As someone hailing from a small town of Madhya Pradesh, and having “been around” people who hunted, Sharat Saxena says he was a natural fit for the part of callous hunter Ranjan Rajhans in Sherni. “I believe that if you look the part, half the [battle] is won. Because I belong to Madhya Pradesh, and am built like them, I could fit the [bill],” begins Saxena.

Saxena’s performance in Sherni has earned him a Best Supporting Actor (Male): Film nomination at the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards. On its release, the Vidya Balan-starrer was praised for beautifully highlighting the man-animal conflict. Saxena credits script writer Aastha Tiku for her diligent research on hunters appointed by the state governments to shoot animals that are considered a threat to human settlements around.

“I was given several photographs and descriptions about them. When I read about these [hunters], I understood that they are different from those who hunted for pleasure, 20 years ago. They are small-town engineers and businessmen who have learnt to hold a gun and hunt from their grandfathers.”

He adds that he enjoyed shooting the film amid nature and wildlife.

Cast your vote for the Hitlist OTT Awards

Sharat Saxena has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor (Male): Film category for Sherni.

The other nominees are:

- Ashutosh Rana (Pagglait)

- Pankaj Tripathi (Mimi)

- Paran Bandopadhyay (Bob Biswas)

- Paresh Rawal (Toofaan)

- Stephen Hogan (Sardar Udham)

Log on to www.radiocity.in/hitlistawards to cast your vote.

You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.

Voting lines close on March 18.