Learning Marathi accent was fun: Sohum Shah

Actor Sohum Shah on how he learnt Marathi and why he is here to engage and entertain

Sohum Shah and director Rahi Anil Barve have been receiving great feedback for their film Tumbbad. The film, which was in the making for a decade, has finally released and the they are being hailed for the film’s subject and treatment.

Sohum Shah was in Pune to promote his film Tumbbad for which he learnt the tricks of Marathi accent (Shankar Narayan/HT PHOTO)

Sohum, who joined the project six years ago, feels blessed to be associated with it. “The story is similar to those your grandmother would tell you. However, these stories were never portrayed on the big screen. The story of Tumbbad is rustic and Indian. During the making of the film, I realised why no one has ventured into this genre before,” says the Ship of Theseus (2012) actor.

He adds that the making was tough because the team did not have a reference point, yet each department worked very hard to make it authentic and relatable. “As the producer and actor, I did feel the pressure several times. But I had to understand where to draw the line. I could not let it overlap either of the jobs. As an actor, I like to be nurtured and pampered by my director. Similarly, the director and creative people on the set want to be taken care of by the producer. I had to be careful and not take any hasty decisions and do the best for all.”

Sohum is thrilled about learning the local language and the accent. “A few days ago, people who saw the film approached me and spoke to me in Marathi. I was very overwhelmed that they thought I was Maharashtrian. Learning the Marathi accent was fun, but initially it was stressful when I took it up as a project. When my tutor said not to look at it as a job, I started enjoying it,” he says.