All this never baffled me because I was a supermodel before, but I got this kind of limelight because of her. When I got this fame, I always knew it wasn't because of me. So, I never really cared about it. This love is for somebody else, and I must appreciate it, but it couldn't go to my head because people didn't know me yet. So, I always kept a distance from it because I knew this is not my thing to take, ye kisi aur ki mehnat pe hai, aur main uspe aish nahi karne wala.”
Earlier this year, Sushmita suffered a major heart attack that changed her life. Rohman was a constant support for her during this time. Ask him how the incident impacted him and he reveals, “When something like that happens, the first thing is you’re just numb because you don't know what just hit you. But then the person who is going through it, also matters a lot, because of how they take it. And she took it so well. We didn't even realize that something that grave has happened. That's the beauty of that person.” He adds, “I didn’t use to take my health so seriously before, but when something like that happens, it makes you also introspect. I started getting regular checkups for myself and my loved ones. Health has become a priority, for me and my close ones.”
Did the incident strengthened his bond with Sushmita’s daughters—Renee and Alisah, as they had to be Sen’s support system throughout? “It's all give and take as she has been a source of strength to all of us. Obviously, the kids are always there and mujhse bhi jitna banta hai main kar deta hun. But mujhe nahi lagta main aisa kuch karta hun. But the kids, they're amazing and I'm actually fortunate that I could witness relationships like these. It helps you become a better human in life,” Rohman ends.
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