Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; December 25, 2019)

Born to an actress and a film producer, it was easy for him to become another example of the industry launching one of its ‘kids’. However, in his bid to make it on his own, Priyaank Sharma decided to choose a project outside his father’s banner and find his calling before collaborating with his parents, Padmini Kolhapure and Tutu Sharma, professionally. In a chat with BT, the newcomer, who will debut in debutant director Karan V Kashyap’s Sab Kushal Mangal, stresses on the importance of fighting one’s own battles and why his parents didn’t let him start out too young in the business. Excerpts...

Padmini Kolhapure kicked off her career as an actor when she was still in school. Your father made his first film when he was all of 21. By that standards, aren’t you a little late in terms of starting out?
My mother didn’t want me to visit film sets or attend fraternity gatherings when I was a kid. She believes that children are fragile and naive, and that kind of exposure can ruin their raw energy and thoughts. So many filmmakers had approached my parents to cast me, but my mother never gave in. And today, I am glad that she didn’t. She gave me room to grow up, and discover things when I was actually more prepared. That has made me the person I am. When I started shooting for Sab Kushal Mangal, she only came for the mahurat shot because she wanted me to work without feeling conscious. When she saw the trailer and gave me a tight hug, I realised how happy she was to see me chase my dreams. She can be quite critical in her assessment, but sometimes, the mother in her overtakes everything else. Even if she hasn’t said so, I know that I have a long way to go; in fact, when I recently saw the film, I felt that I could have done so many scenes better.

Given that your parents were not keen to let you start out as a kid, when did you tell them that you want to become an actor?
I was still young, though technically, I wasn’t a kid. I was always drawn to dramatics and that had prepared my parents for this decision long ago. So, they weren’t surprised when I told them, and didn’t behave like pushy parents. On the contrary, they both took turns to caution me about the industry and the profession. They made me more aware of the cons — the long hours, the toll it takes on an individual, mentally and emotionally, lack of social life and public scrutiny. When they realised that I was sure about my choice, they stood by me while I assisted filmmakers and auditioned for roles.

Do you feel that you missed out on anything because your parents didn’t let you hang out on sets or meet the fraternity at parties?
No, I don’t think so. I was an inquisitive child and I had too many questions about everything. Each time mamma saw me digressing, she would redirect me to my studies. Even when she came to my school, she would only enquire about my studies, though the teachers were happy to tell her about my skills in dramatics. When I grew up and gradually started meeting people, many were surprised that Padmini Kolhapure even had a son that old and that he didn’t behave like a star kid. To answer your question, it only worked to my advantage.

You decided to make your acting debut with a family comedy like Sab Kushal Mangal, when the industry is going through a phase of dramatic transition. So, what drew you to this film?
I consciously chose this film. My parents are from the industry, and so are my maternal cousins (Shraddha and Siddhanth Kapoor), aunt (Tejaswini Kolhapure) and uncle (Shakti Kapoor). I could have had that flashy and flamboyant launch that people often talk about. In fact, I was prepping for something like that. I took up MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) for three months and had piled on a few kilos for a film, but before we could finalise it on paper, Sab Kushal Mangal came my way and my instinct said that I should go ahead with this instead. I didn’t want a particular kind of launch, but just something that works for me. Also, I am a huge fan of Akshaye Khanna and he was part of this film. So, the project ticked all the boxes. In this film, I’ve not come with all guns blazing. There’s a lot more to showcase, but I’ll go one film at a time.

At a time when most newcomers use their first outing to showcase all their skills, why would you choose to go one film at a time?
There are no set rules here. If there was one, and if we all knew what really works, everyone’s success ratio would have been 100 per cent. For me, this was a personal choice. You have to trust what you do. I chose Sab Kushal Mangal after I heard the script. It was a challenge to understand my character’s psyche because he’s a small-town boy who finds a job in Delhi. The world of a person like that is alien to me. So, I decided to take the plunge and give it my best. One of the biggest pluses was to have about 60 scenes with Akshaye Khanna. Our director has worked for 25 years in the industry; he’s commendable.

Your mother was one of the top actresses of the 80s and was seen on the big screen (in Panipat), a month before you make your debut. Does it make you apprehensive that you might be compared to her?
I don’t want to think about it because it’s a lot of pressure to handle. If I can be half the actor that she is, I am home and I know that. But I don’t want to approach my work with that negative thought. Yes, people will compare us and expect me to act well, but I don’t want to see that with a negative mindset. I confide a lot in my mother and she is my buddy. I look at her with a lot of pride and awe. I saw her in Panipat, pulling off a negative character with such ease. I was assisting Rajkumar Santoshi on Phata Poster Nikhla Hero (2013). Someone sent her a wrong monologue and Raj ji was losing his cool. She asked him to read out the correct one to her twice, and she pulled it off in one take without any rehearsal. She blew my mind away because here I am, mugging up lines for weeks. She’s become a refined performer with all her hard work. I aspire to be a good actor like she is.