Sharad Malhotra returns to the screen: Actor to play cop after hiatus

Sharad Malhotra, who is set to make his return to the screen after a gap — his last TV outing was in 2022, and his most recent OTT stint was in 2023

The biggest truth of every actor’s life is that there will be more lulls than successes,” says Sharad Malhotra, who is set to make his return to the screen after a gap — his last TV outing was in 2022, and his most recent OTT stint was in 2023. But the actor is quick to clarify he “never really took a break”. “I was thinking the other day — three years have passed just waiting for something good to happen. Then it hit me: I can’t just keep waiting. I have to be the one to take a step forward. As actors, effort is required from our end too,” he says.

Actor Sharad Malhotra

Sharad describes this period as a lull phase, where projects were close to materialising but kept fizzling out: “That’s the reality of this profession. More often than not, you’re in a lull rather than riding a high.” Reflecting on two decades in showbiz, he says, “When people around me were celebrating 20 years of my career, I had just one thought, yes, it’s 20 years, but of constant grinding. Nothing comes easy.” He credits his journey to the support of those around him: “Whether it’s my wife, we’re also celebrating six years of marriage, or my parents, my constants, it’s always been a collective journey. And this, I’ve learned late in life: it’s never just ‘I’, it’s always ‘we’.”

Now, after what he calls a storm following the lull, the actor is excited for what’s next, especially because he finally gets to wear the khaki: “Out of the three projects, two will release within a month. I’m super thrilled because I’ve always wanted to play a cop, and now I get to do it in my fittest avatar.” He shares that both upcoming shows feature him as “two very different kinds of police officers”. While there are talks for TV too, Sharad is currently enjoying his OTT run: “It’ll have to be with something out-of-the-box.”