Sharad Kelkar is turning a year older today and is taking some time off from work. The actor has acted in TV series, movies and OTT, too.

He says, “I didn’t face the issue, where I wasn’t chosen for films due to my television background. When you are playing the lead in a successful TV show, your mindset is, ‘I’m ready to be the leading man in films, too’. Sometimes, it works out for you, but a lot of times it doesn’t. You must’ve seen actors who fell into this trap; they did sad films, which weren’t up to the mark, just to play the leading guy — that’s a choice [they made].”

Kelkar didn’t want to go down this route. Instead, he “played different characters” and that helped him in his career. “The film industry also accepted me with open arms. They must’ve thought, ‘This guy just wants to be an actor’. I have played the lead in a few regional films, but destiny will tell if I play a leading role [in a big film] or not,” adds the actor, who’s best known for Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior and Laxmii (both 2020).

The 46-year-old has “no plans” for his birthday but says, “My wife (actor Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar) might have planned something.”