Sharad Kelkar, who moved from TV to Bollywood and OTT, says he didn’t mind the “struggle” and “enjoyed every bit of that process” because it made him a better actor. Currently juggling OTT and films, Sharad has a tight schedule and says he feels “guilty about not being able to strike a work-life balance. I have been giving work too much priority, so now I am trying to break this pattern and spend quality time with my family at home and by frequently taking vacays together”.

We caught up with the actor who’s in Ahmedabad to shoot an OTT project. Excerpts:

While doing my MBA in 2001, I lived in Ahmedabad for a few months and did my summer internship programme in the city. As a marketing student, I explored Ahmedabad to the fullest. I stayed opposite Darpana Academy and would have most of my meals at Natrani. I hope I can go there this time too. I have watched many movies here - Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Aks - the multiplexes were awesome. A small town boy like me (he is from Gwalior) had only gone to cinemas that had chairs without proper leather cover, multiplexes were a novelty for me! Ahmedabad is a beautiful, vibrant city.

I have been juggling OTT, Bollywood and dubbing assignments for a while; I didn’t find it challenging. Acting has always been my passion, so anything associated with it makes me happy. I never feel overworked and even my struggle period had its own charm. When you love something, everything associated with it feels good.

OTT has redefined the entertainment industry and there are both positives and negatives. I can see some wonderful storytelling, more opportunities for actors and technical professionals, actors doing some fabulous work. My only word of caution–to generate more content, OTT must not compromise on quality. The magic of watching movies in a theatre is getting impacted with content readily available on OTT platforms.

TV (Aakrosh, CID, Saat Phere, Uttaran and Koi Laut Ke Aaya Hai) gave me a lot of popularity but with my current schedule, I don’t think I will be able to give that kind of time to a TV show. Currently, TV shows are too run-of-the-mill and don’t excite me. I need something really interesting and finite if I do TV. Hollywood actors do movies and even TV, in India TV content does not offer enough creative challenges and even TRPs of the shows are dipping every year.

I don’t treat voice acting (he dubbed for Prabhas in Baahubali and Adipurush) as a challenge. I find it a lot similar to acting. If someone observed me during a dubbing session, they would have seen me emoting scenes with hand gestures and facial expressions as per the requirement of the scene. I am glad I have been appreciated for my dubbing.

Regional cinema is emerging as a force to reckon with. South filmmakers handle their work with conviction and know how to turn a story into a visual treat. Even Marathi movies have good stories, but they lack the star power and strong marketing which south films have. I have been hearing good things about Gujarati movies, especially in the NRI circle. I was even offered a Gujarati film a few years back, but the schedules didn’t match. Hopefully, I will do one soon.