Sharman Joshi, who has been a part of the industry for the past 20 years, believes in pushing his boundaries as a performer. He has been appreciated for his nuanced performances in films like Rang De Basanti, 3 Idiots, Ferrari Ki Sawaari and Misson Mangal. He worked in Gujarati theatre for over a decade before taking up a sabbatical. Sharman is now all set to make his debut in Gujarati films. In a free-wheeling chat, Sharman talks about the changing face of content creation and his career choices. Excerpts:

The actor, who has tried his hand at various genres, says, “Comedy and romantic films generally resonate with the audience. Thrillers and horror films might not have the same mass appeal, but they have their niche audience too. I believe in the storyline of the film not the genre. It’s the first narration of the film that I rely on. If it works then it does, if it doesn’t work then it’s very rare that I have gone back to it. I am an instinctive actor. Mostly, it’s my first instinct that dictates my choice of work.”

Pointing to the popularity of content on OTT platforms, Sharman says, “Filmmakers will have to pull up their socks. With OTT platforms across bringing content that’s out-of-the-box, it will be more difficult to bring the audience out of their comfort zone to watch a film. We have to give them something more.” 

The actor, who started his career with Gujarati theatre, is excited about his debut in Gujarati films with Jalso Karo Jayantilal. “The Gujarati film industry is going through a transformative phase. There are new narratives and the possibilities of commercially viable films are strong now. This got me excited too and I wanted to explore this platform for my creative satisfaction,” he says.

He further adds, “I have been involved with Gujarati theatre for a long time. In fact, I started my journey from there. I feel, Gujarati films have just been an extension of it, but it so happened that Gujarati films in those days were not being made at the scale that they are being made now.”

Sharman says, “After working in theatre for 10 years along with doing Hindi films and then taking a sabbatical from theatre, I finally decided to work in Gujarati films.”

While Sharman is busy with films, he often looks back at his theatre days with a lot of fondness. “Though I have worked in different mediums, I really enjoy being on the stage. There is no better excitement, challenge or high than a solid stage performance. It gives you instant gratification when it goes well. At the same time, you receive brickbats when it does not go well. This process can be ruthless but that’s the beauty of it,” he shares.

Speaking about shooting in the new normal, he says, “There are a certain number of people required on the set for smooth functioning. But now we have fewer people on the set and that makes work really challenging and exhausting too. It might look glamourous, but everyone on a set has a job to do. Hopefully things will come back to normal soon.”